A morning scene

First day of school! Wow! After teaching for so many years, I still have problem getting to sleep early the day before school reopens. I belong to the group of nocturnal people and this trait is the most prevalent in the holidays. I would love to stay up deep into the night as my mind is the most alert during those hours and would only get out of bed near noon if left on my own. Such is the luxury of total, discretionary time during the holidays.

As I hurried out of my house this morning, a scene caught my attention. Not too far away was a couple with their daughter, and I suppose this is the little girl's very first day in school. They seem like they are probably waiting for the school bus. What was extraordinary of this seemingly common morning scene was that the father had a camera with him, and was taking a snapshot of his daughter carrying her little rucksack, getting ready for school. All three of them were smiling and there was so much hope and enthusiasm in their eyes. It was a very heart warming scene.

This hope and enthusiasm for life is inextricably linked to what we do everyday in school. We have to be mindful that the child's innate fire is not dampened through our invented processes.