It only takes one...

This weekend we took some students from my class to downtown Cleveland to feed the homeless at a few different shelters. I think it was a very important opportunity for students to experience others who are less fortunate then they are and give them some perspective on what "real life" can sometimes be like in contrast to the "unreal life" most of them live. At each shelter there was an opportunity for everyone to get in a circle and share a praise to God. Mostly the students just watched as homeless people praised God for faithfulness and love and many other things, but then it happened, the highlight of my night, one 13 year old girl spoke up in a group of mostly homeless men and shared a scripture from Psalms that God had laid on her heart, and I watched as hearts around the circle melted including mine. What was better? That she, at 13, followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and spoke out boldly in an awkward group or that the Word of God spouted from her like a fountain so much so that I felt a small drip coming from my own eyes. I could not have been more proud of her at that moment. That is why I do what I do...It only takes one to make it all seem worth while.

Recommended Reading

A must read for parents of middle school students or any teen for that matter is a book called "Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture." This book is key in understanding today's youth culture, what they are seeing, what they are hearing, and what culture is throwing at them. The impact of media on today's teens in stronger than ever before and we need to know what is being communicated to them. Walt Mueller is also the founder of The Center of Parent/Youth Understanding, which seeks to provide parents and youth leaders/teachers with a biblical perspective on today's youth culture.

No Personal Censorship....

The longer I am with Middle Schoolers the more I realize they have no concept of personal censorship. They think very little of how anything now might effect the future, or of what consequences might come of their actions or words before they "release them to the public". This has revealed itself to me in a couple ways. First, with the use of email and text messages, they have no concept that what they put down in print could ever come back to haunt them in anyway. They will say brutally honest or dishonest things using this method because they do not have to face any immediate consequences or face to face feedback and that is all they consider at the time. Secondly in just plain conversation they seem to not be able to control the problem of discernment in their own speech, even with adults, about inappropriate things better left unsaid. Are these two things unrelated... I am starting to believe that one is the result of the other. Are our students losing to ability to socially interact correctly with others in the world of text and email? Something to think about....

No more Mr. Nice Guy

I have come to a shocking reality in recent days that may seem like a no brainer to most. There are some days when my students will hate me, and I am OK with that. To be honest it is a daily struggle for me, no one enjoys not being liked, and I work very hard to maintain the respect of my students, but I have come to the reality that sometimes I am doing what is best for the students in the long run when they hate me the most. The funny thing is in Middle School no feelings last very long, good or bad, so the hatred is usually short lived.

The most recent thing I am hated for is communicating to parents to be more involved in the students technical lives (computers, ipods, video games etc...). For the students that means an invasion of their privacy that is long over due in some cases. I have no problem being hated for this reason because I have seen first hand the devastation that can be caused by letting this go unmonitored. This problem is worth every ounce of hatred that is tossed my way if it protects even one student from starting down this slippery path. I know that sounds a bit extreme but I truly mean it in this case. Parents need to get involved and be proactive or they are not going to like what the students are involved in and will have to be reactive eventually. It is not a matter of "if" it is a matter of "when"!