Who is responsible for a student's education? On the path from diaper to degree, who gets the blame for failures and the credit for successes? Administration, policy-makers, teachers, other school staff or therapists, parents, peers, or the student him or herself?
As for myself, I believe the responsibility sits with parents. The reasons for that seem obvious--parents influence children from their first hours of life onward, shaping them before they develop independence and accountability. Children are attached to their parents and deeply influenced by parents' examples and expectations. However, I also hold that belief because I am a parent. When I was a student, I was confident that students held the key to our own futures, and I had resources to learn whatever I wanted. When I was a teacher, I knew that my students' progress toward valuable learning goals was dependent on my planning, teaching, and devoted attention to each student.
So who is really responsible? Each of us. Imagine the quality of education if each and every person involved acted on the conviction that they made all the difference. We would see success after success. The moment any one party tries to shift responsibility to another, outcomes will not be what they could have been. Who is responsible for education? Each of us.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Don't Sin Differently
We’ve all heard the quote, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” While there is certainly value in being kind and accepting, I dislike this quote for two reasons.
First, it is spoken by the one who thinks they are being judged, trying to point the finger back at the other person. We should be more concerned with controlling our own feelings, thoughts and actions than worried about other people judging us.
Second, it implies an overall acceptance of sin. People may not mean it this way, but to me it sounds like they are saying, “let’s just all go on sinning and accept each other the way we are.” No! The great fight of life is against sin; we should be evaluating, determining right from wrong and striving for what’s right, starting with improving ourselves and also encouraging others to improve. Yes, I sin sometimes, but I am doing my best to stop and others should be too. It is true that I should never approach other people’s sins with more disgust than I approach my own, indeed I should be much more anxious to overcome sin in myself, simply because I am the only person I can truly control, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to influence others to make good choices also.
The quote is, at best, a plea for kindness. Kindness, or charity, the pure love of Christ, is the highest value to embrace. However, true kindness means doing what is best for someone. If someone we love is engaging in sin, kindness will endeavor to prevent their self-destructive actions. A parent, for example, should love their children enough to judge them, to point them in the right direction for their own sake. A good friend can offer love and accept a person, without accepting all of their mistakes.
In response, I would say, "Alright, I won't judge you because you sin differently than me, but let's both keep doing our very best to stop."
First, it is spoken by the one who thinks they are being judged, trying to point the finger back at the other person. We should be more concerned with controlling our own feelings, thoughts and actions than worried about other people judging us.
Second, it implies an overall acceptance of sin. People may not mean it this way, but to me it sounds like they are saying, “let’s just all go on sinning and accept each other the way we are.” No! The great fight of life is against sin; we should be evaluating, determining right from wrong and striving for what’s right, starting with improving ourselves and also encouraging others to improve. Yes, I sin sometimes, but I am doing my best to stop and others should be too. It is true that I should never approach other people’s sins with more disgust than I approach my own, indeed I should be much more anxious to overcome sin in myself, simply because I am the only person I can truly control, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to influence others to make good choices also.
The quote is, at best, a plea for kindness. Kindness, or charity, the pure love of Christ, is the highest value to embrace. However, true kindness means doing what is best for someone. If someone we love is engaging in sin, kindness will endeavor to prevent their self-destructive actions. A parent, for example, should love their children enough to judge them, to point them in the right direction for their own sake. A good friend can offer love and accept a person, without accepting all of their mistakes.
In response, I would say, "Alright, I won't judge you because you sin differently than me, but let's both keep doing our very best to stop."
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