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Road to Success

6/29/2015

 
Thank you for all your emails on the summer guest bloggers here on Eduflections. From all indication, you are gleaning from the variety of featured voices.  I hope you are recharging and enjoying the slower summer pace.  Our next guest is our second daughter-Layo. She just completed her first year of global medical school and she shares her thoughts on education. Love and Blessings!
 
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Philippians 3:13-14  "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Happy summer to all the teachers out there – what a lovely time to rest, relax, recharge, and prepare for the next school year! I’ve just returned home couple of weeks ago from my first year in medical school. Since, which I have been enjoying a true summer holiday full of sleep, movies, and lots of family time.

My reflection on education begins with Philippians 3:13-14.  These verses help me to understand where I am in my walk with God and my calling. For all the times that pre-med students hear that choosing medicine will be a long, arduous journey, medical school certainly is a blur! And it’s one that I’ve found requires increasing levels of self-directed motivation. I’ve always had an incredible sense of independent motivation from my early school days, but it becomes more difficult when dealing with the intensity of med school. Learning in medical school is truly an art in the triage of information: with the amount of information one must know for exams, it is essential to study the most important concepts, and then add on extras from there.

But for every interesting concept we learn in medical school, I can almost guarantee that during the basic sciences years, there will be just as many concepts that students will not find interesting in any way, and those are the ones that will require phenomenal doses of self-motivation. It’s quite easy for me to study subjects that I find fascinating; this past year though, there were times when it was a challenge for me to take time to sit and diligently study certain subjects. This mirrors life in general. 

I got through the challenging phase by drawing upon principles I’d learned from years past: namely, the principle of looking at the big picture, and looking toward what I hope to accomplish with my life in the future. Back during tough, seemingly unrelated college classes at Rice University (or really, even back during high school, International Baccalaureate classes), this was one of the ways I was able to push through, study hard, and come out successful. I would remind myself that in order to become a pediatric oncologist, to become an expert in global health; I’d have to endure certain things that quite frankly, wouldn’t always be interesting to me. But in the end, recognizing that those classes wouldn’t last forever – and that in the future I’d encounter more and more classes that were expressly focused on my interests – was enough to recharge my motivation and keep me on the road to success.  I think coming through the difficult phases in one’s journey to success, one can appreciate the experiences along the way and this is what gives a person indescribable fulfillment.



God’s Lesson Plans

6/15/2015

 
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“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Hello fellow teachers--we made it through another school year. Whoohoo! I know it hasn’t been easy, at least not for me it hasn’t. We endured until the end because we are finishers. I finished but it was not an easy journey to the finishing line. In fact, God allowed me to experience some bumps and bruises to obtain the reward of success. He said that those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution and that’s so true. But unfortunately the persecution some times comes from other believers.

This school year we just concluded was my first year as a public school teacher in my 15 years as an educator. Unequivocally, the difference between public and private is like night and day. One major adjustment, I had to make was the large quantity of testing required by the state of Texas, hence my gathering of weekly data. My classroom consisted of 22 fourth grade AA (Academic Advantage) students in a self-contained classroom. Though I had a lot to absorb quickly, I was able to see the reward of hard work and dedication with 100% passing rate in both Reading and Writing on the STAAR test with 45% commended in Reading and 19% commended in Writing. Math scores didn’t count because of the integration of new TEKS. Praise God! God is Awesome!!

I’ve had so many people ask me how in the world I experienced such success being a first year teacher in public school and all of my students passed. I told them that I didn’t do it but God did it through me. My prayer prior to school starting was for God to bless me with students that I am supposed to impact this school year. So I knew that the students that I had was of no accident but a God incident. God had foreknowledge of my passion for teaching and the students assigned to me needed what I could sow into their lives. God already knew that all of my students were going to pass the STAAR but I didn’t. According to Jeremiah 29:11 our lives have already been successfully planned out by God. He has stepped back into “time” to allow us to experience His plans. God’s lesson plans for us were planned with the end in mind just like our lesson plans are planned for our students.

My first semester went very well without any challenges. I was pleased with how things were going due to the fact that I was working a second job teaching two college courses two days a week. My students were obedient, parents were very supportive and encouraging, scores were high on weekly assessments and benchmarks, students really loved me and teaching in public school was great.

The beginning of the second semester started in a similar way as the first semester until I encountered some ungodly and unethical experiences. Though I choose not to go into much detail, one thing was certain through the experiences: a testimony is not without a test. Of course, I had the opportunity and choice. Instead, I choose to respond according to God’s principles and in a professional way. Without doubt I knew that my response to the situation was directly connected to all of my students passing.

My hope and prayer is that my testimony will encourage any teacher or readers out there that have been done wrong. Let me assure you that it is of no surprise to God. He knows what’s going to happen to us before it happens. He also allows it as a great opportunity for spiritual growth and maturity and also to let us see what is in our own hearts. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  God is also waiting to see how you and I are going to respond. In my case, I pleased God with my response and because of that, the anointing and power of God on my life was not interfered with or interrupted. In other words, I passed the character test. You see, I haven’t always passed every test that God allowed me to encounter and because of that I had to retake them. When I say test, I am not talking about a physical test but a test of living a Christian life according to God’s principles and His way of doing things. As I reflect on the success of my students;  these are the following things that I did and know contributed to their success.

·  I prayed for my students. In many cases your prayers might be the only prayer they might receive. I made sure that they knew I loved and believed in them. I expressed interests in each of them as individuals. I didn’t compare but accepted them where they were, knowing what they could become. I made sure they knew of my expectations of daily efforts both academically and behaviorally. I showered them with recognition and praise. I think when students know they are loved and believed in, they will maximize their potential for you.

·  I applied God’s word. It was non-negotiable. I knew if I wanted biblical results I had to apply spiritual principles.  First, I had to pray for my enemies. Did I want to pray for them, absolutely not. But I had to obey God’s word if I wanted Him to get involved in my situation. Although I could have fought back, but God specifically told me that He wanted to fight my battle for me. Believe me; God is not going to handle our problems the way that we handle them. He’s looking at the forest and not the trees.  His ways are so much higher than our ways. God said vengeance belongs to Him, He will repay.

·  Additionally, I chose to forgive. It can be tough to forgive when you have been wronged and you know beyond any doubt you didn’t do anything to warrant the assaults. However, God’s word says unless we forgive He will not forgive us. To sum it up, I chose to walk in love. Now, this one was the greatest challenge for me especially since the assaults came from professed believers. God encouraged my heart not to judge, unless I would be judged and that many people will say that they are Christians but few respond in godly ways. That was a good revelation for me to grasp because I cannot control how someone responds to God’s word or me.

·  I relinquished all control of the situation and turned it over to God. Immediately I experienced God’s peace, one that surpasses all human understanding. God said in His word that if you keep your mind focused on Him, He will keep you in perfect peace. I chose to walk by faith and not by sight. Only those I was accountable to knew about the situation. At the end of the day, I could experience peaceful sleep because all my cares were already cast unto the Lord. Why? Because He loves and cares for me.

I pray you are encouraged. I think it’s unfortunate that teachers have to go through unwarranted circumstances with other colleagues. We have enough problems and stress already trying to equip students to learn and pass the state assessment - STAAR. Whatever the situation, let go and let God. He is in control! God is always working behind the scenes even if you can’t see anything changing about the situation. God is Good and Faithful!


Next guest is a dear friend and educator - Linda Reese. She and her husband are longtime friends of ours and board members of Take Back Ministries. Linda brings a unique perspective in her reflections on education as a former police officer and now educator for the past fifteen years.  In her post, Linda reflects on her journey as a first time public school teacher, this past school year. Love and Blessings!!
                                           
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Intrinsic  Stimulus

6/1/2015

 
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When my mom asked me to share on her blog along the lines of education, Colossians 3:23 came to mind. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

I wanted to share my thoughts to help readers see that nothing of great value happens by chance or wishful thinking. My parents always counseled my sisters and I while growing up; that in order to be successful, quality schooling must not only be received but also used in turn, to enhance and serve our generation. My parents are a daily reminder of the results yielded from hard work, perseverance, and faith in God as they have lived out a life of faith and experience the blessings of God. Whenever a seed of doubt comes into my mind whispering whether I can accomplish what I have determined or I hear negative comments from peers who say there is no point in obtaining an education in the current economy – I remember my parents encouraging me to never give up on my dreams.

An insatiable thirst for learning was instilled in my sisters and I at a very young age. The strong academic foundation we received from homeschooling allowed me to quickly advance in school so I was able to graduate high school early and start college at 16 years old. Throughout college, there were many instances where I was academically and mentally exhausted due to course loads, work schedules, or other stressors. I just couldn’t wait to simply graduate, secure a job, and start enjoying my life! If anyone had told me in college that I would now be working on my PhD degree, I would have laughed in disbelief, because going back to school was not on my radar at all. 

I am extremely grateful for my parents’ constant encouragement and guidance.  It is easy to give up in the face of challenges; and risk the development and attainment of strong godly character that can sustain lasting achievement. Furthermore, my parents helped me recognize the opportunities and possibilities available through receiving a quality education and this realization has, in turn, inspired my lifelong quest to continue to attain knowledge and use the acquisition to serve my generation.

While we can receive many encouragements from parents, siblings, friends or the community of supporters, an intrinsic motivation to succeed in the face of all odds is what keeps one going.  I know this to be true. While people can offer encouragement, if one is not willing to put in the effort or make sacrifices to achieve long-term goals then nothing will ultimately get accomplished. It will not always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it .

       

For the next two to three months, I will be highlighting the reflections of some guests here on Eduflections. This will be a great opportunity to glean from a variety of voices.  My first guest is our oldest daughter. She is a cyber-security doctoral student at UNT and she shares her thoughts on education. For all educators about to go on summer break; this is your time to recharge. Slow down and enjoy your summer. I intend to be back with you here when school starts. Love and Blessings!

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    Dr. Feyi Obamehinti

    A Blog for Equipping and Empowering people to thrive with the Word of God. Daughter of the King, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Mentor, & Educator enjoying the Blessed Life in Christ Jesus. Oasis Focus Inc. is a ministry of restoration & equipping. 

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