What I would say to (my) kids on the first day of school…

Lots of people sharing (on Facebook) their experience of sending their kids off to school today… some for the first time.

Being a homeschooling parent, I thought I’d write my first ‘anti-establishment’ lesson for my kids; and other kids who may wish to listen (at their own risk).

Dear kids,

Most teachers out there, on Day-1 of school, will likely tell you what they consider to be the most important thing/s to learn during this school year.

I say… ignore all of that. Forget about what they think is most important. Instead, learn how to be a good friend, and play well with others.

If I were a teacher, I will say this to my class on the first day of school — year after year, regardless their age, and their curriculum.

Good friends are for life. They don’t grow obsolete; and in the words of Drew Hunter, they ‘half your sorrows and double your joy’. (That, by the way, is a lesson in multiplication and division.)

Friendship, patience and empathy — not degrees and machines — are what make organisations work. Heck… they make the whole world work.

Go… play… and play well.