TRUEMANHOOD PODCAST – EPISODE 14 – SUMMER PLANS
Dave has some special words for college, high school, and middle school students about how to dominate summer time! This episode is great for parents, too! Please share this information with any young person in your life. Be proactive, make a plan, set goals, and dominate! GO!
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Be Encouraged for Back-to-School!
The start of the school season is here. That time of year when kids wish that summer lasted a few more weeks, and mom’s wish their babies weren’t growing up so fast. When teachers stress (or so I’m told) about getting their rooms ready, organized, and situated and fall sport coaches get geared up for practices to begin. And our American way of life gets its schedule back.
Personally, I haven’t been this excited about a school year, well… maybe ever. I’m actually pumped for school to start. I can’t wait to welcome my students to my classroom for the first time! I will begin teaching middle school and high school theology, having a total of seven classes per day. It’s going to be a rollercoaster schedule, but I’m really excited about it. I’m teaching 6th-10th grades, and 2 electives which I hope to highlight more in the future. “Faith & Action” for 7th-9th graders and “Faith & Strength” for 11th-12th. These classes are going to be amazing. I have the honor and pleasure of helping to form these young minds and souls in the truths of Christ Jesus! What better honor could their be?!
Whatever you’re feeling in regards to back-to-school, here’s a few things to keep in mind:
FOR KIDS: School is about more than grades, gossip, and gross cafeteria food. Embrace school, and all the trials that come along with it, to help build you into the person God is calling you to be. Set goals for yourself for what you’d like to achieve this year – whether they be academic, athletic, extra-curricular, or a mix of all of them. Don’t take this time in your life for granted… soak it up, enjoy it, and live each day to the fullest. I challenge you to be pro-active (don’t procrastinate!) with your homework, set your priorities straight, and to be determined to always be a positive influence in your school. Be a heroicly virtuous leader among your peers!
FOR PARENTS: You have the power to shape the “mental game” of your child! If you help them to see things correctly, to properly order their day, to set them up for success… they will be all the better for it! Ask your child questions, engage them in what’s going on in school (don’t forget about the social aspect – so many parents don’t have a clue) and help them to set goals. I like the idea of monthly, quarterly, and semester goal-setting. (We’ll be goal-setting in my classes.) Outlaw the lame, but ever so popular, question “How was school today?” Instead, ask them engaging questions like: 1. What was the most important thing you said today? 2. How were you a leader at school today? (Notice that I don’t leave room for “I wasn’t a leader.” Expect your child to execute leadership! Learning their leadership style, possibly through their temperament, would be a great exercise.) 3. What did you do today to help you achieve your goals? 4. What mistakes did you make today and how will you make sure you don’t make them again? (And so on. Choose one or two a day, don’t feel like you need to ask them all every day. Come up with your own.) Even small children can have conversations about these concepts, and it’s much more effective than one-word responses and helps teach children valuable communication skills. In our house, we also go around the table, asking everyone these two questions: 1. What was your favorite part of the day? 2. How did you make the choice to love today? GREAT for conversations!
A word to the dads: Dads, if you’re not actively involved in the schooling process of your children, make a “new school year” resolution and become involved. An easy way to engage is to make sure that your family has dinner together every night and that you ask some of those important questions at that time. I know there are a million and one excuses about why dinner doesn’t happen as a family, but it’s super important to “break bread” together. Lead the conversation, get to know the inner workings of your kid’s brain, and build the trust with them that you expect should be there. It doesn’t just happen on its own – you have to work at it and earn it from them. When you do, you’ll be effective in speaking into their lives – possibly the single most important thing you can do! Go Dads!
May God bless your school year, your school, your teachers and coaches, and most imporantly, our children.
TrueMan up!
7 Days of Manly Superbowl Stuff – Day 6 (Mike Tomlin Day)
Only 2 days left until THE BIG DAY! (Go Steelers!) Superbowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals.
Before you read this post, please check out this clip of Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, at one of his Superbowl Press Conferences this week. CLICK HERE FOR THE MIKE TOMLIN VIDEO. (Notice specifically the video segment 0:45-1:36 – as he speaks about “the game plan”). Sorry I wasn’t able to embed it in this post.
What stands out to me in this clip is the attitude that Coach has. This is the youngest head coach in NFL history to ever take a team to the Superbowl. He’s constantly telling his players to be humble, play hard and to not underestimate their opponents. He sets the example of cool-calm-and-collected. He realizes that their team isn’t perfect, while at the same time continuing to shoot for perfection. His positive and optimistic outlook guides the Steelers towards greatness.
One of the reporters asks him about his “game plan” and if getting to the Superbowl was in his plan. He answers this (somewhat ridiculous) question by saying “of course it was my plan. It’s every coach’s plan, and it will always be my plan as long as I am coaching.” Liken this to our goals in life. If we go into our “season” without a game plan, without a set of plays and without the playbook, we’ll easily be defeated. (Note: our “season” is our life. The “game plan” is our daily plan of how we’re going to grow closer to Christ. The “set of plays” are our everyday prayers, actions, choices and the Mass and our “playbook” is Sacred Scripture.) If we set a goal of achieving the title of “champion” (heaven), we’re much more likely to be granted that salvation than if we never decide to shoot for anything in life. Set your goal towards God.
Man up!
