The importance of intentionality

Reb Bradley wrote, "....surrounding our kids with Christian influences is certainly good (Christian music, Sunday school, youth groups, etc.) but it is no substitute for "training." Training is a conscious, active effort of instruction, discipline and modeling, and not a bi-product of a good environment or a loving home. Consider that no wild horse was ever broken or trained by being grouped together with trained horses."

This quote is a great example of why we as parents and teachers need to be intentional in training our kids. Notice that Reb Bradley was specific to point out training and not teaching. Teaching can be passive, one dimentional and, sometimes, it can focus more on the information being given instead of the focus being on the person.

Training, however, is active. It requires the child to not just know what to do, but to put into practice what they know. The best way to learn something is to do it. For example, if you want your child to be reverent, the way you train them is by giving them opportunities to be reverent. Training also allows for dialogue. The child needs to have the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered. Training also focuses on the understanding of the information rather than the content alone. Training allows kids to face real life situations and conflict. When faced with it, parents should use this time to teach their kids to think critically and problem solve. This allows them to experience a potentially tough situation in a safe environment before encountering it later in life without your guidance. Lastly, training has a long-term perspective with clear goals. When training our kids, we need to be sure the decisions we are making regarding our kids is in line with the goals we are striving for. If your decisions are not conducive with the overall goals, I would challenge you to rethink that particular decision.

I encourage you all, to sit down with your spouse (or alone if you are single), and develop a plan with a long term perspective. This is a great way for you to be intentional and accountable for training your kids in all areas of their life. This is important, whether your child is in kindergarten or eighth grade. Realize, it is never too late to start!

Parents Night Out - August 23, 6-7:30pm

Parents,
Below is a link to a video from Brad Christmas and Jessica Hill, our IMMS Health and PE teachers, regarding our new abstinence education curriculum. Click below to view it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6DLMVARGw0

End of the year

It is amazing to think the year is over. Click on the link to hear an end of the year address.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DtxvZ5atk

Good News Report!

Hey guys! Last week our 7th graders went on a trip to St. Louis. Click the link below to hear about the trip and some highlights!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fzgviSgCr0

Chapel today

A few weeks back, the student leadership team took a trip to Boonville Middle School and worked with students in the moderate and severe/profound disabilities classrooms. They played games with them, talked with them and watched them learn and practice the art of screen printing t-shirts. This experience made an impression on all of the team members. At a debriefing session, they discussed how they could bring back what they learned at BMS to the students at ECS. Today, the six members of the team spoke during chapel on the fruit of the spirit and how they saw the students of Boonville Middle School exemplify those qualities. They each chose the fruit they wanted to talk about, how it related to the students at BMS, and researched other scripture that tied into their topic. They all did an amazing job! Keep up the good work Carli K., Alex L., Evan B., Claire E., McKenzi G., and Caroline C! I also want to thank the praise team for using their gifts to lead the worship time. What a blessing to see these young people using their strengths to glorify our risen Lord!

Parent Education - April 2010

Parents,
Below is a link to the parent education video this month on successful parenting. Happy viewing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM6mH9YnH4U

Parent Education - March 10

Quite often, I have parents ask me for ideas on how to appropriately discipline their children. In Tedd Tripp's book Shepherding a Child's Heart, he talks about the fact that we need to not focus so much on the behavior, but the heart. With disciplinarian as one of my roles, this book has grabbed my attention and I am sure it will yours as well. Here is an excerpt from the book.

"Luke 6:45 says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." This passage is instructive for the task of childrearing. It teachs that behavior is not the basic issue. The basic issue is always what is going on in the heart. Remember, the heart is the control center of life."

"Parents often get sidetracked with behavior. If your goal in discipline is changed behavior, it is easy to understand why this happens.The thing that alerts you to your child's need for correction is his behavior. Behavior irritates and thus calls attention to itself. Behavior becomes your focus. You think you have corrected when you have changed unacceptable behavior to behavior that you sanction and appreciate."

""What is the problem?" you ask. The problem is this: Your child's needs are far more profound than his aberrant behavior. Remember, his behavior does not just spring forth uncaused. His behavior - the things he says and does - reflects his heart. If you are to really help him, you must be concerned with the attitudes of heart that drive his behavior."

"A change in behavior that does not stem from a change in heart is not commendable; it is condemnable. Is it not the hypocrisy that Jesus condemned in the Pharisees? In Matthew 15, Jesus denounces the Pharisees who have honored him with their lips while their hearts were far from him. Jesus censures them as people who wash the outside of the cup while the inside is still unclean. Yet this is what we often do in childrearing. We demand changed behavior and never address the heart that drives the behavior."