Over the past few weeks, I have noticed something that happens every fall here in the Upper Valley. People are putting snow tires on their cars. The leaves are still falling, the grass is still green in places, and we have yet to see much evidence of winter. Yet, cars are showing up with their winter tires.
It struck me that there is a lesson in this annual ritual, and one that connects rather nicely to what we do every day at Crossroads Academy.
We don’t put snow tires on because it is snowing. We put them on because we know that, sooner or later, it will snow. We prepare for conditions we have not yet encountered, knowing that when those conditions arrive, we will be better equipped to navigate them.
This thought struck me as I watched our first graders perform their wonderful fable skits during assembly two weeks ago. Fables are part of the Core Knowledge sequence, and while these stories are short and often amusing, their lessons are timeless.
One of Aesop’s best-known fables, The Ant and the Grasshopper, seems particularly appropriate this time of year. While the grasshopper enjoys the warmth of summer, the ant is busy preparing for winter. When the cold weather arrives, the wisdom of the ant’s preparation becomes abundantly clear. I suspect the ant would have had his snow tires on by Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day!
But fables do more than entertain us or remind us to prepare for winter. They help children develop judgment. Through memorable stories, children encounter questions about honesty, responsibility, perseverance, humility, and compassion, often long before they will face similar situations in their own lives.
In other words, fables give children an opportunity to think about life’s slippery roads before they find themselves on one.
It is a theme I repeat in these Morrissey Minutes, but in many ways, is what we are doing at Crossroads.
Our Core Knowledge curriculum provides students with a broad foundation of knowledge that will help them understand and engage with a world they have yet to discover. Our Core Virtues program helps them develop the habits of character they will need when confronted with difficult choices, unexpected challenges, and opportunities to do what is right.
We don’t teach perseverance only when something becomes difficult, or courage only when a child is frightened. We cultivate these qualities every day, just as we build knowledge long before a child knows precisely when it will become useful.
There is an important difference between preparing children for the next test and preparing them for life. The former has a predictable date and a defined set of questions. The latter is considerably less predictable.
Of course, even the best snow tires won’t prevent every skid. And no education, however thoughtful, can prevent every mistake or disappointment. But a strong foundation of knowledge, sound judgment, and good character gives children a better chance to regain their footing, learn from the experience, and continue forward.
That is the beauty of our approach at Crossroads. We are playing the long game. We are not simply preparing children for the next grade or the next school. We are helping them develop the knowledge, habits, and character that will serve them for a lifetime.
Strong Minds, Kind Hearts, Studded Tires
