Got kids?

Even more to the point, got a 14-year-old? Yes? Then bless your heart, because whether your child is walking up the steps past the panther for the first time or simply dusting off her siblings’ algebra set like we homeschoolers do, the transition into high school is usually a big one. So big, in fact, that an educator I know describes ninth grade as a make-it-or-break-it year in the academic arc. I guess that’s because the freshman year is when credits must start to pile up, and test scores begin to count toward the all-important GPA. Then, of course, there’s that age-old issue of fitting in. Or not.

That’s why, on the eve of our family’s annual Blessing of the Books, I decided to write down a few thoughts for my own ninth grader. Maybe you know a ninth grader who could stand a letter as well.

Dear Daughter No. 2,

Welcome to high school. These are the years you’re supposed to begin to own it – your education, that is. In the classical movement they call it the rhetoric stage, the point at which students should be able to logically express with pen and voice what they’ve been learning all the years prior. Admittedly, that’s asking a lot. No pressure.

So as you prepare to dive headlong into gerunds and x intercepts, here are a few back-to-school tidbits to stuff into the abyss of your binder.

And no, you won’t be tested on them later.

First, treat your education as a gift. Millions of 14-year-olds throughout the world have never stepped inside a classroom. Your peers in South Sudan and Afghanistan, for example, have less than a 30 percent chance they’ll ever learn to read or write. Realizing that should make you appreciate your opportunities.

Second, accept that your education is largely up to you.  I’ve heard coaches attempt to motivate their players by asking them to “leave nothing on the field”. How about telling yourself to leave nothing on your desk? Our culture’s misplaced priorities lead many students to wrongly expend their best energies on everything except academics. Don’t. And remember, the brainy student called “nerd” today? Well, he’s often called “boss” tomorrow.

Third, recognize that your education (and that of others) doesn’t have an expiration date. Some of the best teachers you’ll ever encounter have been dead for years – some for centuries. Read the biographies of great men and women. Study their original documents and letters. They’ve got a lot to offer, if you’re patient enough to pick through the impressive command of English’s earlier writers possessed.

Fourth, view your education as a never-ending process. Just last week I was treated to lunch by one of my most faithful readers. Over crab cakes and pineapple salad, I learned of her great love for books — and the cutting-edge Kindle on which she stores them. She’s 94.

Fifth, understand that your education can make you smart, but not necessarily wise. This may be the most important point you need to internalize, because it’s hard for me to imagine a time when the truth of Proverbs 9:10 (that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom) has been more applicable. Case in point: Our nation’s ivy league-educated top official is pushing for an investigation into the death of Cecil the lion. He doesn’t, however, think the tapes exposing Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of baby body parts warrant one.

And as much as I’d like to end on a lighter note, I can’t. Education is serious business. Please make sure, dear daughter of mine, that you approach yours that way.

Looking forward to the coming school year,

Mom

Wesson resident Kim Henderson is a freelance writer who writes for The Daily Leader. Contact her at kimhenderson319@gmail.com.