I always smirk when I read these kinds of things. I picture my kids gathering around while I sit in my easy chair and asking me to speak about a particular topic. They sit quietly at my feet, they never interrupt, and then they leave happier and wiser because I have spoken. Yeah. Does. Not. Happen. That. Way. In our family we talk about things in bits and pieces– at the supper table, when we’re in the car, when we say good night, between conversations about Minecraft, sports and that hilarious thing on TikTok. Sometimes I head off on tangents. Sometimes my kids interrupt. Sometimes they even disagree, but when they’re older and wiser they’ll look back and remember I was right. Maybe. Here are some of the things that I want my kids to hear as they prepare to go back to school.
1. You get to go back to school!
Education is a blessing. Sometimes we get so fascinated by our navels that we forget to look up and appreciate the broader context. Starting September 8 my kids will be in a classroom with teachers who dedicate their working lives to teaching history, languages, arts and sciences. The goal of this journey is to empower them to shape their own career and life paths. Education is remarkably effective at doing this. There is no better tool for lifting entire communities out of poverty and not everyone enjoys this opportunity.
2. Honour your teachers
Teaching well is not easy. Just as in any profession there are teachers who mail it in. There are some who manage to be out the doors before the kids on Friday afternoon. There are also teachers like our neighbour. When the school building closed this spring, her living room window became a chalkboard and her front step became her desk. There was a weeks long stream of students handing in assignments and picking up new ones. This kind of teaching takes hard work. This fall, that hard work will be more difficult as teachers face the additional challenge of implementing procedures to prevent the spread of disease, and perhaps the occasional student, or parent who doesn’t want to comply.
3. God is our security.
It is scary to go back to school knowing that it will be different, and not knowing how different it will be. One thing hasn’t changed. God is with us. Some of us are fighting to get back to normal because that is where we found our security. Some of us are fighting for more caution because that is where we find our security. All of us need to remember that nothing in all of creation can separate us from our God. He is our security.
4. God is the source of authority in our lives.
Most of us have a fierce streak of don’t-tread-on-me-individualism. My kids can probably recite my annual post halloween rant about not needing a note from the school telling me not to send candy in their lunches. If I want to send a Mars bar, I’ll send a Mars bar! This year I’m trying to refrain from such rants because they are disrespectful to authority. This is a matter of particular importance because Scripture claims that God is the source of authority (Romans 13:2).
5. The second great commandment is to love our neighbours.
We could argue for days about whether or not masks prevent the spread of Covid but, put that aside for a moment. What if all masks do is make others more comfortable? What if a student in your child’s class has had a heart transplant, or lung disease, or a relative that died from Covid and wearing a mask would make him or her feel more comfortable? Wouldn’t putting a mask on be the loving thing to do?
6. Love always costs us something.
Immediately on the heels of the call to love our neighbours, Jesus tells a story about a Samaritan who reached across a deep cultural divide and gave of his time and finances to help someone (Luke 10:29-37). Real love always requires some giving of ourselves. It requires laying down our time, our money, or even our lives. Wearing a mask might make my kids uncomfortable but, if they choose to follow Christ they will be called to lay down far greater things than this.
I hope you and your kids have a great start to the school year and a big thank you to all those teachers who are working hard to make this school year happen!