Description: The foundation for any school culture must be teaching life lessons of hope and possibility. Read here about lessons that change lives and benefit society.
Life Lessons
During the 14 years that I was a high school principal, I found that the concept of “hope and possibility” was fundamental to everything that we were trying to do in terms of accomplishing our school’s mission of Preparing for the Future by Learning Every Day. A school culture that fosters and cultivates life lessons of hope and possibility positively impacts graduation rates, standardized test scores, the success of fine arts and athletic programs, student citizenship and discipline, and community service.
If life lessons of hope and possibility are so important, how are they promoted? To begin, such lessons are promoted in classrooms where teachers teach students first, before they teach subject matter. The lessons are facilitated by mutually respectful student/teacher relationships that create welcoming classroom environments. A teacher’s understanding of a child’s life circumstances creates a nurturing bond that makes learning a more cooperative and hopeful effort. From a more technical standpoint, a philo