I hope that you and your family enjoy time together this Easter weekend. May you be blessed as we celebrate our risen Savior!
Jesus has overcome,
and the grave is overwhelmed.
The victory is won,
He is risen from the dead.
I hope that you and your family enjoy time together this Easter weekend. May you be blessed as we celebrate our risen Savior! Jesus has overcome,
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by Kristen Welch Author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World Every spring we go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It’s not only a big deal around these parts; it’s the biggest indoor rodeo in the United States. A couple of years ago, we decided it was high time our three growing kids got their first pair of cowboy boots. You might call it a rite of passage for children in Texas. We budgeted for the rodeo even more than usual, planning to purchase boots there because we knew there would be plenty to choose from as well as special deals that would save us money. On the hour trip downtown, one of my kids complained about the seat arrangements in the van, the heat, and the very air siblings dared to breathe. I corrected said child, and I was half tempted to squash the dream of boots, leaving this one scuffling along in tennis shoes, but after a quick apology was received, grace won out. We headed straight to the Justin Boots booth and helped all three of our kids try on and choose boots that (1) they loved and (2) we could afford--which was a feat in and of itself because my kids can be picky and boots are expensive. But we accomplished our goal in under an hour and spent the rest of the day in new boots—looking at animals, watching roping events, and eating large amounts of food that probably shouldn’t be fried. (I’m looking at you, bacon and Oreos.) On the way home, the same child’s bad attitude surfaced again, this time about not getting to do something at the rodeo. It wasn’t just whining, the result of a tiring day; it was ingratitude and entitlement. Complaints and warnings fired in rapid succession between the backseat and the front. The day had been a splurge from the beginning, but it wasn’t appreciated. But mostly, it wasn’t enough. Even after grace put a nice pair of boots on the kid’s feet. Halfway home, in the middle of the tense ride with an unrepentant boot wearer in the backseat, my husband said, “That’s it. When we get home, I want you to pack your boots back in the box. I’ll see if we can’t return them.” This nearly broke my Texas heart, but I knew it was the right thing to do. It saddened me to hear the tears, the begging, the promises. Then the question, “Why can’t you show me grace?” “Buying you the boots in the first place was grace,” I said. Once we were home, we put the boxed boots on a high shelf and said, “If you want the boots, you’ll have to work for them.” He pointed to the huge mulched areas in the front and back yards. “You have three days to pull every weed. I won’t remind you; it’s up to you. This job will pay for your boots. This time you’re going to earn them.” And that was that. The rodeo happens in early March, usually before we have a chance to clean up winter’s effect on our yard. My gaze followed my husband’s pointing finger to the weedy mulch beds, and my heart sank. It was going to be a lot of work. Lo, the weeds were many. My husband is kind and loving and a lot nicer than I am most days. But I could tell by the firmness in his voice and the tilt of his chin that he was serious. This was serious. The mounting ingratitude that had been an issue for weeks had to be addressed. I wanted to high-five him and sob at the same time. I wondered what our child would choose. My heart soared a little while later when I heard the front door click. I looked out the window and saw my kid wearing old clothes, bent down in the wet mulch. It had started to rain. For the next two days, I watched from that window. A little proud, a little brokenhearted, but with every pulled weed, I knew the hard work was making for a softer heart. When we handed back the boots after hearing a meaningful apology, I knew we had all won. “You earned these,” he said. “I won’t take them away again.” The boots meant twice as much. It will go down as the infamous boot story. It was the day we generously bought our kids cowboy boots. It was the same day we took them away. It definitely wasn’t the first day my kids acted unthankful—and there have been many times since. But it was a day we called out entitlement in our home and waged war against it. It was the day we reestablished the fact that we wanted to raise grateful kids more than anything else. Here are some things we are doing to try and live counter-culturally:
But walking a mile in them taught us a great lesson in gratitude. Some days we feel like we’ve lost the battle against entitlement in our home; we are still in the trenches, trying to figure this all out. But as we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice and turn our attention to the Cross — it’s thankfulness for His sacrifice and grace that I want them to grasp the most. Harding Academy has joined what the Wall Street Journal called "a global sensation" by establishing one of over 36,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all 50 states and 70 countries. Harding's Little Free Library is near the front entrance of the school on Cherry Road, and it serves not only our students and their families but also our neighbors in the community.
A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. These Little Free Libraries come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books. Anyone may take a book or bring a book to share. Little Free Library book exchanges have a unique, personal touch. There is an understanding that real people are sharing their favorite books with their community; Little Libraries have been called "mini-town squares." Harding's Little Free Library was built by Mr. Bruce Buchanan, assistant director of facilities, at the request of our librarians, Mrs. Leanna Hawley and Mrs. Jessica Holland. https://littlefreelibrary.org/ From Time Magazine
By Eric Barker "I’ve explored the science behind what makes kids happier, what type of parenting works best and what makes for joyful families. "But what makes children--from babies up through the teen years--smarter? Read the whole article here, but here is a summary of the 10 things science says can help:
The week of March 21-25 is Resurrection Week. We will have chapel every day, and, as always, parents are welcome to join us for chapel. Here is our schedule--
Harding's POP (Parents of Prayer) group is planning a 12-hour prayer day for March 24 (next Thursday). You can sign up at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c44afab29a2f49-12hour Even if you don't sign up for a formal slot, we definitely solicit and appreciate your prayers for Harding, for our students and parents, for our teachers, and for our city. Our seventh and eighth graders will be taking achievement tests after our Easter break. We break each grade's test into two parts, each administered in morning. Students take these tests on their iPads. This is the schedule:
The test we administer is the ERB (Educational Records Bureau) CTP (Comprehensive Testing Plan). This test helps us assess both what the student has learned and achieved this year and how well our curriculum and instruction are working. We use the results to show us our strengths and weaknesses as a program and to shape our curriculum. Likewise, an individual student's results can show the parents (and the student) areas of strengths and weaknesses and indicate where the student may need to work harder or get additional help. Eighth grade is the last year we administer achievement tests. In ninth grade, our students take the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT); in tenth and eleventh grades, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT); and in eleventh and twelfth, the American College Testing (ACT). How can your student prepare for achievement tests?
These are links to articles and one video. Social Media- Sucking Time or Saving Lives: Kristen Howerton at TEDxChapmanU (Ted Talks) How is your child using social media? A safety guide for parents. Should parents find time to understand social? Yes, Yes, Yes! (and why parents don't take the time) 5 Dangers of Social Media for Teens (from All Pro Dads) Our upper level mathematics classes are participating again this year in the University of Memphis's Canstruction, an engineering team project (April 15). Students work alongside a volunteer engineer and their teacher (Mrs. Jane Morgan) to design a structure built out of canned goods. Canstruction is a competition, and teams are awarded prizes for various design and execution facets of the project. All upper school students have been asked to donate canned goods for the Canstruction students to use. Each grade level is assigned a particular color of label. 7th - Hunt's Tomatoes 8th - Superlo generic corn or Red Gold tomatoes 9th - Kroger green beans or sweet peas or Aldi green beans 10th - Kroger potatoes or pinto beans - wood paneling 11th - Ranch Style Beans 12th - Kroger lite peaches or pears Although the competition among classes ended on March 5, students may still bring canned goods to help the project. Once the competition is over, all the canned goods are donated to the Memphis Food Bank. |
Mrs. SemoreHead of Upper School Archives
May 2016
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