Educational Armor

Recently I heard a speaker talking about ancient armor.  He had designed and made a suit of armor similar to what would have been worn by knights in the Middle Ages.  As he spoke, he put on each piece of armor and talked about its significance. 

His talk about armor reminded me of education.  As our teachers work with our students they begin with the foundation of education which is learning to read.  We could think of reading as the garment that the knights wore under their suit of armor.  Without reading, we would be unprepared to move further in education.  The knights wore special shoe, leg, arm and hand protective gear.  We might imagine that the core subjects English, math, science and social studies would be akin to these pieces of armor.  The four core subjects give our students an opportunity to reach out and expand their education as they grow and mature as citizens and conquer their life goals.

The breast plate was very important to the knights, just as character education is very important to our students.  Columbia School District teachers work with our students on a daily basis through teachable moments as well as through intentional lessons to instill the virtues of respect, responsibility, honesty, caring and many more!  Setting atop of our student knight is their helmet of self-esteem.  Our teachers work with our students to build their self-esteem and give them confidence to conquer concerns in their lives as well as the important subjects they will learn in school.

Our knight is in need of a shield made up of problem-solving strategies.  These strategies will give our students the ability to use higher order thinking skills and decision-making strategies to solve real world problems. 

Finally, our student knight needs a sword!  Imagine that the sword is our students’ ability to speak articulately in front of others and the sheath for the sword is self control to know when to speak.  Our teachers partner with our students and give them the opportunity to report on projects and present in front of their peers. 

Columbia School District teachers and staff members work tirelessly to prepare our students to succeed in life.  It takes all of us partnering together, building our students up in a safe positive learning environment, which will prepare them to contribute in a global society.  If you have questions about Columbia Schools, please give us a call at 592.6641, email me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org  or check us out on the web at www.myeagles.org