When Your Child Must Conform

He attended open house last week and starts school tomorrow. During the open house he was overtaken with excitement over all of the books found in his new First Grade classroom. He started pulling out books, exclaiming titles he had just read over the summer and then began sharing his excitement with his new teacher, as she was greeting other parents and students. He was so thrilled, he could hardly contain himself. His enthusiasm for life and learning is beautiful and contagious; something you can imagine will be advantageous throughout life.

Yet I can't help but wonder if it can be a little - much for one teacher with a structured classroom setting, where conformity is a necessity no matter how good the school or dynamic the teacher. I wonder if being the most enthusiastic, the most intense, and most vocal student will get him more negative reinforcement than positive. Will he have a dynamic teacher? One who can stimulate him yet, keep him in line? One who sees his heart and absolute love for learning over a possible challenge to conformity?

Can you sense my concern?

Yes, mama lion is concerned. Not for the underdog this time, which my heart has always gone out to by nature - the shy one, the needy one, the slow-to-learn one. In this case it's the overly-zealous and astute my heart goes out to - the out-going one, the self-sufficient one, the quick-to-learn one. I wonder if you have to be somewhere in the middle to be most successful in an institutional setting?

But, he loves it! I don't hear him complaining.

This is just mama lion speaking, and papa would say he'll be just fine. He will be, and the best I can do is to be in communication with his teacher and in touch with his heart to the best of my ability. I can pray and I can continue to teach character that will serve him well in life. Humility seems to be the character trait tugging on my heart this year as we prepare him for school.

So we talked yesterday about being humble and what that means.

It means to see others as better than yourself.


It means to think of others before yourself.


It means to encourage another rather than drawing attention to yourself.


It means to be courteous and respectful. 

Examples we talked about to consider:


If he is being loud in the classroom, is he drawing attention to himself?


If he is bugging a neighbor, is he drawing attention to himself?


If he knows the answer, does he need to always be the first to answer?


If he has a story to tell, is there someone next to him wanting to tell their story, too? Will he go second - will he go last?

The one example he came up with:

If my team wins, I can tell the other team they are winners, too. :)

These things are difficult for a seven-year-old child to do naturally. Children need to be taught and practice what character looks like.

So, just as the tidbit he took with him to school last year was, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and, "Don't overcome good with evil, but overcome evil with good," this year we'll add to that the practice of humility.

Why?


Because it is a character trait of Jesus and He is our example.


Because the character of a person should outweigh the intelligence of a person.


Because conformity is inevitable in life.

And because if my son has to conform, may he be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ above all. 
***

#155-170 gifts of thanks for


the love of learning
good schools
dynamic teachers
friends who understand
difficult relationships that help me see myself better
freedom from bitterness
Christ's example
the Holy Spirit's indwelling
end of summer fun
Robby's invitation to me for a bike ride together
Evening family bike ride and walks
Drew's pleading to go camping again (next week!)
Early snuggles with Alexa
The face that says, "You make me feel special."
Madeline's first steps

working my way to One Thousand Gifts and beyond of gratitude and linking up with Multitudes on Mondays at Holy Experience, Sol Deo Gloria at Finding Heaven, and Playdates at The Wellspring