Let's Blame it on the Schools

I have a bit of a problem when I hear people speak of the condition of our country and it seems to me the blame always goes back to the schools of today.  At least, that has been my experience when talking with others.  My problem is this:  Children do not start to school until they are 5.  Of course some are in day care and nursery school long before that, but if I am up to date on the current system the children aren't required to enter school before kindergarten. They are in school five days a week for approximately 7 hours (am I right on this?)  So.....who is responsible for teaching those same children (yours and mine) on the week ends, in the summer and the other 17 hours of the school days?  Me thinks it's the responsibility of the parents!

 

We kick and scream about not being able to pray in schools these days.  I am the first to wish that we had never let one lady take that away while the majority sat back and did nothing.  But, how many children are taught to pray at home?  How many ever hear their father or mother pray?  I'll bet you a betcha (and that's as much as I bet) if the children in any of our schools were polled they would admit that they rarely, if ever, hear a prayer at home.

 

We kick and scream about not having the Pledge of Allegiance at school anymore.....though I  am aware that at least one school I know of does.  Again I ask.......how many of the homes are teaching positive attitudes about our country such as respect for authority, love for the freedoms we enjoy, our democratic government as opposed to others who are ruled by dictators, and so forth?  Granted, there are things that need changing in our system but we have the right to help make those changes through our votes, freedom of speech etc.  It seems most people I hear grumbling and complaining about our government that is all they are doing....grumbling and complaining. They don't seem to be putting any effort out to change it.  I would again bet you a betcha that this is what the children hear at home and never hear anything good about the life we enjoy here in the good old USA.

 

We kick and scream about teachers not doing their jobs when it comes to discipline.  I know that children who are taught right from wrong and are disciplined at home still get into mischief from time to time and need discipline away from the home.  I have even disciplined children in my Bible classes, but that is not my main job when teaching.  A teacher's main job is to teach the subject they are trained to teach.  In most cases a good, dedicated teacher earns respect and rarely has problems of discipline in his/her class.  Again.....the job of discipline, teaching respect for others, etc. should fall on the shoulders of parents and guardians.

 

Now, before one of my fantastic blog followers begins to point out such things as:  What about the children who are not taught at home?  What about those reared in one-parent homes where the parent struggles to make ends meet by working two jobs?  What about those children who are pretty much left to roam the streets?  The list could be a mile long here.  This post isn't written to address these issues.  However, I do believe good, loving, kind, Christ-centered teachers will do all within their power to help those children.  But, it is something they will do out of compassion and love for the student.  In my opinion it is not their job.

 

Do I appreciate teachers?  You betcha I do!  Though I am not a teacher, unless you count over 55 years teaching Bible classes from tiny tots to grown women and all ages in between, I have had teachers in my family from as far back as my Great-Grandfather.  A quick count in my family alone includes 7 currently teaching or in administration and many others who have taught and are now stay-at-home mothers training their children for the time they will enter the school system.

 

God bless our teachers, administrators and schools!  God bless the parents who are diligently preparing their children for the world they are soon to lead.  And God bless America Land That I Love.

 

More to come soon.

 

Here are some family members who are currently teaching or in other forms of education.

 

 

 

 

Son, Frank Wright, Teacher of U.S. History and Government at Kings High School, Kings Mill, Ohio.

 

Daughter, Paula Dyer, Elementary Math Coordinator, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

 

Granddaughter, Jessica Henderson teaches 3-year-olds at a private Christian school in Huntsville, Alabama.

 

Granddaughter, Lindsey Bell, Instructional Aide in Pre-Kindergarten and working on a degree in Elementary Ed.  Huntsville, Alabama

 

 

Granddaughter-in-love, Kari Dyer in the middle, with two of her coworkers.  Kari taught several years and is now a School Counselor and working on her Doctorate. She is also in Oklahoma City.

 

 

Granddaughter-in-love, Martha Ford with her 4th grade class in Antioch, Tennessee

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 

GIVE THANKS

How many of you remember the days of people expressing thanks?  I certainly remember them well.  I am saddened to say that this seems to be declining in recent years.  Why?

 

When I received gifts from others, I was made to sit right down and write (yes.....write with a pen and ink on proper note paper) a thank you note. I tried to teach my children to do the same and I  know that they have tried to teach theirs also.  But, somewhere along the way the ball has been dropped!  Fewer and fewer are sending "formal" thank you notes by mail.  What is even sadder than that is fewer and fewer are expressing thanks in any way.  So many these days don't even thank others verbally.

 

I wrote many thank you notes with this ink pen given to Doyal by my parents when he graduated college back in 1956.

 

 

Here's something I fail to understand. We have instant access to the ability to express our thanks and yet we do not take advantage of it.  Most of the people I know have cell phones and instant messaging in several forms such as text, email, Facebook, and the list goes on. In addition to this, most of these same people spend hours each day on said phones.  The phone is rarely out of sight or sound these days. It seems to me it would be very easy to send an instant thank you these days and times. (I still love hand written notes but I'll accept any acknowledgment.) 

 

Here are a few examples:

 

Recently we sent three gifts to family members. These were not small gifts. Two were over $100 each and a lot of loving work went into them.  One was not so expensive and no work went into it. The day the later received theirs I received a text thanking us.  Then yesterday we  a proper thank you note from the entire family!  I waited 8 and 10 days from the time of shipping the other two to check to see if they had arrived.  I hate asking if someone has received a gift as it seems I'm asking to be thanked.  I'm not!  I just want to know so I can put a trace on the package. Sure enough, they had arrived earlier and both recipients had "been too busy" to respond. By the way, one of them is on Facebook often. 

 

 

I still appreciate the old fashioned thank you note.

And thanks to Jessica and children for their sweet note.

 

 

Another example: Most weeks we sent $ to 3 loved ones. We hear from one every time it is received. From the others.....not so often. 

 

Our children at church are no different.  Rarely do the they express thanks without being prodded.  However, last night I got a big hug and "You're the best Grandma ever" for a belated birthday gift. Both Dottie (the Sunday morning teacher) and I try to reinforce the need in the children to not only be thankful but to express thanks in all things.

 

 

We drive by and get Makayla each Sunday and Wednesday for church. 

She rarely gets out of the car without saying, "Thanks."

 

 

Dottie, in yellow, and I are working with our children to teach them the joy of being thankful and expressing it. Dottie is a great example as she is a note writer.

 

 

 

A bit of humor here:  Allen, seen here ready for church, seemed to always get clothes for birthdays. We taught our children that they didn't have to say they liked a gift if they didn't, but they did have to thank the giver as they had put time, thought and expense in getting the gift for them. Poor Allen learned this lesson at a very early age. We gave the children big birthday parties inviting their entire Bible Classes and the neighborhood children.  Allen would open a gift (Clothes)and I would tell him who it was from. He would look at the person and sweetly say, "Thank you" then quickly grab another gift, tear into it only to repeat the same thing over and over.  However, we always gave him toys and let each sibling give him a small toy as well. At least that way he got a few toys!

 

 

We received many gifts when we lived in The Fiji Islands and the children got a lot of practice writing thank you notes.

 

Julia, Allen's wife, is one of the best examples I know of an example to follow. 

She not only writes many thank you notes, but many, many notes of encouragement each week.

 

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.1 Thess 5:16-18