Children Learn

I n a presentation to the Commercial Club in Waits- burg last month, Waitsburg school superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke spoke about the changes she sees in the school, the greater community and the country.

In the wake of the school shootings in Newtown, school security and bullying issues are a high priority right now with all schools, including the ones Dr. Clarke Runs. It's an unfortunate fact of life.

In the Times editor's column on Page 5w, Clarke talks about the hope she has for improving the level of personal interaction, not only within the schools but also in our communities and throughout the world.

"We must create a culture in which everyone strives to encourage and support one another," she said in her Com- mercial Club address.

Clarke also spoke of the importance of instilling these values in children of school age. She read a poem called "Children Learn", which we repeat here:

Children learnAuthor: UnknownIf children live with CRITICISM

They learn to CONDEMN

If children live with HOSTILITY

They learn to FIGHT

If children live with RIDICULE

They learn to BE SHY

If children live with SHAME

They learn to FEEL GUILTY

If children live with TOLERANCE

They learn to BE PATIENT

If children live with ENCOURAGEMENT

They learn to HAVE CONFIDENCE

If children live with PRAISEThey learn to APPRECIATEIf children live with FAIRNESS

They learn JUSTICE

If children live with SECURITY

They learn to HAVE FAITH

If children live with APPROVAL

They learn to LIKE THEMSELVES

If children live with ACCEPTANCE and FRIENDSHIP

They learn to FIND LOVE IN THE WORLD

These words aren't meant to be followd just by schools and teachers. Parents, and all adults who are mentors and leaders for kids, should heed them. Kids who learn the wrong way grow up to be parents and adults who teach the wrong way - unless the cycle can be broken.

"What we teach and how we teach are very important," Clarke told the Commercial Club. "However, I believe - as do many of my colleagues - that WHO WE TEACH is our greatest priority."