Honor – to keep your word, to know yourself, to uphold your beliefs, to act with keen moral judgment, to maintain high standards of conduct.
After she recited the definition, I had to pause and ask her, “While we were in Disneyland, did you see children acting honorably and maintaining high standards of conduct?”
She decidedly responded, “No.”
I continued, “Where do you see people maintaining high standards of conduct?”
“In my class at school.”
OK. I would have accepted “in our home.” Still, I was pleased with her response. Our teachers at Trinity work very hard on standards of conduct both for the classroom and for the individual student. They read books on teaching and books on parenting. They share tips on setting the tone and culture in the classroom, and they consult parents and principals when children act outside those standards.
But the goal is not merely a peaceful, orderly classroom that is conducive for learning. Rather, the teachers expend considerable time and energy on these high standards of conduct in order to build character in the lives of these children. The goal is not order for the sake of learning, but learning for the sake of virtue. They want students who learn such things as honor.
This is not an easy task. And our teachers know that they cannot do this alone, which is why they pray. Please pray for them as they try to regain student focus after Spring Break and as we race toward the end of our school year.
In Christ,
Stephen Sprague
Headmaster