What lessons did you learn in Pre-School?
There’s no arguing the importance of a good education. As parents, we are constantly scrutinizing, discussing and sometimes obsessing over the best programs for our children. While a solid curriculum in reading, writing and ‘rithmatic are obviously key to ensuring our children are challenged and able to reach their full learning potential, there are other lessons learned in school that don’t come from books. You’re probably familiar with the very popular poem, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum. I’ve read it probably more than a hundred times, but I never tire of its simple message that success is life is about being a good person as well as a good student.
Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in Kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life –
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
In searching for this poem on-line, I also found this list of “Life Lessons Learned Preschool” by Casey Berna (courtesy ModernMom.com) that is a good addition to Fulghum’s famous poem:
- You get what you get and you don’t get upset
- People can be mean for no good reason and not everyone is going to like you
- The opposite sex can sometimes seem like they are from another planet
- No one is the line leader everyday
- When you fall down, you get back up. If you can’t get up, ask for help!
Here’s to the beginning of a life-long love of learning for your little one, or the continued path to success for your rising scholar! – Stephen Levin aka “The Big Bean”
