Before going off for this workshop 'Educating For Character', I was deep in thought about the purpose of character education in public schools - questioning its effectiveness and its need. Well... events in school over the last week have been rather discouraging, particularly one incident involving the behaviour of a group of students that has generated some public outcry. I thought to myself - 'Character Education is fun and works only in primary schools...not for hardened teenagers in secondary school'...well, I am glad the myths I held were debunked.
Having said that, the past 3 days have been nothing short of wonderful blessing and retreat. Firstly, I had the opportunity to go with Hannah - a relatively new teacher but a likeminded Christian in the Lord. Haha...I think we virtually prayed together before every meal & breaktime. I enjoyed tremendously the fellowship we had in the Lord - got to know her much better. Knowing that we are on the same team with one common purpose is wonderfully liberating.
Secondly, it was the content of the course as well as the wisdom of the speaker, Dr Gary Smit that kept me riveted throughout the entire 3 days. Of all the courses that I have been since day 1 of my teaching career, I dare say that this is one of the most enriching courses that I have gone to. He reminded me of the writing of J Oswald Sanders - who could bring abstract and difficult concepts of leadership and servanthood into simple terms and codify it. Dr Smit brought the fuzzy wuzzy concepts of character education and reduced it to simple and very sound principles - and I could tell where his principles were based on. At the heart of a successful character program is a bunch of educators who have sound character and who consistently and confidently persist in getting the same message across. How often we as adults compromise our standards when no one is looking - at work, at home and even church. We need to be confident in refusing that 'foul word', to persist in tearing those tabs off the carpark coupons even though the carpark attendant may not come, to speak the truth in love, to point out wrong behaviour...It encourages me that there is someone like Dr Gary Smit who believes that doing right [in love] is the only way - not only in church but in our world around us. And he is determined to bring that message to as many educators in the world as possible. For educators, take time to explore www.charactercounts.org , many materials are downloadable and not copyrighted so that you can use it in your own classrooms and schools.
Well, knowing me and my little impulses, I could not help but run up to him during one break and ask him, "Dr Smit, are you a Christian?' To that, he nodded and I smiled. I appreciate too the precious time he gave me in providing me insights to the sticky situation in my school. At the end of the 3 days, I was refreshed, recharged,renewed and reaffirmed about why I am doing what I am doing.
Anyway, I felt like I was taking a picture with one of the evangelists who always visits us during June camp and with Hannah, who was attending camp with me:)
Do right till the stars fall
Do right till the last call
Do right when there's no one else to stand by you
Do right when you're all alone
Do right though it's never known
Do right since you love the Lord
Do right, do right.
Dr Gary Smit's final slides-
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
No comments:
Post a Comment