It is report writing time in Senior School and soon you will see the results. But how will you respond? What will you do with the information? What might Jesus say?
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7)
I love this teaching from Jesus because he uses humour to highlight the absurdity of being blind to our own faults while focusing on the flaws of others.
When we cannot see clearly, we need help from others who can. We need guidance from those who have experience in dealing with their own faults. This doesn't imply that we need to be perfect before we can make judgments, but it does suggest that we should address our own shortcomings first as we help others with theirs.
Our children have their own areas for growth. To help them become lifelong learners, we need to not only be aware of our own faults but actively work on improving them. Here’s an exercise to try:
- Read your child's report and check out the learning behaviors listed.
- Rate yourself on these behaviors.
- Choose a common trait that both you and your child can work on.
- Share with them one thing you are doing to improve in this area.
By doing this, your child will see that you, too, are on a journey of lifelong learning alongside them. This is especially true for Christians!
