Taking Things for Granted?

Have you ever taken something for granted?

I know I have.  I work hard not to though.

Taking something for granted suggests that we:
     A) Expect something to be available all the time
     B) Value something too lightly

The first time I contemplated the possibility of taking things for granted was back in elementary school.  I recall writing a paper for my 5th grade teacher titled, "Taking water for granite".  I obviously didn't fully understand what I was talking about at the time, but at least I was beginning to explore the items in my life that I expected to ALWAYS be available to me or valued too lightly.

The list of things many of us may take for granted is likely quite exhausting...water, cars, homes, food, electricity, public schools, and the list goes on.

For me, I think part of the reason I enjoy camping and backpacking so much is that these activities remind me not to take things for granted.  Sleeping on the ground for a few nights and I appreciate my bed all the more.  Investing the time to cook over an open flame and I appreciate the convenience of my gas grill.  Working to filter water from a backcountry lake and I appreciate the ease of getting filtered water at the push of a button from our refrigerator.  You get the idea.

Now let's take this idea and apply it to education in our modern world.  Many of today's students don't have to walk uphill both ways to get from the farm to school and back :)  Does that mean that all of today's students take education for granted?  Of course not.

But do some of our students not fully appreciate all of the opportunities that an education affords them?  It's quite likely that at least some of today's students value their education too lightly.  So if this is the case, how do we do something to change this view?  I certainly wouldn't suggest we have our students go without school for awhile to help them realize how lucky they are to be in the classroom.

For starters, many of our homegrown students could learn a thing or two about the value of education by getting to know our English Language Learner (ELL) students and hearing their stories.  Many of these students come to our country and have not been afforded a proper education in their homeland.  And while school may initially be difficult for many of these students, this is often due in large part to the language barrier that exists.  However, I often see the excitement in their eyes when they first arrive and have the opportunity to learn in our school.  I recall seeing students participate in a project last year which paired senior composition students with ELL students and provided each of them the opportunity to learn from one another.  I believe the composition students likely learned far more than just how to write a proper paper.  I'm sure many of these students also learned to further appreciate the value of their education.

This of course is just one example of the ways in which we can help make sure we don't take our modern day education for granted.  Another idea is for each of us to spend time reflecting on how lucky we are to live in today's world.  A simple way to do this is to take 10 minutes to make a list of the 20 people, places, and things you value most in your life.  This is a simple activity that I have instructed many students to do over the years and it really helps one reflect on the blessings in life.

In schools, we should encourage students to participate in reflective writing.  A number of studies over the years have shown that reflective writing helps students K-12 grow academically.  In short, reflection helps students think about their thinking.

Who knows, maybe after reading this you'll decide to engage in some reflective writing and start your own blog or add an entry to an already existing blog.  If so, I would encourage you to reflect and ask yourself, "What have I taken for granted and what can I do about it?"

In closing, don't get down on yourself if it takes you awhile to write your blog entry.  After all, this entry was started nearly 2 years ago and I just now put the finishing touches on it.  Apparently, I needed the extra time to reflect on this topic :) But rest assured, I don't take that time for granted!