May 13, 2010
This month we are examining what exactly “success” looks like for a student. Last week I asked the question, can it be defined, when children are designed by their creator so differently? Are there areas of success that cannot be measured by a test, or even a report card?
Can a sound education impact the body, soul and spirit of a child in a way that can be evaluated as progress? Last week we examined this question with a focus on the body. I suggested that success in terms of education includes a healthy acceptance of a child for his or her body type, along with a desire to keep that unique body in as good a shape as it can be. It also means allowing a child to use and enjoy their God-given physical strength, speed and agility, with the opportunity for developing new skills and enjoyment. I must also include knowledge of how their bodies work and what a healthy decision about what to put into it looks like.
This week we begin our examination of success in the realm of the soul: the mind, will and emotions of your son or daughter.
You might be tempted to think that, for an educator, evaluation of a developing mind would be fairly easy. In fact, the ability to learn, remember and apply learning to new situations is very complex. God did not make it easy for us to understand our own minds, as evidenced by the millions of dollars spent on developing test and tools that give educators insight into learning. Schooling is more than memorizing a list of facts. No school year is long enough to download every fact about every subject into your child’s mind. Rather, education is about teaching your child the tools and discipline of clear thinking, fact-finding, logic and communication. These traits will help your child become a life-long learner. Homework, projects and tests are merely tools for training in the effective use of a mind.
Another part of the soul impacted by school is the will: let’s call it the ability to make choices and decisions, with a growing awareness of consequences. Every day, students have choices to make. Every day, decisions are made that have consequences, both pleasant and unpleasant. An older child with an undisciplined will, no matter how smart, cannot be considered developmentally successful. As Christians, we believe that the human will must learn to be subject to the commandments of God and the leading of the Spirit. When I see a child make a decision that requires choosing what is right, even when difficult, I know that progress is being made.
Finally, the soul is reflected in emotions, and emotional health is an area where success is possible over the course of a school year. Often, this arena is reflected in the “behavior” column of the report card: how does your child treat other children? How do they respond to conflict? How do they deal with correction and discipline? No Iowa Test of Basic Skills will reveal these things, but a parent-teacher conference might!
Our broadcast today was sponsored by G-Force Consulting of Bemidji, specializing in off-road electric vehicle development. Check them out at gforceconsulting.com.