by Kelly Knowlden
As parents, we sometimes emphasize grades in ways that undermine what we really want. Let me show you what I mean.
Your child gets a “D” or “F” notice in the mail. You are upset. You want them to do well.
However, how we respond is usually our problem. We need to remember that the grade is an ALERT. It is saying, “Something is not working right.” Our job as parents is to find out the problem and then solve it without focusing on the grade. For example, why is your student not doing well? Is it the amount of time they study? Is it the way they study (sit and stare at the information to memorize it)? Is it a disconnect in their learning? Is it their refusal to do work? Is it their distraction during class so that they really don’t listen well (draw pictures, stare out window, play with pencil, try to do other homework)? You see, there are many factors that caused the low grade and we need to find out what combination of issues needs our attention in solving it.
This is where the teachers and administration come in. First, our teachers are all ready for a phone call during after school hours if something is not right. (This includes amount of work, something not understood by the student and general help.) Then if that doesn’t seem to solve the overall problem, call the office and talk to me
Whatever you do, do not tell your child that you are displeased with the grades. We are more concerned with that which is reflected by the grade - “what problems need solving?” If a student is doing the work and being diligent in it, generally the grades that you desire will follow. (If grades do not improve, that is a different issue which I would also be glad to talk to you about.)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Time to... read?
by Kelly Knowlden
In preparing for Book Week at ICS, my wife and I talked a lot about various books, how to inspire kids to read, what books are best for which age group and how difficult it is to inspire young people to read.
As we were talking, I thought about the difficulty of trying to find time to read. I love to read. I used to devour books. We read together as a family. But now, it seems that there is not time to sit down and enjoy reading something just for fun. Sure, I read the Bible, and even am working through a book about praying. But to read a story… well that is more difficult to fit in.
Here are some of my musings. See if any match your thinking.
In thinking about my musings, I realized that I will give myself to what I deem important. And the bottom line is that reading has become not that important to me. That is scary! Reading has become utilitarian. I read for information. I read to understand something about the world. But at this point in my life, reading for pleasure is not as pleasurable as other things.
I will find time for what I value. I need to begin again a re-valuing of reading for pleasure.
In preparing for Book Week at ICS, my wife and I talked a lot about various books, how to inspire kids to read, what books are best for which age group and how difficult it is to inspire young people to read.
As we were talking, I thought about the difficulty of trying to find time to read. I love to read. I used to devour books. We read together as a family. But now, it seems that there is not time to sit down and enjoy reading something just for fun. Sure, I read the Bible, and even am working through a book about praying. But to read a story… well that is more difficult to fit in.
Here are some of my musings. See if any match your thinking.
- I have other pressing things that must be done. (shoveling snow, cutting grass, household maintenance….etc.)
- There is computer work that has deadlines. (notes to send to others, e-mail to check and committee work to do…)
- It doesn’t seem to fit the dynamic of family life anymore. (I get home, we get ready for supper, we eat, do school work, play a game / watch Jeopardy / read the newspaper / catch up on little projects at home.)
- Media distractions take up time (TV, Facebook, YouTube, texting, etc.)
In thinking about my musings, I realized that I will give myself to what I deem important. And the bottom line is that reading has become not that important to me. That is scary! Reading has become utilitarian. I read for information. I read to understand something about the world. But at this point in my life, reading for pleasure is not as pleasurable as other things.
I will find time for what I value. I need to begin again a re-valuing of reading for pleasure.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Imagination
by Kelly Knowlden
“They are darkened in their understanding…”
What a horrible thing for mankind to experience when in fact we were created to be image bearers of God! Futile thinking, Paul writes, is the result of living in this world with regard to only that which our senses tell us is real. He goes on to say, that we have need “to be made new in the attitude of our minds.”
Let me suggest, along with many others, that training children to live as new creatures is done in a many-pronged plan. Obviously, we will read to them from the Word of God. Surely we will take them to church and teach them to pray. But I would like to suggest that we also “fire their imagination!”
In a book entitled Subversive Spirituality, Eugene Peterson says that people generally want a detailed “why,” (Why did this happen to me?) and a specific “how,” (How do I get out of this mess?) to life’s circumstances. But what they need is imagination. “Imagination is the ability to make the connection between the visible and the invisible… It is indispensable to see reality as real…” So when the child spills milk again, we need to see the connection between the visible and the invisible. Our imagination, our spiritual thinking about what is real, and our ability to find what is real beyond that which is immediately apparent will win the day! Our ability to do that is one of the ways our children will learn to live beyond the immediate.
Another way to inspire our children's imagination is to read good literature to them, regardless of their age. Family times where good stories are enjoyed, inspire thinking beyond the living room
and beyond the immediate circumstances. It enlarges possibilities. It opens doors to worlds we do not know. And it does it through the ear gate! That means that the mind must actively picture the world being read about. That is inspiring imagination.
Ultimately, we encourage our children to be people of faith, because we have taught them the truth of Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
“They are darkened in their understanding…”
What a horrible thing for mankind to experience when in fact we were created to be image bearers of God! Futile thinking, Paul writes, is the result of living in this world with regard to only that which our senses tell us is real. He goes on to say, that we have need “to be made new in the attitude of our minds.”
Let me suggest, along with many others, that training children to live as new creatures is done in a many-pronged plan. Obviously, we will read to them from the Word of God. Surely we will take them to church and teach them to pray. But I would like to suggest that we also “fire their imagination!”
In a book entitled Subversive Spirituality, Eugene Peterson says that people generally want a detailed “why,” (Why did this happen to me?) and a specific “how,” (How do I get out of this mess?) to life’s circumstances. But what they need is imagination. “Imagination is the ability to make the connection between the visible and the invisible… It is indispensable to see reality as real…” So when the child spills milk again, we need to see the connection between the visible and the invisible. Our imagination, our spiritual thinking about what is real, and our ability to find what is real beyond that which is immediately apparent will win the day! Our ability to do that is one of the ways our children will learn to live beyond the immediate.
Another way to inspire our children's imagination is to read good literature to them, regardless of their age. Family times where good stories are enjoyed, inspire thinking beyond the living room
and beyond the immediate circumstances. It enlarges possibilities. It opens doors to worlds we do not know. And it does it through the ear gate! That means that the mind must actively picture the world being read about. That is inspiring imagination.
Ultimately, we encourage our children to be people of faith, because we have taught them the truth of Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Monday, January 9, 2012
Another Culture Shaper - YOU!
by Kelly Knowlden
You are the most powerful culture shaper that our nation has. Here is why:
You will demonstrate your value of hard work by the way you talk about the weekend.
You will model good communication skills by the way that you talk to the dog, the kids and your spouse. If respect, care and concern mark your conversations, then we will eventually see the presidential debates marked by cordiality and compassion even if there is disagreement on ideology.
You will show what is really valuable by how you spend time. If creative projects, reading aloud, playing family games are your habit, and not sitting in front of the TV every night, then you will communicate that creativity, being busy with one’s mind and hands, and learning about the world and one another is important.
You will show how to think and understand our present culture by helping your children critique what they see and hear instead of simply allowing them to consume it and be at its mercy.
You will teach your children to be responsible and to not shift the blame to someone or something else by how you respond to someone who is upset with your choices. If you apologize for the way that it made them feel and seek their forgiveness, you will show how to be humble.
You will demonstrate your faith in God and His goodness by accepting the way that life comes to you, believing that He has a plan that is bigger than yours … and better. That will inform your child’s heart that there is Someone who can be trusted in all of life’s circumstances.
Parenting is a great privilege and awesome responsibility. Now is your opportunity to affect the next generation.
You are the most powerful culture shaper that our nation has. Here is why:
You will demonstrate your value of hard work by the way you talk about the weekend.
You will model good communication skills by the way that you talk to the dog, the kids and your spouse. If respect, care and concern mark your conversations, then we will eventually see the presidential debates marked by cordiality and compassion even if there is disagreement on ideology.
You will show what is really valuable by how you spend time. If creative projects, reading aloud, playing family games are your habit, and not sitting in front of the TV every night, then you will communicate that creativity, being busy with one’s mind and hands, and learning about the world and one another is important.
You will show how to think and understand our present culture by helping your children critique what they see and hear instead of simply allowing them to consume it and be at its mercy.
You will teach your children to be responsible and to not shift the blame to someone or something else by how you respond to someone who is upset with your choices. If you apologize for the way that it made them feel and seek their forgiveness, you will show how to be humble.
You will demonstrate your faith in God and His goodness by accepting the way that life comes to you, believing that He has a plan that is bigger than yours … and better. That will inform your child’s heart that there is Someone who can be trusted in all of life’s circumstances.
Parenting is a great privilege and awesome responsibility. Now is your opportunity to affect the next generation.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Culture Shaper in a New Year
by Kelly Knowlden
The calendar has turned a new page and now the 2012 year is underway. At Immanuel Christian School, our tradition for January has been to engage in a book week that allows children the delights of telling about the stories they have been reading and enjoyed. Of course, our desire is for students to love to read over a lifetime. Here is why:
A culture transmits its beliefs through a number of methods that are continually changing. Historically that has been through the literature, music, art, and architecture that are dominant at any given moment. Today we need to include the electronic media forms that are ways people communicate and express what is important. These beliefs come from the prevailing philosophy and the religious orientation of the people of the culture. Education and books help define what is important.
The influence of education and books on American culture has left us believing that man has evolved and is not any different essentially from the animals that co-inhabit the earth. (Animal rights activists want people to have the right to allow their pets to receive an inher- itance.) It has also caused us to think that all cultures are equal in their contribution to the flow of history. (Celebrating Kwanzaa is as important to the African cultures as celebrating Christmas is to us.)
The literature program we have chosen tells another story. The book list in our library extols a different sort of story that maintains the values of a Judeo-Christian heritage. Books matter. The Bible, as a book, informs us of how to think about the world, ourselves and God. We need to invest in understanding it and in reading good literature to transmit a common core of values based on truth.
The calendar has turned a new page and now the 2012 year is underway. At Immanuel Christian School, our tradition for January has been to engage in a book week that allows children the delights of telling about the stories they have been reading and enjoyed. Of course, our desire is for students to love to read over a lifetime. Here is why:
A culture transmits its beliefs through a number of methods that are continually changing. Historically that has been through the literature, music, art, and architecture that are dominant at any given moment. Today we need to include the electronic media forms that are ways people communicate and express what is important. These beliefs come from the prevailing philosophy and the religious orientation of the people of the culture. Education and books help define what is important.
The influence of education and books on American culture has left us believing that man has evolved and is not any different essentially from the animals that co-inhabit the earth. (Animal rights activists want people to have the right to allow their pets to receive an inher- itance.) It has also caused us to think that all cultures are equal in their contribution to the flow of history. (Celebrating Kwanzaa is as important to the African cultures as celebrating Christmas is to us.)
The literature program we have chosen tells another story. The book list in our library extols a different sort of story that maintains the values of a Judeo-Christian heritage. Books matter. The Bible, as a book, informs us of how to think about the world, ourselves and God. We need to invest in understanding it and in reading good literature to transmit a common core of values based on truth.
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