Change
If there is one constant in an SOS kid’s life, it is change. For us change takes place everyday. Same methodology, new administration; come retirement, new mother; grow older, youth home, transitional home etc.
The best way to deal with change is to let it flow. Imagine you are a rock on the riverbed and the change is the current. Let it smooth your rough, resisting edges. It may take a while, a ride down the river of life, but the results, a smooth edge will never disappoint.
There is another way of dealing with change, resisting. Resistance in its truest form begets revolutions which may or may not be beneficial. Revolutions should be used as salt, sparingly. They are only effective if kept at a minimum, say one in every 100 years?? Too many revolutions blur the focus; the attention is diverted to winning the war. We start thinking more about winning the war that we forget about what we were fighting about in the first place.
Responsibility
One thing we can learn as a community that will be beneficial to us is responsibility. Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People calls it “the ability to choose your response.” We need to be able to stand up, look ourselves in the mirror and say, I am responsible for who I am today. I am who I am today because yesterday I made certain choices in my life that have brought me to the place I am today.
As a community, we have to learn that our present life is just but a result of yesterdays input we made into our lives. If it is messed up today, then we made messed up choices yesterday. No amount of blaming can change results. It is a done deal. GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT.
My point? Kids are failing in school, academic results are bad. We have all failed as a community and finger pointing will take us nowhere. I have a few reasons I can think of right out of my head at the moment.
- Little or no preparation on the student’s part.
- Lack of quality time dedicated to studies
- Class attendance (Truancy is not only physical, but mental)
- Lack of focus
I will stop here because this is one reason if worked on, can eliminate all the others.
Focus
We all need focus if we are to solve the problem and stop the blaming games. What are we as big brothers and sisters doing? Are we part of the problem, or part of the solution? What was our input last year to the candidate’s lives? Given what we know now, what can we do this year to change next year’s results?
Personally, I feel that it is too late to change last year’s results, but it is still possible to change next years. Let us all look for ways in which we can contribute positively to out community.
Today’s challenge:
What am I doing as an elder sister or brother to improve the academic life of my sister/brother?
