Learning Never Ceases

As the second graders handed me the little fuzzy chick they had watched hatch, the thought flitted through my mind, “why wasn’t learning this fun when I was a kid??”  At Mt. Bethel, our mission emphasizes “academic excellence, spiritual growth, and love and desire for lifelong learning.”  I often talk about the first two elements of our mission, but the third component is also on full display all year around. 

Kids love learning at MBCA, and that’s a key goal in imbuing a desire for “lifelong learning” in our students. We want students to learn not just because they want to make their parents or teachers happy, to avoid the consequences of a bad grade, or even because they want to get into a tier-one college.  We want students to learn because they love learning and see its value in and of itself.  Our goal is for students to own their own learning and own their own faith, so they leave with something that outlasts a test, a semester grade, or even what college they are admitted to.  

We see learning come alive through “Camping Days” in the first grade when the students convert their classroom into a national park-like setting and learn science, history, and literature through participatory activities.  We see it every day as our middle schoolers produce, direct, run professional equipment, and become on-screen talent in a live broadcast for their peers.  And we see this desire to learn on full display as our seniors deliver a capstone Senior Thesis project where they become true experts on a subject of their choice and reflect their depth of knowledge to a panel of judges.  

It’s encouraging to remember that learning never ceases, and whether on campus or around the world, our students will take their love of learning with them!