Oliver: Parents can help keep students’ love of learning burning brightly

One of my friend’s sons begins kindergarten today. What an adventure he’s about to embark on!

He’s been counting the days for weeks now, telling me how many days he had left.

I don’t remember my first day of kindergarten, but I’m sure I wasn’t nearly as excited as my young friend is. Shy girl that I am, I was never as fearless about new things.

Once I got to school, however, I discovered how much I love to learn.

So it’s not surprising that this time of year holds happy memories.

There’s something to be said about having a fresh slate, a new beginning where the possibilities are endless. Empty notebooks just waiting to be filled. Fresh crayons to color with. New pencils to write with.

My memories of kindergarten are few, but I remember how excited I was at one of our indoor recess activities. At first, everyone wanted a chance to use a particular balancing toy. It was a cylinder that had a board on top to stand on. The trick was to maintain your balance.

Soon enough, the rest of the children got bored with it. Not me. I loved it.

That determination would serve me well, but I had a much greater aid during those school years.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to my mother for how committed she was about making sure that my younger brother and I had everything we needed to succeed.

Even before we started school, Mom was in the habit of reading stories to us. I would peer over her shoulder. After a while, I was reading along.

She gave us a head start on reading. She also planted a love of the written word in my little heart.

Mom also was interested in what we were learning. She was our biggest cheerleader and fan. She also served as an enforcer of whatever rules our teachers had for our homework.

She would volunteer to help in the classroom and actively took part in our schools’ parent-teacher organizations.

Was that easy for her? No doubt it wasn’t, since she was a lot older than all the other mothers. She was in her late 30s when my brother and I were born. Still, she put our education above any discomfort she had over her own situation.

If we needed to memorize something, Mom always was ready to help with the flashcards. I remember she spent hours upon hours trying to help me with spelling words for all the bees I entered.

Then there were the multiplication tables and state capitals and historical dates that she’d go over with me if I needed help.

She was never too busy. She was invested in our education.

Her reward: She raised not one, but two valedictorians. All this from a woman who didn’t get her high school diploma. She would wait years before she completed her GED.

Granted, my brother and I were blessed with some natural intelligence. Yet, we couldn’t have been more different in the way we approached learning.

I was always the one who diligently would do my assignments. I was afraid to disappoint my mother and my teachers. My competitiveness made me try hard to do my best.

My brother was just the opposite. Everything came easily to him, so he oftentimes was bored in class. If he already knew the material, why did he need to practice?

Still, somehow my mother managed to get both of us to excel. It couldn’t have been easy, and sometimes she pushed a little too hard. However, it was because she cared.

I know that my little friend who is starting kindergarten today is going in with a good head start too. I know that his mother cares about what he will learn. She will help him along the way, too.

I wish that for all the children who are going back to school in the coming weeks.

May they find joy in learning, and may their parents invest the time and effort into keeping that spark of excitement alive.

A grand adventure awaits!

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.