Labour Day weekend is upon us again and with it comes the harsh reality that the summer is coming to an end. Parents are busy getting their children ready for the first day of school next Tuesday.

I often do a lot of thinking about life at this time of year. For the past 27 years as a Teacher, I too, have anticipated the first day of school. What are my new students going through as they wait to be seated in my classroom? What do they expect? Are they looking forward to the experience with apprehension or hope for a great year?

I also do a lot of reading at this time of year and I came across a selection from "The Hymnbook", written by Arthur Bowler. Every parent will understand why I was greatly moved by the story and I’m sure every parent could also recount a similar experience. Hopefully, the message to your children was the same.

The author wrote:

I watched intently as my little brother was caught in the act. He sat in the corner of the living room, a pen in one hand and my father’s hymnbook in the other. As father walked into the room, my brother cowered slightly. He sensed that he had done something wrong. From a distance, I saw that he had opened Dad/s brand-new book and scribbled across the length and breadth of the entire first page with a pen. Now, staring at my father fearfully, he and I both waited for his punishment.

My father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully, and then sat down without saying a word. Books were precious to him. He was a pastor and the holder of several degrees. For him, books were knowledge, and yet, he loved his children. What he did in the next few minutes was remarkable.

Instead of punishing my brother; instead of scolding or yelling or reprimanding, he sat down, took the pen from my brother’s hand and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles John had made.

"John’s words in 1959, age two. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal? You have made the book sacred, as have your brothers and sister too so much of my life"

Wow, I thought. This is punishment?

From time to time I take a book down—not just a cheezy paperback, but a real book that I know I will have for many years to come—and I give it to one of my children to ‘write’ their names in. As I look at their artwork, I think of my father, and how he taught me about what really matters in life: people, not objects; tolerance, not judgement; and love, which is at the heart of a family.

I think about these things, smile, and I whisper, "Thank you, Dad."

People, tolerance and love—the things that really matter in life.

As I returned to prepare for a new school year, I wondered about Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Perhaps all these years educators have been dead wrong. Perhaps all this talk about returning to the basics have nothing to do with the three R’s. Perhaps what we need is a return to the basics of life: people, tolerance and love. My long range plans for this year are going to reflect the really important things. If I do that, I am sure all the rest will fall into place.