All I Want is Character:
Developing the Whole StudentI had just finished speaking to a group of parent educators when a mom approached me. “I don’t think it really matters whether my children master any of their academics. My son isn’t very academically inclined. I’m mostly just interested in his character.” “How will you help them grow in character?” I asked, genuinely interested. “Well, uh, I’ll teach my son to be nice to his sister.” “Good start,” I replied. “What other character traits would you like to see him demonstrate as he grows up?” She thought a minute. “Well, perseverance…and follow through…and respect.” We continued talking. She began to see that every character trait that mattered to her…
Choosing Calm in a Season of Sheltering
[A Guest Post by Nancy Reece]I went for a walk yesterday and was singing Raise A Hallelujah at the top of my lungs. The words of the song – I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me; I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee, I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me – brought peace and calm in the middle of this season of fear and panic in our world. CHOOSING PRAISE OVER FEAR About two weeks ago, I wasn’t exactly experiencing calm. On Thursday March 12th, when we were aware of the virus and a couple of days before things went crazy at the grocery stores, I came home and told my husband…
Cancer and Coronavirus
[A Guest Post by Mary Gunther]I reflect on the two cancers I had in my thirties as a tremendous gift. A gift for then and a gift for now because what I learned in the midst of cancer is still applicable to the coronavirus that faces us. I didn’t think too much about my cancer. At the time of my diagnosis and treatments, my six children were all under the age of 10. They needed my attention. And quite frankly that was a gift too that kept me from being absorbed looking at medical articles on the internet for survival rates based on my stage of disease. Yes, the first days of not knowing what…
