Now that school has begun for us in Colleton County, we all must work TOGETHER to do our part to educate our kids. We all must face the fact that everything is not always going to work the way that we want it. Further, nothing in this world is perfect, only God. My whole point in this is that in order for things to improve and get better, everyone must practice patience, show more love, and trust the journey. Support for each other is imperative: the school board, the educators, the students, the parents, and the community-at-large.
Derogatory criticism, innuendos, and falsehoods, on all levels, will not make the journey any better, but it can surely destroy it. If you have a better idea, share it, and be a part of the solution, not the problem. During this journey, let’s do as instructed in Ephesians 4:2 (NIV): “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Patience, with understanding, and working together for a common goal, which is to properly educate our kids, will yield better results for all involved. I was a secondary school educator for four decades in both Alabama and South Carolina. If I had not learned to have patience on this journey, I never would have experienced the success that I enjoyed. I did not always have the patience that I should have had, but I soon learned that every child did not learn the same, all co-workers were not going to be supportive, and some parents were always going to find fault. It was through my spiritual, personal, and work experiences that I learned to have better patience and show more love. I even had to learn this through raising my own three sons, a stepson, and a stepdaughter and helping to raise grandchildren. The patience and love needed to teach and raise children is not going to come overnight. My walk with God played a big role in this. When your patience is tested, sometimes you have to take a step back, evaluate the situation, and then take action. If you don’t, then you will probably regret the results. In this new order of educating our kids, my prayers go out to everyone involved in the process. This is not going to be easy, so patience, love, and trusting the journey must be placed at the forefront. If you cannot help the process, and you refuse to trust it, please don’t promote negativity. IT NEVER WINS! This journey of educating our kids to function as world-class citizens is going to take patience, time, understanding, trust and yes, much love. Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
