“School Mottos” (Pick a Card Series)
August 13, 2023
Summer is still in full swing here in the Northeast and will continue until Labor Day. However, that is not the case for many students across the country who have already returned to the hallowed halls of school in July and August. And by the time students in Pennsylvania, for example, return to school in September, the July and August starters may experience the waning of the new school year excitement of the new school year excitement and motivation. As a result, those early starters may need a boost in motivation that can energize them to stay eager beyond the first weeks of school through the full 180 days until their next summer vacation.
One way to keep that learning fire burning is for schools to adopt a school motto. The purpose of a school motto is to inspire the students, parents, teachers, and administrators, as a community, with a short, meaningful slogan about the ideals of life or education. The motto captures the essence of the school in just a few words or a brief phrase and motivates people in a school community to live in harmony and achieve educational success.
In the past, school mottos were Latin phrases such as, “Discere et Vivere” which translates as, to learn and to live. Modern school mottos are gaining in popularity, and while some are still taken from Latin and writers of antiquity, more and more include ideals from the creative minds of school communities. Some examples are,
Be what you dare!
Walk a different path!
Create the difference!
Perhaps those mottos have proven to sustain interest in school for the long haul. However, if I were principal for a school year, I would choose my school motto from this week’s Scripture card pick,
“Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.”
Psalm 25:4
God teaches, leads, guides, and directs us as He dwells within us. His words, ways, and paths are more powerful than any school motto and definitely more sustaining beyond 180 days a year!