As I was meeting with a student this week, I was reminded of how much our parents want the best for us, but sometimes, it doesn't turn out for good. This one student was talking about how he has no motivation to study because his parents usually would tell him when to stop playing and when to start studying in high school.
It made me realize that a temporary, band-aid solution isn't helpful. His parents wanted him to do well in school, so they just told him when to do it, especially when he didn't care for it. What needed to happen was to help him figure out how to motivate himself.
It's more helpful to dig deeper, to get to the source of the problem, and then create new ways of coping or fixing the problem. It is hard work because it will bring a lot of frustration. It's easy to tell someone what to do, but it's harder to give them the freedom to choose what to do.
So I'm reminded that my job is not to give a temporary solution to students, but to guide them to get to the source, so that they can be changed and transformed into the people who God intended them to be.
It made me realize that a temporary, band-aid solution isn't helpful. His parents wanted him to do well in school, so they just told him when to do it, especially when he didn't care for it. What needed to happen was to help him figure out how to motivate himself.
It's more helpful to dig deeper, to get to the source of the problem, and then create new ways of coping or fixing the problem. It is hard work because it will bring a lot of frustration. It's easy to tell someone what to do, but it's harder to give them the freedom to choose what to do.
So I'm reminded that my job is not to give a temporary solution to students, but to guide them to get to the source, so that they can be changed and transformed into the people who God intended them to be.
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