Instilling Courage in Young Children

By Mariel Lombardi

Have you ever been at a childcare center at the drop-off hour? You must have seen children crying as their parents leave. It is heart-breaking, but they gradually learn that parents DO return. We may have read or been told that playing peek- a-boo helps infants get used to the idea of parents vanishing and reappearing. We also know that being consistent with their routines, such as, feeding them, and putting them to sleep on time, as well as playing with them regularly helps children develop a sense of security. 

Back to School — 
Tips for a Successful Year

By Debra Fryson

As a child, did you dread the sight of sale flyers with back-to-school savings? How awful to be reminded that it was time to stock up on pencils, pens, and notebooks. How alarming to realize that all too soon summer vacation would be over and it would be time to head back to school.  While that is no longer your worry, perhaps you have children who now find themselves in the same predicament.  Ready or not, it’s that time of year again.  Here are some tips that may help you and your child have a successful school year.

They Are Willing… Are We?

                                                                                          By Jim Ingersoll

They came. By the hundreds, they came—to help their fellow man and sister school in a time of desperate need. At an average of 152 students per day for six weeks and from all over the country, they came. It started with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when a desire arose within the hearts of Seventh-day Adventist young students and teachers to help the victims who had suffered so much loss from that devastating storm. But, no one knew where to go or how to help. However, God had a person, a plan, and a place already in mind.

What Makes Adventist EDGE Schools,
Schools of Excellence?

                                                                                                    By Don Tucker

Since the Adventist EDGE (Educators Delivering a Great Education)  initiative began more than nine years ago, numerous schools across the Southern Union — from pre-K through grade 12 — have been improving education for hundreds of children. Just how are these schools doing it? What do they all have in common?
The answer is dedication. An excellent school doesn’t happen overnight; it takes hard work and intention to build a culture of excellence, but when a whole community — the church, school, and home — comes together to create an excellent school, the results are astounding.

Outperforming the Rest: All Grades, All Subjects

                                                       

by Cynthia Gettys and Carol Meyers

The November 15, 2010, issue of the Christian Scientist Monitor published an article titled “For Real Education Reform, Take a Cue from the Adventists.” To entice readers to read through the full story, the editors wrote the following teaser: “Amid the buzz on education reform, the Seventh-day Adventist school system might seem an unexpected place to look for models in improving student achievement. But by educating mind, body, and spirit, Adventist schools outperform the national average across all demographics.”  These accolades celebrate the findings of four years of CognitiveGenesis research.

 Must Great Minds Think Alike?

                                                                            by W. Eugene Brewer, Ed.D. 

Do you ever wonder…

Why Johnny talks all of the time?
Or why Susan loves work sheets?
Or why Tony can’t sit still?
Or why Jenny is always trying something new?

Or why you can help Michelle with her homework and have a great
time, but when you try to help Billy it always ends in a fight?

Learning Styles answers these questions and more. Learning capitalizes on the strengths of four major learning styles identified by researchers
from many fields.

It’s Lunchtime!

by Diane Ruff

Lunchtime is always a school favorite for many children. In fact, those who sometimes skip breakfast look forward to this middle-of-the day treat. Lunch is provided by a variety of sources: home, fast food chains, friends, and the school’s cafeteria, just to name a few. Regardless of the source, what are the guidelines for providing a healthy, nutritional meal for children?

Take the Stress Out of Homework  

                                                                                     
                                                                                                       By Debra Fryson

If you live with school-age children, do you find homework time to be one of the most enjoyable times of the day? My guess is that most parents would answer with a resounding, “No way!” Book titles further reveal the sentiments of many about homework: How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up, Ending The Homework Hassle, and Homework Without Tears. Because research has shown its benefits, homework is here to stay. How then can parents take the stress and hassle out of homework time? 

 

 The Heavenly Carpenter

                                                                                                                        by Debra Fryson

As parents, pastors, and teachers, we work diligently to instill a deep

love for Jesus in the hearts of our children and young people.  Sometimes

we may question if our family worship, youth activity, or Bible class

discussion made a difference.  The following 12-year-old’s reflection may

provide an answer. 

Right Way - Wrong Way

Right Way - Wrong Way

Is there a right way versus a wrong way to teach?

Teachers who understand how learning occurs will teach better and can better serve all the children God gave them to teach.

Ellen White counseled this: "True education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused. For this, God's method of teaching provided. He who created the mind and ordained its laws, provided for its development in accordance with them."2

How Do We Set The Course

How Do We Set The Course

We set the course by taking action.

Rationale
The Adventist EDGE is about innovative change that will result in measurable school improvement. To do this the Southern Union has implemented a comprehensive improvement initiative of Adventist education PreK-12 and has set the course for excellence in all areas. This initiative is aligned with the North American Division's Journey to Excellence and focuses on the essential core elements that identify the high expectation of what students should know and be able to do, as well as the preferred practices that support an effective ongoing school improvement process.

Why Our Youth Are Leaving The Church...

And What To Do About It

There they go...over 50% before age 20. It is hard to admit, but our youth are leaving the church; by droves. The impact has been very telling on the Seventh-day Adventist church membership in North America where the average age is 52+. One thousand churches don’t have enough children to conduct Sabbath Schools. Disturbing as this percentage is, it does not seem to stir church members to action. This state of complacency and self-centeredness manifested by church members toward our youth is predicted in Revelation chapter 3 when it calls our time in earth’s history Laodicea. The complacency of church members provides an open door for Satan to do his work.