By A.D. Jenkins, NDG Columnist
As July comes to an end, all students should be in full summer mode while enjoying rest and relaxation. Soon it will be time to get into the regular routine of getting up early in the morning, catching the bus to school and taking on advanced courses to stay on pace globally. Of course, this schedule is followed by extra-curricular activities, going to bed and preparing to do the same the next day. But with all of the emphasis on education, we are overlooking key lessons students cannot learn in a classroom.
We spend millions of dollars on education which I feel is money well spent because this investment will reap the rewards in the future. I want to be on record saying I have no problem with the concept of using financial means to pay it forward for the next generation.
However, I have an issue with lost resources in not only Texas but across our wonderful nation. I do not think any community, city or state are exempt from this matter. The development of a child’s spirit and faith is too often ignored, overlooked or abandoned. There are such things that you can not touch with your hands nor see with the naked eye.
I am not going to jump on the bandwagon of putting “God back in school” because we simply can’t boss Him around. God will never leave nor forsake us but what we have done is weaken our position at schools by not utilizing the One Source that is steadfast and unmovable. Computers cannot understand it, the software cannot interpret it, hardware cannot hold it, nor can technology explain it.
A great deal of blame has been placed on schools for lack of education and acknowledgment in this area. However, this is indeed a major component that should be shaped and molded at home. I am aware this presents another challenge when speaking of the home environment. That is a sensitive topic for another article, but home life is next of kin to school life.
As we go further down this path, respect continues to lose value. Many youth have no clue what it means to be respectful, nor how to conduct themselves among elders and anyone in authoritative roles. On the other hand, we as adults are too busy attempting to generalize our youth and rely on traditional training and concepts. Respect is a two-way street, but this issue has surpassed the roads and is wreaking havoc on the highways with no speed limit in sight. Good private home teaching and training beget good public habits and decisions. Again, a subject for another article to come.
The facts are simple – we must place value in the whole child, not just educational sense. We as adults must provide the pathways of effective modeling and not give up on being the pacesetters.
The Bible reminds of the importance of religious education.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 states, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”
Let’s get back to the Source and the resources will follow.
A.D. Jenkins serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Irving Independent School District. The views and opinions expressed herein of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Irving ISD, its Board of Trustees or its employees.
[…] a part of their world and let them know they are loved unconditionally. In my recent article on the Lost Art: Spiritual Education, I briefly mentioned how disrespectful our youth can be toward their parents, the elderly and […]