A few weeks ago, while I was at work, I received a text from my daughter’s kindergarten teacher. My daughter, Olive, had written a hymn and had requested to perform it in front of her class.  Her teacher obliged and sent me a video.

So much touched me about that short video.

One: Gratitude for our music program.  From Olive’s first days at Whitefield Academy, she has been taught to read music and to memorize some of the greatest hymns. Her music teacher, Mrs. Martin, has taught her how powerful it is to praise God with songs and with our voices.  Listening to and singing beautiful music has become a regular part of every student’s weekly experience.

Two: Gratitude for her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Dodd.  Not only did Mrs. Dodd allow Olive the opportunity to explore her interests, but she offered her a chance to share her excitement with her peers in a non-threatening environment. I’m sure that this performance threw a wrench in Mrs. Dodd’s schedule, but she was willing to put things on hold to listen to a little heart.

Three: Gratitude for our small class sizes.  Because we cap our classes at a smaller number than most schools our teachers have the time and opportunity to get to know the strengths and struggles of each of their students.  They also have the time to reach out to parents with celebrations of successes and suggestions for help when our kiddos need it.

Four: Gratitude for the relationships that our students are building.  Our teachers work tirelessly to train our students to love one another in the way that Christ loves them. I can think of a number of situations where a 5-year-old getting up to sing a song she had written could have been met with laughter or mocking from her peers. But at Whitefield, growing our students into respectful, compassionate, and honorable people is just as important as training their minds.

Five: Gratitude to the Lord for kicking our plans to the curb and putting our family at this school.  When we moved to Kansas City, we were whole-heartedly set on sending our kids to the local public school. But when my daughter came home from her Christian preschool telling me a Biblical truth that I knew we had never taught her, we knew that we needed to have her in a Christian school.  We wanted that safety net of faculty pouring Biblical wisdom into our daughters because we knew we couldn’t do it all on our own. God has a way of gently moving mountains to make a clear path for us, and we are so grateful that was the case with school for our girls.

I am beyond grateful that four years ago we brought our oldest daughter to Round Up at Whitefield Academy. If you have yet to register for this year’s Pre-K and Kindergarten Round Up, we would love to see you there on Friday, January 31st! Click this link to register.