Here is a lesson plan that can be covered in 20 to 30 minutes, relating to the lesson objective: “Learn of the importance of investing into one’s education, and identify with biblical, historical, and present-day characters who were/are successful, due to investing in their education.” (Character Building: Personal Responsibility: Learning and Study Skills-1b)

Read “That Banana There.”

Listen to the audio, “That Banana There” or view it here.

Watch Dole: Banana Production, Plantation to Port.

Compare some of the points explained about producing bananas to experiences in the child’s life:
1) The banana shoot is well cleaned to make sure it is free from disease. This could be compared to how a parent or teacher explains what is acceptable behavior and what is not. For example, discuss with the child lessons about comportment they may have been learning recently. Talk about how learning takes time.
2) The banana plants are shown growing in clear jars, then planted into pots of ground coconut shell, and finally are planted in the field. This could be compared to how children go to preschool, then primary school, and step by step on to higher education.
3) There are often many steps that need to be taken to reach a goal, just like there are many steps to reach the goal of growing good bananas. Education is one way children prepare for adulthood, through learning important skills such as mathematics, social studies, science, language arts, etc. These steps are important, and it takes time to progress through those steps.
4) Each step is important. Talk about what would happen if one of the steps for producing bananas was not executed properly. For example, faulty drainage could cause young banana plants to drown. Bananas not packed well or kept at an incorrect temperature when shipped to another country will arrive in poor condition or even rotten.
                In the case of a child’s education, children are trained one step at a time in the variety of subjects that they need training in for their lives. Sometimes it seems tiring or frustrating, as they have to pay close attention to understand the lessons well, but it’s all worthwhile.

Read “You Can Do It!”

Review “Bible Promises for Schooling.”

Pray one or both prayers in “Pray a Way: School Time.”

Additional material:

• Standing on God’s Word: Achieving Goals
• Level 1 Lesson Plan: Reach Your Goals
• Level 1 Lesson Plan: Building Toward Your Future
• Level 2 Lesson Plan: Making Dreams Come True