Education

Salvation Army and I'm burning thanks for joining us and welcome to the wonderful words of life. Hey everybody.

Welcome back and hello to you Sarah hey Bernie, let me just tell you Sarah's incredibly nervous because Nolan has started middle school and his education is really progressing and you're trying to convince me that he doesn't need me anymore that he's now I just think as I entered middle school for me. That's when I as I look back I realize I was becoming too cool to be mama's boy like no you still like this kid wants to still cuddle with me and spend time with. We take walks together. We have this little daily tradition where we walk down to the stop sign.

The end of our neighborhood. He still wants to do the sink so far I haven't seen him like outright like reject or deny me in front of his friends, but I okay I realize that I had to be prepared because chances are that may happen someday when you're pretty cool. Mom said will think you think you appreciate that anyways let's let's move on. So Nelson Mandela famously said, education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world and today we discussed the importance of education and the parents role in helping your child succeed.

According to a recent Gallup survey, 91% of school superintendents say that the key to his child success in their education isn't necessarily standardized test scores but engagement. Not every kid will be the best test-taker or be the best in math or science, but if they stay engaged their chance of success is greatly improved.

One of the things I found particularly while my daughter was in high school and I hope she won't be upset with me for saying this but academically there were some areas where she struggled and I did too but what we did with her with Hannah is really celebrate and encourage her engagement in the end of areas where she is really shot to know creatively.

Hannah is amazing is English, and in chorus class and I think that through.

Like sort of leveraging that opportunity to to really get behind her and what she was great at like that encouragement started to spill over into other areas, academically and we got her through high school and then got her into college and to see that the student that she is in college is is amazing that she's really sort of found her like her sweet spot and she is excelling in her major and so you know it, you gotta stick with that as a parent I understand it can be discouraging especially when you have to let go the route of getting tutors and that sort of thing. But you know, encouraging them through through careful encouragement.

I mean they really can become a successful student. The other side of that is from an engagement point of view is even when you have the ability to just engage young persons mind. They understand that your not actually taking an interest in who they are what they are becoming so keep them engaged and you stay engaged and you'll see them really rise to the top of the sentence.

I hope that especially for the parents out there that this episode is a great encouragement for you. If you have any advice or maybe some some input to add to this discussion, we would love to hear from you so send us an email at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or you can give us a call number is 1-800-229-9965. If you leave us a voicemail.

Be sure to let us know if we can use it on the air and we will be so great you run emerge Ontario's room with my wife, Donna, we are here to welcome you again to our series on parenting and today in this episode we begin to talk about education and future plans and your parenting role in helping launcher children in the life every child is unique and different. And while they all need a goal and a plan for their future. Each one will look different so we have three boys that we've seen go through this experience and the oldest and the youngest have taken the traditional college approach, and our middle son Nathan went a different route and had some other needs and pursuing career. So when it came to the pursuit of college stepping our children through that experience that tended to fall tomorrow role as we began to do that we want to stress to our children the importance to education and help them realize how for most people that's now the foundational steppingstone into successful life in a successful career in the culture as we know it today. I can't begin on high school graduation day that has just focus has to begin earlier on, reminding them of the importance of education in school and encourage them each to do their absolute best.

Not every child is going to be a straight a student that they can do their very best every day we always took the premise that when you completed school you are going to go to college or major university and pursue your education which would eventually lead you to a successful career. We believe that somewhat of what society and culture demand. Unless you have a very specific plan course we readily acknowledge their numerous career paths people can pursue the military in any number of other means by which they are successful in life with the traditional college education route and so as we began that it's this wonderful balance of understanding this is going to be a decision that your child makes but it has to carry a strong influence on you. Ultimately, the church, all's decision to force your will upon your child may very well lead to a frustrating and exasperating experience. However, you have to also give a lot of guidance as they make such an important life decision.

So for us, that began with what are you interested in what type things. Do you see yourself becoming what career paths. What areas of the country. What types of school, and gathering all that. Then there's always the issue of the family budget.

What is our commitment as parents. What can you expect from us and that depends on your own personal family budget. The extent to which you are capable or willing to do that for Nathan.

It took on a different focus. He had planned to attend the community college where we lived, and then we moved to a new community and so he started working in a different area. What he found was once he got a job and figured out the training that he would need to improve his position in that job. That's the training he wanted in college and so he found a community college that had the administrative certification courses that he could take.

He didn't have to be bound to grades and worry about a graduation date and those kind of things he was able to accomplish each task that he needed to move to the next level in his job.

So in each of those experiences as parents were providing the guidance and support, and yet beginning to release the responsibility of making these decisions off to your children as they're gonna need those skills in life with our son Timothy. He was looking at any number of schools. We particularly want to see him give strong consideration to Christian colleges. We were seeing him pursue that route, but we carefully prayed about that and supported it. And then there came this time, where through another young person influencing him. He made that decision. We then join alongside him and supporting him and seeing him.

Have a wonderful college experience. There can be tremendous anxiety is you have the stress of hunting down colleges and making all of this match, and in that I believe you just have to trust the Lord and trust the things that you've set forth. But that is Donna so aptly pointed out that has to begin long before senior year. There are many programs and at colleges and community colleges for young people to start out if they're not really sure what they want to do or where they want to go they can begin at a community college or a local college taking the basic foundational courses that they have to have regardless of their chosen major so a lot of it is transitioning your child from this dependency of day-to-day life and activity that's dictated through the family and high school experience and suddenly realizing you gotta take responsibility to plan for your future.

Remember the occasion were Tim was a senior, and there became a particular time or the anxiety levels around the house were getting escalated and I finally had the sitting down and say, look, here's the situation. You can't wait to graduate and get out on your own. And that's occurring at a time when your mom want you a little bit closer and wants to get one more hug in so we all work together we can have everything we want, they get so excited about what's coming ahead and that they forget to engage at home and we still need them to be a part of the family. So as you launch them alcohol into their own. There are still numerous occasions where you've got to be the parent and provide the support and provide the guidance, there's this incredible mix of privilege and responsibility. And as you take on the privilege of making these decisions. The responsibility goes with that there are things to pay attention to and be aware of is, while the children are still in high school. If you have a student with disabilities. You can plan in their senior year to have all their testing redone so that then any modifications or things that they need extra services they need will carry over to college other, not necessarily gonna want their friends at college to know that they have special needs, but it can be very important to them and the impact of their grades so just as each child is unique.

Each plans gonna be unique. You have to adapt it for your own family resources as well as the personalities and the strengths of your children is no greater time of joy in a family than to be able to see that you have done an excellent job of parenting and your children are fully equipped to launch into life. And just as they celebrate their graduation from high school, you can celebrate your achievement is apparent.

We thank you for being with us for this episode. Join us in the next episode as we begin to speak about parenting adult children. May God bless the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and we would love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 20 contact us will send you our gift for this series is totally free for listeners like you, one per household, while supplies last. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast store and be sure to give us a rating to search for wonderful words of life follow some social media for the latest episode extended interviews and more. And if you don't have a church home invite you to visit your local Salvation Army warships will be glad to see this is Bernie date inviting you to join us next time.

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