istock Photo
School is has started all across our region. We pray God’s blessings and safety upon our teachers and students. There is so much that goes on in-and-around school these days, that we can forget the true purpose of school. The purpose of school is to learn! Children go to school to grow in their knowledge and to be educated!
Teachers often have a great challenge motivating children to accomplish this goal. Learning can get a bad rap by students. It becomes like force-feeding, instead of offering a delicious buffet.
I would like to offer a few suggestions for us as adults to consider to aid our teachers and students in accomplishing this goal of learning.
- Value learning yourself. We should never give the impression that learning only takes place in school. Learning is a life-long enterprise. We should value and esteem it daily. The book of Proverbs talks much about the wise person loving and seeking knowledge. It even says, “Fools hate knowledge” (Prov. 1:22). Set an example of one who is willing to learn, even though you have long graduated from school.
- Demonstrate concern about the knowledge they are gaining. Yes, you should care about their grades, but don’t make it just about the grades. Care about what they are learning because it is that knowledge that will truly bless them. The grades are only a part of the system to help accomplish the true goal of learning. Take an interest in their studies. Read their reading book with them. Discuss their math homework. Let them know you care!
- Emphasize the purpose in being educated. Once again, Proverbs talks about how scoffers ridicule knowledge (Prov. 1:22). It is common for people to ridicule the uselessness of school. Kid’s cry, “It doesn’t matter anyways!” or “I am never going to use this stuff!” As an adult you can see the value in an education. There is real and valuable purpose in gaining knowledge. Parents have the wisdom of experience to know that students may not remember every fact from history or formula from math, but the overall knowledge that is gained is extremely important to their future understanding of life, opportunities for growth, and their happiness. Keep pointing them to the value and purpose of education.
- Present opportunities to reinforce and supplement their learning at school. Don’t give the impression to your students that learning only takes place in school. A productive life is about continually learning and gaining knowledge. So look for opportunities to further learn and enhance what the teachers are covering in school. This can be as over-the-top as planning a vacation to the nation’s capital or as simple as simple telling about life when you grew up. Look for opportunities to relate what they are learning to real life. This will help them value school and it will also help you encourage what they are learning.
Parents and guardians should never leave all of the teaching up to the schools. You have an active role to fulfill. One of the greatest lessons you should begin teaching is that the “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). We can’t truly soak up knowledge about who we are and this wonderful world until we realize who God is! Knowing God and His Word is a knowledge quest that should certainly be lifelong!
