Inspire

Next week we welcome our 2023 Reception children to their classes. It feels like just moments ago that my children were young enough to be starting school, even though they are now starting Year 6 and Year 9!

As a parent who was also a teacher, I felt the pressure to have a child who could already read and write to begin school; however, my child had other plans. Neither were super interested in learning about letters or phonics, and we have had plenty of other challenges, which made me worry a lot!

As parents we can often worry about the things our children can and can’t do, and we can’t help but compare with the other children around us. Yet ultimately, we are forced at some point to put a great level of trust in others – specifically in this case, educators. 

Somebody made an excellent, simple point to me once a number of years ago and I use it often. If we look at other adults walking through the corridors, or on the roads, or in the supermarket: how important is it that one person was toilet trained at 18 months and one was trained at 4 years? Can you tell the people who were taking complex readers in Year 1 from the people who were taking home beginning readers? I certainly can’t.

The nature of education means that teachers do need to evaluate where students are at in literacy, mathematics, and all areas of the curriculum. But when we see children in the classroom, that’s not all we see. We see a vibrant, unique, exciting group of children with a multitude of talents and every possibility before them.

 But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as man judges. Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (GNB)

During the reign of King Saul, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to choose a new king from the sons of Jesse. Seeing the oldest son Eliab, Samuel decided he must be the one, being so tall and handsome! God had different plans, seeing something special in the youngest, smallest son.

God also has plans for each and every one of us and our children:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Submitted by Leila Mattner