Watching the live footage of the rescue of the miners in Chile was tremendously powerful. I was riveted to the screen as I watched each person take his turn in the rescue capsule. The information also included a few details about the order of those turns–who would go first, who would be second and so on all the way to who would be last–and how it was decided. Making those decisions beforehand would have been incredibly difficult. The men would have had to take turns many times before in their lives and will have to take turns again in the future. It seems such a simple thing, doesn’t it, taking turns, but we can only imagine how hard it was for them.
At school, taking turns is a lesson the kids work on every day. Usually, several times as we make a line to go the gym or the library or have a turn with a special toy or book. At home, people in families take turns, too. “It’s my turn to get the fuzzy pillow.” Often, we get impatient with the whole thing. But, watching the rescue reminds us that children are learning lessons far beyond abc’s and 123’s in such ordinary ways as taking turns. All we need to learn we learn in kindergarten. When we help children get ready for kindergarten, we help them get ready for life. Chi, Chi, Chi, le, le, le.