Insights

Recently, I read about a social phenomenon called “quiet quitting”. Apparently, people who “quiet quit”go to work and well, just do the very minimum. The Wall Street Journal described this classification of workers as “not engaged’ or workers who don’t go beyond the standards. This led me to think about standards of a Christ follower. It just seems that Christ always asked to go beyond the standard of what was expected. Often in the Sermon on the Mount, He would say, “You have heard it said….But I tell you” and He would set the bar higher than what the standard of the time would be. Then in Matthew 5:41 Jesus states, “ And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Doing more than what is expected would be part of my definition of excellence. As part of the Logos Prep family, we strive for academic excellence so that we can be a proclamation to the world of what only God can do.

What does the standard of academic excellence look like in a student? Excellence is displayed  in an attitude and attention to detail. An example would be making sure to write the correct heading on a paper or going beyond the minimum in a project. As an educator, I have wondered how to develop the pursuit of academic excellence in students and I have come to realize that the value of academic excellence is often instilled by family.

Within families, parents model for their children by going the extra mile and having a standard that pursues excellence. Whether they develop the mantra, “Do it right the first time” or make an additional effort to go the extra mile in service, children watch their parents live out the value of excellence. Excellence has to become a mental shift from just doing the minimum to using the energy to go beyond what is expected. Many families intentionally look for ways to serve even without being asked. After an event last year, one family stayed afterwards to help me clean up and stack chairs. That extra effort and the willingness to serve beyond what is expected reflects God’s goodness within the family of God. Our families go beyond what is asked and serve in ways that are beyond the minimum. Our work or task is a reflection of God’s workmanship in us. Our motivation to strive for excellence is to bring God glory. No “quiet quitting” until the Lord returns.

Wall Street Journal

Leah Rabb
Elementary Education Principal
Logos Preparatory Academy