This past month when I went to visit my mother in the nursing home, I found her surrounded by a group of 4th graders from a local elementary school. My first thought was "ugh, what are all these kids doing here!?" But then I saw the smile on my mother's face and looked further into what was going on. This was a group of elementary school children who were on a school trip to interact with the senior citizens. I was asking what the academic aspect was of the trip, and there was none! It was just simply a community service club looking to bring happiness to the local senior citizens. How nice!! I immediately retracted my initial thought, and replaced it with hope for the future of American education. If the schools are no longer just simply "teaching to the test," and are interested in teaching the "whole child"-- then I have hope for them!
This post is part of the MAT@USC Hope for the holidays event. Did you experience or witness something in 2009 that gave you hope for the future of American education? If so, please see this post for more information on how to share it.
