Commitment is a pledge to a position on some issue.  Or better still, it is to have faith in and loyalty to something beyond oneself…something that will give ultimate meaning, coherence, and goal to life. It is necessary to health, both mentally and physically.

    We have witnessed the commitment of emergency workers and medical professionals during this Covid pandemic.  The news has been flooded with stories of people who put their commitment to someone or something before taking care of their own needs.  I am moved to be a better person by seeing these selfless acts play out before me.  Our students have been discussing the Olympics and many such acts of commitment on the part of our world athletes.  The collective opinion among the sixth grade students in my class was that maybe our nation will pick up the challenge being presented in ads on TV to be a better person, to do an act of kindness, or to support a noble effort to help others.

    But in the little things of daily life, there doesn’t seem to be much effort to commitment.  For instance, no effort is being made by students to pick up their belongings and return them to their lockers or cubbies.  At the end of each day, we see countless students wandering around asking, “Has anybody seen my water bottle?  Has anybody picked up my jacket?  Where is my backpack?”  There is absolutely no commitment to taking care of one’s possessions.  In fact, in these two and a half weeks of school, we have more than twenty jackets, shirts, hats, etc. in the lost and found.  There are countless water bottles ranging from Dollar Store models  to $50 insulated aluminum models just lying around waiting to be claimed.

    The non-profit organizations in our town have been recipients of more than $3,000 worth of wonderful jackets and coats left at school – not claimed by anyone.  We even marked the initials of students in their coats one day so we knew they could  see how to do it if their parents hadn’t helped them do it.  Yet, here we go again on a new school year and a new round of designer clothes and other personal items stacking up in our lost and found.

    We have received many new toys, games, building blocks, Legos, etc. for students to use and to enjoy in classes and in extended day times. I have asked for a commitment to pick up and return the items when play is finished.  I also asked for students to not break them purposely as some have enjoyed doing.  Again, I am seeing a lack of commitment in this area.  So, I am asking parents to make a commitment to us that you will help your child(ren) in these areas.  A judge once blamed the “affluence” of our society as the cause for two brothers killing their parents.  What an atrocity!  

    Let’s work together to help our children make a commitment to value others, to value other people’s possessions, and to take care of and appreciate their own possessions which you  have provided for them.  The end result will be a more efficient and happier student.  Why?  Because he/she will have more time for recess and less time spent trying to find all their “missing stuff!”  It should also help your own family budgets!!  Thank you.  

-        Kay