Penn Wood Elementary School

Gifted Program

February 2008  Newsletter

For the Love of Learning

I hope your family had the opportunity to spend some time together during our spring vacation.  Even though the weather was cool during the last days of our break, the rhythm of spring is upon us.  I live in a rural part of Chester Springs with a stream behind my home. One of my annual rituals is to go out and listen for the spring frogs and their chorus of nocturnal noise that signals the rebirth of life and the mini dramas that will follow.  Even though it’s a small detail, it awakens all my hope for things to come.

I want to thank all of the families which elevated our family hike at Middle Creek to the top of the weekend list.  The tundra swans and hundred thousand snow geese provided all of us with a remarkable display.  I look forward to our next adventure together.  The following link provides images from Middle Creek.  (Middle Creek)

A debate has caught my attention and it presents many points of view.  Should schools pay students who perform well on state and national tests? Some schools around the country are doing just that, and many proponents argue that it is just the right carrot to put in front of the horse.  I don’t see it that way.

The far greater concern for me is the loss of the love of learning.  If the sole mission of schools was to prepare students to get a job then paying students would certainly help to progress in that direction. I see schools in a much broader vision. It is through experiences tied to meaning and emotions that students can gain a deeper sense of purpose.  The power of the love of learning is the driving force needed to create a lifetime of fulfillment, and a life which seeks to unlock the many problems we face on this planet.  The love of learning is intertwined with emotions and the human spirit that strives to make a difference for those that will follow for generations to come. We need students to be visionaries, scholars, and practitioners who question the world we see and the world we wish to give to those which will inherit our results. This defining spirit can never be bought.

Please let me know how I can be of help to your child at Penn Wood.

Best wishes,

Sandy Maxwell

Penn Wood Gifted Resource Teacher