Was he ready for school? Would he make new friends? Did he know to tell the teacher if he had to use the restroom? Would he get lost in the crowd? Would he be happy?
Little did I know that my last concern - would he be happy? - was a core part of the curriculum and the culture in his classroom.
There are as many ways to define happy as there are human beings on Earth. My own definition (and the definition I want to instill in my children) goes something like this...
Happiness is finding joy in the world that surrounds us, and bringing joy to those we encounter. Happiness is discovering your purpose in the world, and cultivating the relationships, habits, and skills to succeed in that endeavor.
Early in the school year, Anthony's preschool teacher introduced the concept of "bucket filling." Using ideas from Carol McCloud's book Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for the Young Child, she began helping her students learn what fills their bucket, and how to fill the buckets of others. In many ways, she took that definition of happiness that was floating around in my head, and made it child friendly.
While his academic education is important, the lessons he learns about happiness - both his own, and his responsibility to contribute to others' - are what will carry him through this world. They also help strengthen our family. This lesson is something that has gone beyond the classroom, and is part of our dinner table conversation.
In their words, actions, smiles, and activities, Anthony and Jimmy and Danny fill my bucket every day. And I'm glad to know that every so often, I fill theirs as well. When I walked into the preschool building the other day, there was a new bulletin board in the hallway. The display features a large tree with leaves of "thankfulness," as well as a list of what fills each student's bucket.
Seeing that my cuddles filled Anthony's bucket made my bucket (and my eyes) overflow at that very moment.
This is an awesome post!!! I too notice the bucket bulletine!!! And actually started using it at home. I explained the whole thing to Ed and how he fills Eddie's bucket... when I asked Eddie if I fill his bucket he said a little... Yikes... so we have now been working on that and know when Eddie does something that I don't like I just say your not filling my bucket and he seems to stop. I absolutely love that they are working on this at school....
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