In the South Bronx only 16 percent of middle school students perform at or above their grade level in math. But, at a special school (KIPP) for randomly chosen lower income kids from this same neighborhood, 84 percent perform at or above their grade level. After reading this chapter in Gladwell's book, Outliers, the Story of Success, the reason for this distinction became crystal clear. It is all about expectations.
At the KIPP school, these young students begin at 7:25 am (many of them are up before 6:00 am to get ready for school and to travel there). A normal day at school includes ninety minutes of English and ninety minutes of Math. It also includes a full hour of science and social science. There is also mandatory orchestra and two days of band. Their school day goes from 7:25 am to after 5:00 pm. After that there are homework clubs and sports. The normal day concludes at about 7:00. many of the students head home from school so they can make time for more study and homework.
This is not some torture for children. It is a setting where expectations are exceedingly high and the students respond. They thrive. They succeed.
O, sure, there may not be time for three hours of video games each day, two hours of TV, and two more hours on-line and texting. But, these kids rise to the challenge and discover a whole new life.
Do you see any spiritual connection? I do. It might be that we in church leadership shoot too low. In our efforts to make everything safe, easy, and to be sensitive at all times, we might be missing the chance to call people to sacrifice, hard work, and spiritual greatness. When people wanted to follow Jesus, he called them to do things like: deny themselves, take up a cross, and die for Him. Maybe our focus should move from making sure everyone feels comfortable to calling them to lay down their lives... the way Jesus did.
Kevin G. Harney
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