May Lifeskill - Respect
Book - Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
As a young girl in Kenya, Wangari was taught to respect nature. She grew up loving the land, plants, and animals that surrounded her - from the giant mugumo trees her people, the Kikuyu, revered to the tiny tadpoles that swam in the river. Although most Kenyan girls were not educated, Wangari, curious and hardworking, was allowed to go to school. There, her mind sprouted like a seed. She excelled at science and went on to study in the United States. After returning home, Wangari blazed a trail across Kenya, using her knowledge and compassion to promote the rights of her countrywomen and to help save the land, one tree at a time. Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. (Amazon description)
Respect comes in all forms. In this story we are learning about the respect of our environment. Explore with your kids other ways we show respect (respect to other people, respect to property etc). Respecting our world is not just one person’s job or a job for adults. It is a job for all of us. When I walk through the lunch area, I ask students to pick up the garbage around them. Students will respond, "But it’s not mine!” It shouldn’t matter; we want to keep the land clean. That is showing respect for our school.
Remind your kids of the story from October; The Golden Rule. This story was about respecting others, treating them in a way you would like others to treat you. Do you like to be yelled at? Then you should not yell at others.
You can take a piece of paper and break it up into sections and ask your child- what does respect look like at home, in the classroom, on the playground, to friends.
Counselor Nicole Scott