Spending Time

Spending Time versus Spending Money

On Thursday evening our students hosted a ‘Student Spectacular’ that was designed to share some of our recent learning at Headwaters.  We had close to 50 attendees, most of them (naturally being) parents and grandparents, who participated in fishing, hiking, running, relay races, a casino, chess, and a nine dish dinner.  To call it ‘spectacular’ or ‘fun’ would be an understatement.

What I reflected on, however, is the choice of our parents and grandparents to take the time to join their children at school.  I am well aware, as the debate raged in the days leading up to the event, that our world has gotten somewhat back to ‘normal’ as far as the social scene, sports, after school activities, and work is concerned.  There is a constant push/pull tension, when it comes to school events, between the treadmill of adult life and stepping off to join the children’s world, if even for a moment.

We all live in a reality that money is necessary.  Bills must be paid, rooves must be kept over our heads.  Headwaters Academy is not immune to nor ignorant of this reality – rather, we run the tightest budget in the area and we also teach, very concretely, the necessary skills of entrepreneurship as well as financial management to our students.

What we sometimes forget, however, is that money is infinite – look no further than the Bank of Canada’s influx of cash to the economy during COVID, or the Federal Reserve, or the Bank of England, etc, etc.  

Time, however, is finite.  In particular, the time where your son or daughter looks forward to your attendance at school all week, and plans for your arrival, is over the blink of an eye.

For this reason, among many, I am so proud of our parent community.  At a moment where we could all forget our ‘new normal’ and the lessons learned they chose to spend time.

Spending money is infinite. Spending time is finite .

Spend wisely.