Taking Responsibility (Trina Agee Cornell)

Tonight's entry is another devotional by my good friend, Trina Agee Cornell! Pray for me as I readjust to life at home and the start of school!

It is that time of year again - spring is almost here, which means it's time for parent-teacher conferences!  This is a time we set aside twice a year to invite our parents and their students to our school for a time of reflection, follow up, and goal setting.  For all that attend, this is a very beneficial time - it sets the tone for the rest of the school year, preparing students for the next grade level they will enter. 

Our school uses a format that has yielded tremendous results - we call them student- lead conferences.  As a child, I remember my mother and father signing up for conferences and then going without me, speaking to my teachers privately about my academics and behavior.  In the format we use, we invite students to attend with their parents - at the middle school age, students are old enough to take responsibility for their learning and have a say in our conversations about them.  Students do not always go home and share everything with their parents - so this gives us an opportunity to all get on the same page, set some goals, and discuss plans for the rest of the year.  

I have seen conferences like these go in one of two ways - students and parents walk away with smiles on their faces - or frustrated and perturbed.  In some cases, this is an eye-opening experience for parents and students - parents learn about grades and other behaviors that were previously unknown.  This setup allows students to speak for themselves and explain themselves to both the teacher and their parents. I strive to begin and end my conferences on a positive note - emphasizing strengths and progress and discussing methods of improvement.

We all need a reality check sometimes - we know we follow certain patterns and follow certain routines that are not good for us.  We get caught in these cycles - and we must take responsibility for our actions.  We will make mistakes in this life – we will mess up – but we must own them and push past them.  I am thankful that we serve a forgiving God – in the book of Psalms, David shares, ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  When we ask for forgiveness, the Lord separates us from our sin – it is no longer part of us.  If you mess up, own it – the Lord wants to take it from you.  

God bless, Steve Luke 18:1 www.hawleybooks.com E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com