The Lord compels Christian parents to train up their children in the ways of Christ. Therefore, it is crucial that students be educated and equipped in three major aspects of life: spiritual, academic, and social. As parents and Christian educators, our greatest desire is to see students flourish in each of these areas. Below are several ways we can help our students grow in these areas and prepare for a great school year.

 

·           Personal Walk:  Help your students develop a fervent prayer life and a consistent Bible reading and studying time at home. Make a place, provide a plan, and encourage students to petition the Lord for a hunger and thirst for His Holy Word. A student’s relationship and fellowship with Christ will determine his or her success in life!

 

·           Family Devotions: Parents, you must make this a special time in your homes. Sing hymns, give testimonies, and teach biblical principles to strengthen your marriage and your children. A great resource for daily devotionals can be found at www.strivingtogether.com.

 

·           Church and  Youth Group Participation: Be a three to thrive family, faithful stewards, and  passionate soulwinners. As parents, you must lead by example and encourage your children to grow in their spiritual life daily. Teens need to be plugged into their student ministries.

 

·           Purpose in Their Heart: Students must make a decision to guard their hearts and minds from worldliness as they daily feed the Spirit and not their flesh. Students must be vigilant, not allowing their commitment to Christ to be replaced with carnality or conformity to this world.

 

·           A Great Desire for God’s Will: Through diligent prayer and Bible study, students can discern the Lord’s will for their lives. When they do, encourage them to relentlessly pursue it!

 

·           Making Homework Effective: Establish sound study habits, provide a place that is well lit and comfortable and that is free from distractions; create an expectation for quality work, and have an environment of accountability at home.

 

·           Overcoming Math Anxiety: For kindergarten through sixth grade, concentrate on the basics of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Use math games and flash cards. (Students should master multiplication tables through 12 by fourth grade—no calculators!) For seventh through twelfth grade, use rapid calculation drills, emphasize the usefulness of mathematics, and provide helpful math resources as needed. Limit calculator use to upper- level high school mathematics such as calculus. God created our world and universe using amazing mathematics; encourage students to enjoy learning about math!

 

·           Enjoying the Wonders of Science: For kindergarten through sixth grade, teach students to appreciate God’s creation, use visual aids often, and provide exciting and helpful science demonstrations. For seventh through twelfth grade, teach the scientific methods, make science projects fun as a family, and learn the basics of physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics.

 

·           Seeing History Come Alive: For kindergarten through sixth grade, provide pictures and personal illustrations, take students on historical trips, and support students history projects as a family. For seventh through twelfth grade, demonstrate the significance of history, have students learn important historical speeches and facts about historical personalities, and have students write about the importance of many of our American historical events.

 

·           Achieving Excellence in English and Reading: For kindergarten through sixth grade, provide a solid foundation in phonics and reading, encourage solid spelling skills, and practice the lost art of cursive. For seventh through twelfth grade, emphasize the importance of solid comprehension skills, sound grammar, creative writing, and excellent literature.

 

·           Have Sharpening Friends: Help your students select solid friends that will aid their spiritual growth on a daily basis. Students are to be friendly to all but only close friends with those growing in grace. Remember, peer pressure works in a positive or negative manner depending upon the friends a person has.

 

·           Avoid Cable, Internet, and  Social Networking Pitfalls: Parents must create a home in which sinful and inappropriate items are kept out. In short, it is a parent’s responsibility to create a home in which it is easy to do right and to grow in the Lord and difficult to do wrong and fail in faithfulness to Christ.  

 

·           Use Cell phones, Texting, and Twitter Properly: Technology certainly has it advantages, but if used inappropriately it could lead students into much sin. Teach students how to use technology properly. Limit it, monitor it, and be involved as a parent. Always inspect what you expect!

 

·           Listen to Christ-honoring Music Daily: Music is not amoral: it will either feed your flesh or your spirit. Help your students develop a healthy appetite for godly music. You can find some great resources at www.lancasterbaptist.org/bookstore.

 

·           Be Involved in Christian Fine Arts and/or Athletic Programs: Develop your students’ God-given gifts, skills, and abilities for the Lord. Encourage students to try out for their school sports programs. Get your students involved in a Christ-honoring fine arts competition. For more informationon a west coast event seehttp://wcbc.edu/events/educators-conference.

 

Our desire is to see students grow in Christ-likeness: spiritually, academically, and socially. When the home, church, and school team work together, amazing results are produced. May we as parents, church leaders, and Christian educators continue to labor together to make this the best year ever for our students. May the Lord also continue to use each of us to educate and equip a generation of young people that will turn our world right-side up again for Christ in this twenty-first century.