Everyday I pick up my daughter after school, and the first thing I hear is, “I had a great day!” Very rarely do I hear otherwise. Then, as our routine goes, we go through each class and what she learned that day. I don’t ask her,”How was Geography?” I ask her “What did you learn in Geography?” By doing this, she is repeating and remembering what she learned that day. I am also finding out, who played a joke on the teacher… What teacher played a joke on them, and what the buzz might have been for that day. This simple, daily act was suggested to me by one of our Faith teachers a couple years ago. She said, “Don’t ask how was math? Ask, what did you do in math?” …and by this simple phrase change, my daughters knowledge base in each class improved and she retained so much more.
This may sound small, but my point is, that it is the simple small gestures… the “Sure I’ll help you after school if you’re not getting it”,….the “C’mon, you can run that mile, I know its in you.” The, “Why don’t you try going to this leadership conference, don’t be afraid you can do it!” The kids feel how much the teachers, are rooting for them and wanting them to succeed. They also feel every single day, that on this campus, we are here for the Glory of God. That all of us are here to serve our Lord and to do it with joy, laughter, and music in our hearts. That through the good and bad times, He is with us and always will be.
Thanks for letting me sound off a bit- it’s just I remember three years ago sitting in that gym, with the application in hand wondering if I was doing the right thing for my daughter. It was more than the right thing. We are blessed and honored to be a part of Faith.