Forward to the Kingdom!

“‘I touch the future. I teach’—Christa McAuliffe, American teacher and astronaut” (quoted in Teachers Are Special, p. 58, compiled by Nancy Burke, 1996).

"A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep..."

“‘A professor is one who talks in someone else’s sleep’—W.H. Auden, English-born American poet” (ibid., p. 42).

“Give Your Students C’s: Consistency, Caring and Competency” (cover of Fall 2009 New Teacher Advocate, www.kdp.org).

“Students describe effective teachers as warm, kind, sympathetic, compassionate, approachable and friendly, and having a good sense of humor” (Beth Quick, “Six C’s of Effective Teachers,” New Teacher Advocate, Fall 2009, p. 6).

“Powerful forces of mediocrity have combined to prevent perfectly competent children from learning to love reading. These forces include television, video games, poor teaching, poverty, the breakup of the family, and a general lack of adult guidance” (Rafe Esquith, Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56, p. 31). Thanks to the blog matching track suits for this one.

In a television back-to-school event to air on Viacom’s 22 cable networks at the same time Sept. 8, President Barack Obama joins singer Kelly Clarkson and 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James in highlighting the importance of education. Get Schooled also tells the story of three professionals who assist these superstars.

President Obama tells viewers these stories teach us that “education is the key to living out your dreams. So as this new school year begins, I urge you to set goals for your own education: to study hard and get involved in your school; to try new things and find something you’re passionate about. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help when you need it. That’s how you learn. That’s how you get ahead. And that’s how our nation will get ahead—by ensuring that every American gets a world class education…”

Too many drop out

The news reports show the need for this presidential pep talk. With only 72 percent of American high school students graduating with their class (a lower percentage than the Czech Republic—85 percent—and Slovakia—73 percent), “far too many young people enter adulthood unprepared for college, career and life,” said Allan Golston. He’s with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped develop the program.

The statistics are worse in America’s 50 largest cities. The graduation rate there is only 53 percent, with cities like Detroit and Indianapolis in the 25 to 30 percent range!

“In a global economy, the single most important issue facing our country is an educated work force,” said Mayor Bill White of Houston, Texas. “Somebody who lacks a high school education will have lifetime earnings that are only 60% of those of somebody with that education. That’s just the impact on personal income. There are the social costs as well” (Gary Fields, “The High School Dropout’s Economic Ripple Effect,” The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 21, 2008).

Estimates by America’s Promise are that cutting the number of dropouts in half would produce $45 billion in new tax revenue. Other research predicts that increasing high school completion rates by just 1 percent for all men ages 20 to 60 would save $1.4 billion a year in costs associated with crime.

People who care

I was inspired to hear that Mayor White doesn’t just talk about the problem. He started a program called Reach Out to Dropouts, where he and other volunteers visit the homes of students who haven’t returned to school. “Reach Out has recaptured more than 5,500 dropouts since it started in 2004,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

I also applaud the president and the others involved in the Get Schooled program for taking the message directly to the students on popular networks aimed at young people. Too often the focus has been on a blame game for the problems in American schools. Teachers and parents receive much of the blame, but too little of the credit when things go right against the daunting odds. But ultimately the students themselves must take ownership of their education, both in school and throughout life.

If you are a student or a dropout, I encourage you to consider your decisions, to make the harder choices now that will produce success later. Our free magazine Vertical Thought has great articles on education, goals, success and much more. And you can find more helpful tips in our free booklet Making Life Work.

If you are a parent, I encourage you to do all you can to inspire, coax and cajole your child to stick with it, even through the hard times. Parenting isn’t easy! As author Elizabeth Stone put it, “Making the decision to have a child—it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body” (quoted in Teachers Are Special, p. 17, compiled by Nancy Burke, 1996).

Our article “What Is Your Children’s Future?” and our booklet Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension can help.

I just had to share with you this touching piece by Karen Meeker in the latest (Summer) Women of Promise I just received today. In honor of Father’s Day:

He promised to show me God in a flower...

When I was only six or so

My father talked to me a lot

About the important things in life:

What happens when a tooth gets loose

Or how best to ride a bike,

And one time he promised to show me

God in a flower.

In the summer of my tenth year Dad and I

Were picking okra from the backyard patch.

We were just picking and pondering such things as

Why Billy liked Sara and not me—was it my

Freckles? He said he didn’t think so, “Billy’s

Just a dope.” And when I told him what I was thinking

About doing when I grew up, being a pearl diver, that is,

He said slowly and thoughtfully, “That might be nice.”

He was so wise.

My father-friend is resting now, and I miss him.

And a thing I’ll always regret—he wasn’t there

To see me discover

That God is in every flower,

Just like he knew I would.

—Karen Meeker

Kids pick up more than we realize at times! Ken Graham, a United Church of God pastor in Illinois, shared this story about when his oldest daughter was about 5 or 6 years old:

Children understand some things pretty early, but sometimes don’t fully comprehend the spiritual side of things.

One Saturday night I was helping with several baptisms. My oldest daughter and I remained behind after the people had been baptized in the basement of a member’s home and everyone else had gone upstairs. My daughter was staring into the baptismal tank as we were getting ready to go upstairs and join everyone else. I told her the water was warm still and that she could touch it. She said, “No, it’s dirty.”

I said, “Well, several people were baptized and there is a little lint left floating around in the tank, but it isn’t really dirty.” She said, “Yes, it is,” and she would not put her hand in the water. I asked, “Why do you think it’s dirty?” She said, “It’s full of people’s sins.”

Want more cute kids stories? See Become Like Little Children, Part 1 and Part 2 and on our sister blog Bible Study Guides see 19-Month-Old Bible Scholar!

The note below was found in an offering envelope. What a wonderful approach to God!

Do you remember something your child or another child has said that illustrates the wonderful qualities of little children, such as childlike faith and love? We’d love to hear from you!

Imagine the joy of a speaker giving a sermon to see someone in the audience diligently taking notes! Imagine the incredible joy to have a youngster then share her notes with you!

Larry Salyer received the following notes from a young fan during the United Church of God Regional Family Day in Wooster, Ohio, March 14.

Do you have a story of childlike faith and love to share? We’d love to hear from you!