As you probably already heard, the theme for this year is Star Wars, “The Force is Strong at Leffingwell.” Your child may have told you about the opening skit at the first assembly, where the new Star Wars bad guy, Kylo Ren, came and challenged Dr. “Master” Blackwell. But Master Blackwell and Rey (Miss G) defeated Kylo Ren and showed him the strength of the light side.
Ren kept saying, as Darth Vader had before him, “You don’t know the power of the dark side.” But all the while, just as in the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren was feeling tempted by the strength of the light. The light at Leffingwell represents the
virtues that the school has been aspiring to embody, virtues such as kindness and respect for everyone (especially the disadvantaged), diligence in our studies and work, cheering for the success of others, and sacrificial service for the benefit of children.
But as a parent of a 7th grader and a 5th grader who is in her last year at Leffingwell, I know how hard it is to have the time and energy to try to instill these virtues in my children. I have plenty of experience in the “dark side” – ignoring my children when they really needed their dad to engage, listen, and guide. But I have also experienced the allure of the light side at Leffingwell, which is always beckoning, always “tempting,” because it is just so doggone good, isn’t it? And when I “give in” to the call of the light, it is so much more fulfilling than the dark side.
And when I “give in” to the call of the light, it is so much more fulfilling than the dark side.
All this is to say, I encourage you – I encourage myself! – to “give in” to the call of the light a little more this year. Put down the remote, the smartphone, the magazine, the laptop, whatever it is that is diverting your gaze away from a child who wants – who needs – some of your attention. A few moments of attention can produce years of benefits for your child. Give in to the temptation, because the Force is Strong at Leffingwell!
Leffingwell Elementary PTA 