As we begin our last official week of summer together and look forward to cooler mornings and the glories of 'Colorful Colorado,' it is a good time to be grateful for the opportunities that God has given us to grow together.
During our recent Parent event, Ambleside founder Maryellen St. Cyr challenged and encouraged parents and staff with ideas and practices with growth and maturity in mind. Here is one 'captain idea' that she shared in her talk.
Imagine the fourteen year old who loves learning, has rich relations with many areas of knowledge, who delights in a job well done, is timely, neat and accurate in work, who is quick to serve, who knows the satisfaction of sweat, who delights in persons of all ages, who is a source of joy to self and others, who is dutiful and appropriately respectful of appropriate authority, who loves God, and who actively seeks His kingdom. How well will such a student do in school? in adult life? All these ways of being in the world are habits of the heart.
Properly educate the heart while providing an abundance of good mind food and the education of the head will take care of itself.
This speaks to the critical need for each student to have a holistic education, one that focuses on the cultivation of one's mind, heart, soul, strength, and body (Luke 10:27). To us adults, it means that we often have the challenge of a re-education, a retraining of our own motives, goals, and ways of being, as many of us were not trained up in this way. (I, for one, was not!)
But what a great opportunity to humbly approach our own students and children in this way, in a way that shares our experience and wisdom while together looking to grow in all ways--but initially and ultimately through our relationships. It is a high calling but one that we all share. And what a great place to share it!
We will continue to share opportunities, resources, and experiences with our RMCA parents. I encourage each of you to make a new friend, renew a relationship, and walk alongside another person in our community!
