CAC PV 5th Grade

A few weeks before Carson was born, a friend of mine gave me some advice I think of often and was reminded of when talking with our Pre-K teachers this week:

She used shoes in her advice because it was both practical, tangible, and metaphorical— she could have said coats, brushing teeth, packing a lunch, missing the bus, studying for a test, forgetting an assignment at home, talking to a teacher about something, completing a science fair project, working out a conflict with a friend, or anything else kids have to learn to do.

It’s hard to watch a kid "tie his own shoes" sometimes, but there’s no safer place than school to let it happen. At school, the stakes are low and kids have a safety net under them to catch them if they fall.

This week, I saw student tie his/her own shoes (metaphorically). In a nutshell, that student couldn’t find an important paper that was needed for an open-note test. It’s not the first time that it’s happened this year for him/her, but the responses were completely different. The first time involved several public comments about it, lots of worry, a little bit of whining, and even some tears when I told them to find a solution. This time, though, the student handled it much differently. I didn’t even know there was an issue until the student approached me privately with a solution: "Since [so-and-so] isn’t here, could I just use their copy and then put it back when I’m finished?"

Same student, but two completely different approaches and responses to the same problem. I was so proud and responded that I loved the plan!

That moment goes straight to part of our mission at CAC— to partner with parents to provide a distinctively Christian education that inspires excellence, independence, and a transforming faith in God. While the stakes are low and a safety net is place, it’s good for kids to learn to deal with hard things on their own, sometimes figuring out things and sometimes failing in the process— because that’s when we get to really help them learn about life before it’s more than simply "tying their own shoes."

While they may be hard at the moment and I could easily swoop in and "tie a kid’s shoe for him," I’m looking forward to more moments like this throughout the year!

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh."

Hebrews 11:24

Spelling List— Lesson Ten

Friday, October 18

Classroom Resource Page (for class schedule, safety patrol rotation, textbooks, etc.)

Google Classroom (students may access this from their Google drive account)

Class ShowMe Page (video tutorials)