SCCS Gala Speeches
5:59 PMYear 1:
(what I had, but I deterred a tiny bit from the original in the actual speech, would have to find the recording!)
Yesterday, I planned to come and tell you tonight about a student, who I have seen grow tremendously in many different areas academically and spiritually, but before I explained all these areas in which she has grown, I decided it would be wise to pull this student aside to see if she realizes what God has done in her life this year.
So, I pulled her aside during recess and asked, “What have you learned the most this year?” She looked straight at me and said, “I have grown in the gospel.”
I wasn’t even expecting that answer from an 8-year-old.
I asked her what that meant to her, and she said she understands more of who Jesus is.
So, we sat there and we started to dissect her year together. Those times she felt lonely? God used his story to remind her that she is not alone. He is always with her.
Those times she had a bad attitude over an assignment she didn’t want to do? She remembered that Jesus revealed her selfishness and her need for a rescuer.
The time she got into a disagreement with a friend? We remembered together how God revealed her pride, and how God used that time to show her true humility and weakness. We remembered that Jesus walked through humiliation perfectly so that even when we succumb to our pride, we have his good reputation.
What about that time when she pretended she didn’t know how to do her math assignments just so she could get the attention of her teacher? The gospel even applied to this situation. We talked about the first lie that Satan told Adam and Eve—that God’s love wasn’t enough for them. He convinced them they needed more than God’s love.
But could she also see God working in the every day things? “What about at recess?” He provides rest and fun and laughter.
In math, as she practices her multiplication facts, she hears about how perfect God is.
In phonics she hears how creative God must be to give the letter e so many jobs. By simply adding an e to a word, all the sounds in a word can change!
As she says a chant about ants working underground, she hears Proverbs 6:6: “Go to the ant, you sluggard, remember his ways and be wise.”
Truth surrounds her.
As I stand back and see that this child has grown academically, she has grown in self-control, in love and good deeds, in maturity, I see the message of the gospel fully covering this child.
The Socratic Method, on which Classical Education stems, is based on the idea that that there is a truth, it can be known and it can be explained. The gospel is the only truth there is.My hope and prayer is that every student who walks through Seattle Classical Christian School would see every situation they encounter through the lens of the truth that is the gospel.
Year 2:
He walked into the first grade classroom. Started to unpack his things and turned in his homework. He sat down, looked at the task on his desk to complete, then looked up at me, with concern on his face.
When I first decided to become a teacher, I never realized the huge opportunity God would give me to not only teach math and reading, but to disciple students as well.
It’s an extremely unique opportunity, that I hope never gets lost amongst the academia of classical schooling, but that our staff would realize is an integral part of classical schooling.
I pray we are able to keep our own child's heart as we disciple our children well and that we are able to teach a child the tools he or she needs to continue learning beyond Seattle Classical Christian School - the most important tool being Jesus’ story of coming to a broken world, dying an underserved death for an undeserving people and giving us eternal life so that we may know Him, love Him and serve Him in ALL we ever do.
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