Editorial: The inspiring example of the lemonade stand of Yukon
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Over the last year, a lot of people have wondered about the skills and knowledge that children haven’t learned because of the coronavirus pandemic’s disruption of the education system.
Sure, kids were going to school remotely or masked and at a distance from their peers. But the 2020-21 school year was definitely not the norm. Was taking chemistry at the kitchen table really going to teach a student as much as taking lab with classmates? Would a kindergartener pick up the social aspects of lining up and listening if they had to stay 6 feet apart?
It will take a while to really figure that out. Maybe what should be focused on more than what was lost was what kids clearly did learn.
For example, there have been a number of examples of volunteerism and public service coming from local youngsters.
There are always children who find ways to give back, particularly through school projects and public service organizations. Eagle Scouts fix up parks and fill food pantries. Church youth groups visit nursing homes and collect necessities for homeless shelters.
But it’s also refreshing to see when the message about community and participation filters down to kids individually.
Take the six Cope kids of Yukon.
It’s not unusual for kids to come up with money-making schemes over summer break. Walking dogs, mowing lawns. The lemonade stand is a classic.
So when the Copes asked mom Laken if they could set up their shop in May, she said sure. They did the work, they made a little money and bought supplies to do it again. But in June, the kids didn’t want to make money for themselves. Instead, they took their lemons and made lemonade by raising money for the Yukon Volunteer Fire Department — and a few bags of dog food for an animal shelter.
A third event Saturday and Sunday had a goal of $500 for the fire department.
Maybe not every fifth grader learned everything they could about verbs, and maybe quadratic equations were not as easily assimilated through Zoom this year. But if a few kids learned about doing for others and prioritizing charitable giving, it seems like they definitely got an education.