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| image courtesy photobucket.com |
The teacher of my son’s 3rd grade class was speaking, “I recommend that we keep him back a grade because his motor skill development is not there for his writing ability. His writing is not legible and honestly, he writes like a doctor.”
While it was true that my son was laboring to connect the letters, he was ahead in reading and his other subjects. The teacher gave her reasons: “If we hold him back then he will be older than the other children, and he will become a leader, plus his writing should improve by then as well.”
Then she admitted, “When I was in second grade, my school held me back a grade and it changed my life for the better. It caused me to become an achiever.”
I excused myself and made an appointment to visit the principal. I was very upset. Further more I felt that this teacher was targeting timid children with her own agenda to keep them back in hopes they would gain confidence. While it worked for her, each child is different. Holding my sensitive son back a grade would shatter his ego in my opinion and not help him.
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| image courtesy photobucket.com |
By the way, her words were a prophesy because my son did eventually become a doctor. However that is another story!
Words spoken can be like daggers to cut and hurt, and become a negative prophesy if spoken in haste.
The sensitive emotions of a child take words personally and hold them dear in their memory. This is why it is important to guard what our children hear and how we speak to them.
We are reminded in the Scriptures to choose wisely what we say and to bless others with our lips.
Encouraging words are always in order. May God help us to be the person who creates support and confidence in our children by our speech.
Linking with Jennifer's Getting Down with Jesusat: God Bumps and Incidences:
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6 comments:
I love that your son who "wrote like a doctor" grew up to be one!
Children deserve love and our tender care.
Boy, do I agree. I had some very special teachers... one I always talk about when I was in 9th grade, English class. Mrs. Andersen handed me a book that was 2 years old at the time, and said she'd like me to memorize it. She gave me a month. I did. I performed in English classes, drama, on TV, etc. The Grinch became something I've done [actually one of two books done together at Christmas] hundreds of times over the 52 years since then. Lots of things were negative, of course, but teachers such as she encouraged and prodded me forward. God used them. Glad you stood up for your son.
What a great story! Your wisdom is a blessing from God. I know you knew the best thing for your child, while the teacher tried, she couldn't begin to have the wisdom and insight you and your husband did.
My mom started me too young to school, she knew I didn't want to be home another year after my 18 month older sister started school, so she did what she thought was the right thing. Although it turned out some of the kids from the grade a year behind me were actually older than me, didn't change my handwriting one bit. It's still not legible...
But I can type! So much for the experts! Their is only one expert... And He created the cosmos!
Hi Hazel - so true what you say. The last few years we have often had to deal with teachers whose words have hurt and caused harm. My husband still tells of one teacher who told his whole class he'd be a dustbin boy! Thank the Lord that motivated him and not crushed him, but there are those who would be crushed. Great reminder to think about what we say!
God bless
Tracy
Wonderful post, Hazel. It really is true, isn't it, that a parent knows best. Just as my Heavenly Father knows what's best for me....
Thanks for encouraging me to think on this!
To God be the glory,
Nikki
That's really something -- how your son who "wrote like a doctor" turned out to be one. So glad you shared your story, and the many truths that it speaks to.
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