Insights
Love The Child You Have
About ten years ago I was told by a student, in a moment of vulnerability, “I just don’t know who I am!” As we sat and talked and broke down this statement it came down to him realizing that the things he had been seeking throughout his high school years were not things he really desired to do.
This student played football. He had played football all of his life. So here he was, during his junior year, playing varsity football and looking head on towards a senior year where he would again play football knowing full well that his heart wasn’t in it. It is important to know that this student’s dad played football all the way through college where he played Division 1 football in the old Southwest Conference.
This student felt pressured to do something he really didn’t want to fully do in an effort to please his dad. Now, did this student like playing football? Yes. Did he enjoy the camaraderie of playing on the team? Yes. But was this something, looking back, that he wanted to devote this much time to? He didn’t think so. He was stuck. He was hurting. Now, do kids follow in their parents footsteps? Absolutely! This happens all the time, but sometimes we force our kids to be something WE want them to be instead of allowing them to figure out who God created them to be.
When we look at our kids, we are looking at a child who is created by God, in the image of God and given to us ON PURPOSE! We get to nurture, care for, love, and guide these children for 18 years until they leave our home and then at that point we pray we did enough.
God didn’t make a mistake when he gave us our children. We have the honor and privilege of loving the children we have. They are unique. They are not other people’s kids. They are just the way they need to be. We get to shepherd them into the love of Christ which is such an honor. May we have the wisdom to allow them to discover who they are, to discover their gifts and talents, and how to use them for the glory of Christ. May we resist the temptation to live our own lives and our missed opportunities through our children. They do not exist for our glory. They exist for the glory of Christ.
Joel Gutowsky
Director of Student Life
Logos Preparatory Academy
Everyone Is Useful For The Glory of God
Sitting in theology classes as a biology major is an interesting experience. Terms and concepts are thrown around as if they should be common knowledge, references are made to things covered in classes I never took, and my hours spent memorizing the structures of all 20 amino acids suddenly seem like a waste of time. I usually have one window open to Google on my laptop so I can figure out what everyone is talking about.
I feel a bit of the same confusion when we go to education conferences. I’m not an educator by training; I’m a scientist/youth minister. Maslow and Bloom, Horace Mann and Maria Montessori…these famous educators mean something to a lot of people, but I’m constantly playing catch up. In both contexts, it took me a very long time to not only become comfortable with my new surroundings, but to understand I have an important role to play: I’m the bug in the system that forces everyone around me to refine their approach and ultimately that makes the end product even better.
The world would be boring if we were all the same, or if we all knew the same things. Alternatively, the world would be an unmitigated disaster if everyone was like me. There is a beauty in how different we all are–different experiences, thoughts, ideas, opinions. My classmates often thanked me for sharing, because I was able to come at problems from a different perspective than “the usual.” I’d like to think I provide a helpful voice on our leadership team because I have no earthly idea how things have usually been done, which means I can often contribute new insights or ideas. My road less traveled, to steal a phrase from Robert Frost, has led me to an unexpected place to be sure, but it’s a place where I have unexpected value.
Variety is biblical: look at the disciples, the judges, or even the character bios of Hebrews’ “Hall of Faith” in chapter 11: everyone is unique and yet everyone is used by God to accomplish His will and build a bit of His Kingdom. Each one of our stakeholders (students, families, faculty, staff, coaches, etc.) brings something special and valuable to the table, making us infinitely more than just the sum of our parts. We are the family of God, shining His glory to the world around us in unexpected and miraculous ways.
Jason Henderson
Secondary Education Principal
Logos Preparatory Academy
Using Words Carefully
With little idea of what I was jumping into, I began my teaching career at the old age of 24. My original college degree was in journalism and this, along with speech, was what I now found myself teaching at a public high school in Southeast, TX. My husband had begun his broadcasting career in Beaumont two years prior and after our marriage, teaching is where I ultimately landed. As you may imagine, journalism was important to us. I wanted my students to embrace what, at the time, were the rules, ethics and motivators of every great journalist. Journalism was not meant to be about entertainment and ratings, but about the transmission of facts and stories that readers or viewers needed for their betterment and the betterment of society. When I transitioned from public school to private Christian education, I was able to show students biblically that the way we use our words is of great interest to the Lord. This is true whether we are communicating to large audiences, or simply one on one. We are called to be good stewards of our speech.
According to Google, there are 126 Bible passages about the tongue. One of my favorites can be found in Ephesians. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29) While this verse specifically mentions the words that come out of our mouths, the lesson should be extended to words that we communicate in any format, including through text and social media. According to the Word of God, the words of our life should be helpful to those who listen. They should build others up, never tearing down. I believe that this was God’s primary objective when giving us the gift of communication. We are to use our words according to the needs of those that listen, not according to the desires of our own hearts that can so easily deceive.
Several weeks ago, I introduced a new policy, first in the parent bulletin and secondly with the secondary students in a family meeting. While it promotes the same principle as previously existing policies dealing with respect, kindness, purity, and compassion, this policy speaks specifically to offensive discourse and discriminatory speech. Offensive discourse is basically rude or insulting speech. It causes someone to feel hurt, upset, or angry. It is never acceptable but becomes discriminatory when it targets a group or individual based on gender, race, disability, color, denomination, and national or ethnic origin. Judging or targeting others based on these factors is against the heart of God and has no place at Logos Prep. We want to teach our students to treat one another with love and respect. As adults, it is important that we both teach and model this behavior. The teaching includes helping our students determine the impact their words are having on others. Impact always outweighs intent. At every age, three simple questions can help us choose words that will benefit our listener and have a positive impact:
Is it kind?
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then the words need not be spoken.
Thank you for partnering with us in teaching our Logos Prep Lions how to be good stewards of the gift of communication, using their words to benefit others that they may make an impact for Christ.
Logos Prep Discriminatory Speech Policy
“Logos Preparatory Academy denounces the use of offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on gender, race, disability, color, denomination, and national and ethnic origin. ‘Discriminatory speech’ or any form of expression through which speakers vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred intentionally or unintentionally on the aforementioned bases is contrary to the vision, mission statement, guiding principles, and core values of Logos Prep. Violations of our policy against discriminatory speech may be subject to Section 9.2 of the Logos Preparatory Academy Parent/Student Handbook.”
Tammy McIlvoy
Head of School
Logos Preparatory Academy
