Challenging Times
The last couple of weeks have been emotionally challenging, and not only on the home front, where Levi has been making some changes with his school schedule and overall attitude, and Victoria is needing some motivation to accept more adult responsibilities. We are all aware of yet another school shooting, in Florida this time, and the inevitable aftermath of finger-pointing, as people try to determine who they should blame. Then, the Olympics have just finished, not dominated by the U.S. this time, but still thought-provoking and often fun to watch--even the Curling.
So much of our American culture is centered on our children, and their sports activities and education. School is intense, much harder than it used to be, because there is so much more to learn, and so many more tests to take. In a society where children continue to have a variety of interests and abilities, and where they all learn at different rates, it seems as though many school administrators have taken the attitude that one size fits all. Technology, although it is a wonderful gift that both simplifies and complicates our children's lives, adds at least one more layer of necessary knowledge to our already over-burdened education system.
In our technology-driven country, something has to give. Unfortunately for our children, they no longer have time in their busy schedules to learn basic life skills, like cooking, sewing, fixing things, paying the bills, or nurturing children. They may not know how to carry on meaningful, face-to-face conversations. Some kids are certainly lacking the skills needed for respectful disagreement. It is a rare teacher or parent who takes the time needed to work on these essentials.
Instead, it has become necessary for even the youngest students to learn basic survival techniques. Children are locked in classrooms that should be safe places of refuge. A simple monthly fire drill should not cause widespread panic among the students and staff of any school, but the most recent school shooting has made even routine fire drills seem like life-threatening hazards.
In view of the uncertainty that exists in our country right now, it seems somewhat miraculous that we made it through another Olympics with little on-site scandal or violence. In stark contrast to the mass killing that happens too often in our nation, even volatile North Korea made an effort to get along with South Korea and the rest of the nations represented at the Olympics. Of course, all nations put their best foot forward, so to speak, on the world stage of the Olympics. We see a large group of athletes who obviously have worked hard and long to accomplish their goals. We don't see the daily hours of practice, added to their regular school work, that most athletes have committed to for years. For some, the recent Olympics is the culmination of their life's work; for others, it is just one step in a life-long career.
So much of our American culture is centered on our children, and their sports activities and education. School is intense, much harder than it used to be, because there is so much more to learn, and so many more tests to take. In a society where children continue to have a variety of interests and abilities, and where they all learn at different rates, it seems as though many school administrators have taken the attitude that one size fits all. Technology, although it is a wonderful gift that both simplifies and complicates our children's lives, adds at least one more layer of necessary knowledge to our already over-burdened education system.
In our technology-driven country, something has to give. Unfortunately for our children, they no longer have time in their busy schedules to learn basic life skills, like cooking, sewing, fixing things, paying the bills, or nurturing children. They may not know how to carry on meaningful, face-to-face conversations. Some kids are certainly lacking the skills needed for respectful disagreement. It is a rare teacher or parent who takes the time needed to work on these essentials.
Instead, it has become necessary for even the youngest students to learn basic survival techniques. Children are locked in classrooms that should be safe places of refuge. A simple monthly fire drill should not cause widespread panic among the students and staff of any school, but the most recent school shooting has made even routine fire drills seem like life-threatening hazards.
In view of the uncertainty that exists in our country right now, it seems somewhat miraculous that we made it through another Olympics with little on-site scandal or violence. In stark contrast to the mass killing that happens too often in our nation, even volatile North Korea made an effort to get along with South Korea and the rest of the nations represented at the Olympics. Of course, all nations put their best foot forward, so to speak, on the world stage of the Olympics. We see a large group of athletes who obviously have worked hard and long to accomplish their goals. We don't see the daily hours of practice, added to their regular school work, that most athletes have committed to for years. For some, the recent Olympics is the culmination of their life's work; for others, it is just one step in a life-long career.
The Olympics are meant to provide a time for nations to put aside their differences for a short while, to get together to engage in sport. What is sport, anyway, except a mostly non-violent way to establish who is the best at something rather inconsequential? Sport is definitely the better alternative to war, or to any unnecessary violence.
Sometimes, it's hard for me to come to grips with such far-reaching events as we have experienced recently. No one seems to know what to do to stop these mass killings that keep happening in our beloved country. Just as the Olympics draws people together, encouraging nations to put aside their differences for a while, we need something or someone to draw the people of our country together again, united in one cause, to provide safety for people who gather together for any reason, but especially for our children, who should be able to feel safe, wherever they are. I don't have an answer to that dilemma; no one does, yet.
I've been trying to figure out what I can leave you with, and I have finally come to the conclusion that there is just one thing. We need to remind our children, and their teachers, that God is with them in even the worst times. He doesn't always intervene to prevent tragedy, but he stays with us always. We can tell our children that God always hears their prayers. We must let them know that they can pray any time and in any place, even at school. They need to understand that no one can silence their inner thoughts or whispered prayers; God hears every word.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:18-19
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