Begin Again

A Parent Cue is a way to engage with your child and what they are learning at The Edge.  Below you’ll find a description of what your student will be learning and different ways to engage in how your student thinks and responds to it.

1. Be a Student of What They are Learning

New Year’s is that transitional part of the year.  2011 is over and 2012 is here.  For some people 2011 was a year to forget.  For some people 2011 was a year full of pain, difficulty, and heartache.  Maybe there was a death in the family, maybe there were broken relationships, maybe there were failures, maybe there were struggles and pain.  Some people can’t wait for 2012 because it has got to be better than 2011.  While for other people 2011 was a year to remember.  For some people 2011 was a year full of excitement, health, and happiness.  Maybe there was an addition to the family, maybe there was a great vacation, maybe there were great successes in school or sports.  Some people don’t want 2011 to be over because nobody knows what 2012 has in store.  But with the new year comes the time to begin again.  It is a new start.  With this one week message, comes time to reflect upon the past and cast vision for the future.

2. Be a Student of Your Student

The world of a middle school today is all about speed.  With the speed of technology at students’ fingertips they don’t like to slow down.  In fact, for some students the anticipation of the countdown to the new year is too much.  They cannot even sit still through the 10 second countdown as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.  Unless prompted, students would never slow down enough to think and reflect upon their experiences.  They would move from one thing to the next without thinking or reflecting.  This week, we are trying to prompt students to slow down, think deeper, and reflect.  If students do this, they will gain insight and grow in ways they never knew they had time for.

3. Action Point

The action point for this message is to help students to spend some time reflecting and casting vision with your child.  The following questions are sample questions to discuss with your child.  Remember, this is a discussion, let them know how you are growing with them.

Reflection Questions:

1. What were some of the best experiences of 2011?  How did they make you feel? What do you think God was trying to teach you through them?

2. What were some of the worst experiences of 2012?  How did you feel about them?  What do you think God was trying to teach you through them?

3. What did you think of our family in 2011?  How does that make you feel?

Vision Casting Questions:

1. What goals do you have for yourself in 2012?

2. What do you want to have accomplished by next year at this time?

3. What do you want our family to have accomplished by next year at this time?