How do you feel when you miss a Kiwanis club meeting?
I take my six-year old grandson Todd to the bus stop at 9:10 a.m. for preschool each morning. My four year-old grandson Victor, catches his bus at 12:20 p.m. each day. Victor usually makes the one block walk with us and we return home. This one morning, Victor insisted on wearing his back pack to the bus stop with us. When we returned to our house, Victor insisted on keeping on his coat and back pack until his bus came. His enthusiasm for going to school was too much for us so we let him keep it on for almost three hours.
Victor's bus comes directly to the house, so we stepped outside at about 12:15 P.M. to wait. We waited until 12:40 and there was still no bus. Figuring that we must have missed it, Doris took him to school. It was there she was reminded that this day was teacher-parent day and no school. Victor was devastated. He cried all the way home and was visibly upset most of the day.
When I tried to console him and find out why he was so upset, his responses reflected on the atmosphere that school and the classroom provided. He missed seeing his friends, the fellowship, the fun of learning new things, and, of course, playing. Each day, Victor looks forward to pre-school like it is something that he dare not miss.
I wondered about Kiwanis club meetings. Are they so exciting that we dare not miss? Do we miss our friends and their fellowship? Do we miss having fun? Maybe our presidents could learn some lessons from pre-school teachers. Victor's classroom must be filled with excitement and anticipation of new things to learn and new experiences that keep students like Victor heartbroken with the thought of missing just one day. Bring this excitement back to Kiwanis.
Sylvester Neal
Kiwanis International Vice President
Note:
These series of articles are designed for club leaders and presidents. My intent is to try to provide some practical information that could be useful or food for thought that might lead to other ideas. Anyone may use any information published in these series in any way that is in keeping with the principals of Kiwanis International.