In my last post, I talked about things I learned from my second grader's class as they shared "All About...". This week, I want to share some lessons from a trip I took with my fifth grade daughter's class to Camp Potawotami. This trip is an annual tradition for the fifth graders at our school and is a journey full of fun and games, team building and individual challenge, as well as some good educational opportunities.
One of the individual challenges was a rock-climbing wall. Not just any wall, this was a 50 foot high, vertical rock wall. It was encouraging to see how every student in our group jumped right in, with no apparent hesitation. There were no failures, as long as you put both feet on the wall, you had climbed. All of our students made it at least 15 feet up the wall.
As a dad, I'm proud to say that my daughter was the first in our group to scale the whole wall, all 50 feet of it. It was hard to keep climbing ... fingers were cold ... muscles were tired. But she, and a couple of others in our group, persevered. Pausing at times to catch a breath, rest for a moment, then continuing on - that's the way the wall was climbed.
Makes me wonder if that's how I should approach some things in my own life ... jump right in, set a small goal (two feet on the wall), pause to rest when needed, push through some pain at times, but always continue the pursuit. After all, the view from the top can only be truly appreciated by those who work to the end.
An educational goal for the trip was to expose the students to the Underground Railroad. All of the students and some of the adults were cast as slaves. We worked for the master. We had to keep our heads down and were limited to "yes sir" or "no ma'am" responses. We were told what to do, how to do it, when to start, and when to stop.
Eventually, we had our chance to escape. There were some along the way who helped us on our journey and others whose only interest was to return us to the master to claim a reward. Some risked their lives to ensure we made it to freedom. Others were only interested in "calling the sheriff".
As we found our way along the trail with but one lantern for our group of 15, we stayed close to each other, dependent on the steps of the one just ahead and in turn leaving our footprints to guide the one just behind. It was a group effort ending at a celebration of freedom for one and all.
A primary lesson from an experience like this is empathy - putting yourself in someone else's shoes. What must it have been like to be ordered around? How difficult to travel at night and hide during the day? Whom can you trust? While just a couple hours long, this adventure left an impression on the students; one they will long remember.
And, I hope to remember it too. For there are many times when I need to see things from the point of view of others, to feel what they feel, to experience life as they do. This provides a chance for deeper impact, for life beyond the surface, for interaction that is memorable and meaningful.
As I consider what these fifth graders were facing, I'm wondering whose steps I'm following and whose following in my steps. Am I close enough to the ones just ahead and behind me to ensure we stay connected as we travel life together?
I trust you've had a chance to think about what you've been learning lately. Maybe a lesson on empathy or perseverance or camaraderie? My sense is that it's always good to be reminded of these things, so we can continue our climb up the wall.
II Peter 3:18 "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
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