Friday, March 31, 2006
So: Kindergarten lessons
By Jocy L. So
Unraveling
ONCE upon time, I too attended my kindergarten graduation. Hay, it was such a long time ago. It was 20 years ago. I don't remember anything much, maybe it's old age. I do remember that I had to carry this big key that I handed over to a nursery graduate. It was gold and sparkly and gigantic. Bigger than my head. When I touched it, gold dust stuck to my hands. It was a beautiful key.
My teacher told me to carry the key carefully, because it was my responsibility. When I walk, I must not run because I might drop it. When I sit, I must not move around or talk with my seatmate. I was the key keeper; I must take care of the gold key. Whenever, someone talked on stage, I must listen carefully so that I will be still and not drop the key.
I learned something that day. I learned that my teacher trusts me enough to let me be responsible for something. My teacher believes that I will take of the key and not drop it.
My teacher gave me a big sparking gold key to take care of and it's important that I don't let her down. It's important I don't drop the key. A wise man who wrote books once said that everything he needed to learn, he learned in kindergarten. I am not sure if that is true for me, but I did learn a lot in kindergarten.
Lesson Number 1. Smile. When I was in kinder one, I did not always pay attention to what the teacher said. I loved to dream and pretend I am playing with my friends even when the teacher was teaching a lesson. One day, I noticed that everyone except for me was not wearing their uniforms.
My friends wore Mickey Mouse or Voltes 5 shirts! They wore colored-shorts, pink skirts, and jeans! I was the only one wearing a uniform! Unfair! I want to wear my favorite red and white polka dot skirt to school! When I got home I told my mother that the rules in school changed and that we could now wear anything to school. My mother said fine and so the next day I showed up in my red and white polka dot skirt.
You know what I saw when I got to school? You know what my friends and classmates were wearing? The school uniform. I was the only one NOT in uniform! It turned out we could only wear civilian clothes on Wednesdays and the day I showed up in my favorite skirt was a Thursday, thus, we had to wear our uniform! Everyone looked at me. It was so embarrassing!
I wanted to cry and go home but my parents told me that school is too important to be absent for just because I was in my red and white polka dot skirt. I wanted to scream and cry and hide. But my teacher came forward, took my hand, and smiled. She said it would be ok. I should not worry. My skirt was pretty, she said.
My teacher gave me a beautiful gift that day. It was a gift that did not cost her anything, but was priceless to me. She gave me a smile. And that made everything seem all right.
Lesson Number 2. Play. Kindergarteners, this is a magical time for you. A really magical time. Your childhood will only come once. This is a special time for all of you. So, play. Play your heart out. Play in the playground, slide, swing, see saw. Play with your friends, tagu-anay, taga-anay, langit-lupa, Chinese garter, bahay-bahay, tatay nanay gusto ko tinapay, gusto ko kape, lahat ay gusto ko, sinong matalo sa larong ito, ang magkamali ay kukurutin ko!
Enjoy each day, each moment. Have fun! Sing your songs, dance, exercise, learn your ABC's, 123, and memory verses with joy. Learning is fun, being with your friends, teachers, and family is fun. Enjoy it all.
Jesus said, "Don't worry about tomorrow." God loves you, He will provide your needs. Enjoy each day. Each morning when you wake up, God is giving you a smile. Smile back at God. Each day is a gift from God. Let us enjoy His gift. Imagine if you gave your best friend a gift you made yourself. You spent days designing it, coloring it, making it beautiful.
Once you finished making the gift, you give it to your friend. What would you like your friend to do? Frown? Or smile? Same with God. He is giving you a beautiful gift each and everyday. Let us enjoy His gift and thank Him for it. Now I have a secret for your parents: Parents, grades, status, who's the better speller, the one with the highest test score, those are not important. It's more important that you appreciate your children for who they are, that you love them and care for them because of who they are.
Money, new clothes, expensive toys. They're not that important, what's more important, more precious is that you spent time with your children, that you take time to teach them to bike, that you take time to bake with them, to read them a story, to fly a kite with them, to pick flowers, to run around, joke around, to play with them.
Lesson Number 3. God loves me. God loves me so much He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. I memorized that when I was in kindergarten. In English and Chinese. You want to know another secret? Love is the most important thing in life. And God's love is the best kind of love there is. I am now 27 years old. I still do not fully
understand what love is or how to love. But I am glad God is teaching me each day. Even if I try to learn hard, study hard about loving God, loving others, and loving life, there are times when I don't do a good job, but it's ok, because with God, there are no grades. Whatever we do, He still loves us, very, very, very, very, very much.
One last lesson from kindergarten: Remember that big sparking gold key that my teacher told me hold when I graduated from kindergarten? Well, I learned that we each have a key to hold, a key we need to take care of, to be responsible for.
When you graduate, you receive a piece of paper that means you have carried your key well throughout kindergarten. And now, you have a new key to hold, new responsibilities, but whatever happens when you become Grade 1, always remember our three lessons. Smile. Play. Because God loves you.
Jocy L. So teaches at Davao Christian High School and gave this speech during the school's kindergarten graduation ceremony
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