6th Grade Graduation Essay

Conner has been pretty good about keeping up with his assignments this year so I often just sign his planner without asking him if he’s done all his homework.  Basically, I don’t really know what’s going on in class but he’s done fine so it’s all worked out.  Well he came home from school this week and said my essay got picked to be read at 6^th grade graduation.  I was surprised as I didn’t even know he’d written an essay.  He said he worked on it for a couple days.  All the 6^th grade students were asked to write an essay about their school experience so far and that one would be picked to read at graduation.  I was so proud of Conner and congratulated him.  I found it fascinating his was picked because, writing his not his greatest strength.  He doesn’t enjoy it very much.  It wasn’t until today, that I read it.  He needed to edit it and it was laying on the counter and I picked it up to read it.  I was blown away.  Conner is the youngest in his class and I worry about him being immature socially, but he is so mature in other ways.  I am amazed at his depth at 11 years old.  I wasn’t thinking about changing the world and making other people happy at that age.  All I cared about were my friends.  Conner’s teachers over the years have always commented what a kind person he is.  That he is very selfless, which is uncommon at this age.  After I read his essay, I asked Conner if he really thought he could do something great with his life and he said yes.  I also asked if he really thought he could make people happy and he said yes, but that he first had to be happy himself.  Wow this kid amazes me.  He really makes parenting easy, although his siblings make up for it.  Sometimes I worry about his quirks and whatnot but he has so many wonderful qualities that I hope he allows others to see.  I guess with the last week of elementary school upon us, I’m a little pensive.  I laid in bed with Conner and snuggled with him, to his dismay, and mentioned that we only have 6 more years of snuggles before he leaves for a mission/college.  I know that the time will fly.  I love him so much and hope as a parent I am helping him, in whatever ways I’m able, to reach his divine potential.

Good in The World

         I think that elementary school has been great. To me the best thing I’ve learned is to bring good into the world. I believe the reason to me why we learn is so we will have bright futures and help others to the same goal. We’ve been taught to do our best, which if we do we will be successful. To me all the projects, activities and lessons we have been apart of help us find and see and bring good in the world. When we do these things we are happy, and when we are happy other people are to, and they bring that feeling to other people. All we've done in the past 8 years from preschool to 6th grade have helped do one thing: which is to see,find, and bring the good in the world through project, activities, and lessons.

           Projects in my opinion help us find the good in the world.  In my class we research people in the Images of Greatness project so we may learn about them and inspire us to do great things ourselves. I remember for this project I researched Samuel Morse. He created the first quick transcontinental and Global Communication system. His invention the telegram helped others to be informed about what was going on all over the country and the world. He used his skill and knowledge to have a positive effect on other people which is just what our teachers want us to do with our skills. During the history fair I researched about Baden-Powell the founder of scouting. He started scouting because of his concern with his other military members who had a great lack of knowledge when it came to the outdoors. Baden Powell didn’t act like many people which would have been to just think they need to learn more, he made something happen. We now know this as scouting. The next generation now has the skill set to help them survive the outdoors. He took his concern into his own hands and fixed it. Today Scouts are in our very own classroom and just about anywhere in the world. We do projects like Images of Greatness so we can learn about these famous people and try to be like them. Our teachers want us to know that we can make a difference just like them if not larger.         

I think that lessons help us to see the good in the world. Mostly every day in my class, we discuss current events. We can see what is going on in the world which could be good or bad. There usually is some good news that we would like to hear, or perhaps some bad news that we could do something about. These articles help us know. I also like what we’ve learned in our reading this year. From the book Terrible Things, we learn that when others work together then they can usually solve a problem, but if they don't, the problem will only grow until something is done about it. In the book when the terrible things came, if the other animals had spoken up when the terrible things had cast their nets at the creatures than the terrible things may not have gotten away with the animals. These lessons and many others have taught us in many ways on where we can see good in the world and make the world a better place.

            To me many activities at school are often ways that we can bring good into the world for others and ourselves. For our personal interest class recently we have been doing service for those who need it. In my class have made blankets and bags for those in need of them, others have been going around the school cleaning all the windows and helping the janitors to keep the school clean. Others have written notes to veterans for the honor flight. Each of these acts will bring happiness to another person, and possibly inspire them to do the same. Also, many people at this school work hard to make activities fun for us, such as incentive parties, field day, prep, etc. They work hard so we can have a good time here at school. Activities are a way for people to bring some happiness to other people.

            Lessons, activities, and projects have all been ways to help us see, find, have, and bring happiness to others. If we remember the things we’ve learned in the past eight years (pre-school to sixth grade) then we will be happy, smart, successful people. I’ve really enjoyed these last eight years of school, and can’t wait to see what comes next! I know we can use these lessons to better ourselves and make the world a positive, happy place!