You may have noticed that one part of our school we think really important is our Values program. Each Monday morning after Assembly, we begin our week with Values. We also have two students from each class honoured for the week for doing their best to show the value we have been learning about, in their everyday lives. We take photos of these students and put them in the Newsletter, we give them a special honour badge to wear for the week and present them with a certificate.

Why do we make such a big deal of this?

One reason is that focusing on and celebrating when our kids make good choices and treat each other well, is a great place to begin to create a positive culture. We often spend time sharing what our children are doing wrong, but I think it is important to celebrate the positive things.

Another reason is the value of character education. As a school, we see and emphasise the importance of academic development. Having our students develop and grow literacy, numeracy, knowledge, and understanding are vital and central to what we do. However, we also believe there is more to a good education than academics.

One of the early contributors to Adventist Education helped explain the importance of developing our children’s characters when she wrote, “The world does not so much need men of great intellect as of noble character. It needs men in whom ability is controlled by steadfast principle.” (White,1903) I think the sentiment of this statement is even more relevant today for our boys and girls. As a dad, I almost automatically jumped in to guide and assist my girls in academic things, but I had to be really intentional about conversations and opportunities for us to develop character steppingstone moments.

These thoughts came to my mind as I was reading a book the other day. If you are looking for a good read, I would recommend it to you. It is titled “Legacy”, written by James Kerr. In the book, Kerr draws lessons from the culture and understandings of the sporting team with the highest winning percentage on record, the New Zealand Rugby team, the All Blacks. There are lots of little gems in there about life and learning, but one sentence that jumped out to me as I reflected on sharing values with our children was this, “A collection of talented individuals without personal discipline will ultimately and inevitably fail. Character triumphs over talent.” (Kerr, 2015)

I think that is such a great lesson in life and an important one for us to share with our children as we guide, direct and support them.

Have a great week with your kids,

Mark B