(8x-3y) + (4h+5K) - (401K/Y2K) =???
I can say after being out of High School for 26 years I finally used Algebra. So I want to thank all of my Algebra teachers for teaching it to me. How did I use Algebra you ask? I used it last night helping my daughter with her Algebra homework. See it did come in handy. If only I knew then I would actually use it I may have tried harder to learn it. When I asked my teachers when and how I
would use it they would name off all of these professions that I had no intention of pursing. Which
told me I didn't need it. I had a strict rule in high school, if I didn't think I would need it past the test I didn't put it into life long memory. I didn't always put it into short term memory to be honest.
There were things in school that you just knew you were going to use. Map reading for example. That to me was one of the most important skills high school taught me. How else would you be able to find out where you are when you are lost or how to get somewhere you have never been. I used that skill a lot until the GPS came out. Now I just tell Google Maps where I am going and this nice lady gives me directions as I drive. I also took a whole year of typing. At the time I thought it may be over kill but it seemed like an easy "A" and it was. Plus I was able to get my typing speed to an above average speed which has helped me almost everyday of my life. It is even coming in handy at this very moment. Almost all of my Social Studies and History classes have come in handy too. Those classes have helped me in trivia games, to understand Forrest Gump, and to be able to sort through all of the fact/fiction stories going around about the presidential election. I don't remember though when the last time somebody asked me the capital of New Hampshire or my opinion of why the Roman empire fell.
I am in no way trying to say most classes in high school are useless. I know that it depends on the profession you go into to which skills from high school you use. There are accountants, architects, doctors and scientist that use the math and science they learned in high school everyday. I use many of the skills I learned in English class everyday as I prepare outlines, research and etc. Sometimes I wish I had paid more attention in English and maybe even studied. (Don't tell my parents though. I don't want them to say, "We told you so.") I use things I learned in economics, psychology, health, general math, and home economics as well. So what am I saying? I am saying that when we know we will need something and use something we tend want to learn it more. The one class I can say I did all my homework, all the available extra credit, and even the recommended but not required assignments was Practical Cooking. Why? It was easy for me to see that I would be using those skills for a life time. I can cook any kind of eggs I want to go with my bacon thanks to that class. I think most people are like that. The more they can connect the use of what they are learning to their everyday life the more interested they are in learning. You can see this play out in many ways. Give a teenager a report and you will see whining and complaining about how hard it is and why they shouldn't have to do it. Give the same teenager a new phone and ask them to teach you how to use it. All of a sudden they become a research genesis and in a short time is prepared to give you an oral report on the phone and how to use it. In both cases they did the same thing but they connected the topic of the phone to their everyday life. So am I trying to tell teachers how to teach? Nope! Instead I have a question for Christians.
If you can easily connect learning about God and studying the Bible to your everyday life why do we not study it? We complained in school about learning things we will never use. We said we only wanted to learn those things we need. We need God. We need His word. We need the scriptures. Why are we not learning them? We look for things all the time that will make our lives easier. We
spend money on things that claim to do that. But we use the one book that can do that as a bulletin carrier. I just counted over 25 different Bibles on my book shelf. (PLEASE DON"T TELL MY WIFE! SHE WILL NOT LET ME GET ANOTHER ONE) I have a bible app on my phone, tablet, and on both my lap top and church computer. There are a lot of free Bibles online. I went to a used book store this week and saw 100's of different commentaries, dictionaries, guides, encyclopedias, and other books written just to help you understand the Bible. There are 1000's more resources for free online too. So we have no excuse not to study God's word. The helps are there. Even more than the helps is the Holy Spirit.
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:12-13 (ESV)
Jesus was speaking about continuing education here. He was telling the disciples and us that at this moment there is more He wants to teach us but we are not ready. Just like a 2nd grader is not ready for advanced calculus. So there was a teacher sent to continue our education, the Holy Spirit. Just like a high school teacher will be there to teach advanced calculus to the students when they are ready. Teachers prepare lessons everyday, do a great job of teaching, and try to connect what they are teaching to everyday life but they can not force the students to open their eyes, do the homework and learn the material. The Holy Spirit is willing and able to teach. The Bible is easily accessible. It is up to us the students to pick it up and learn what God wanting to teach us. When we miss the lesson and fail the test it is not the fault of the teacher, but the fault of the student. So what's your spiritual grade?
Parting Thought: I took two years of French to be able to say, "Je ne peux pas parler francais." (I can't speak French.)
would use it they would name off all of these professions that I had no intention of pursing. Which
There were things in school that you just knew you were going to use. Map reading for example. That to me was one of the most important skills high school taught me. How else would you be able to find out where you are when you are lost or how to get somewhere you have never been. I used that skill a lot until the GPS came out. Now I just tell Google Maps where I am going and this nice lady gives me directions as I drive. I also took a whole year of typing. At the time I thought it may be over kill but it seemed like an easy "A" and it was. Plus I was able to get my typing speed to an above average speed which has helped me almost everyday of my life. It is even coming in handy at this very moment. Almost all of my Social Studies and History classes have come in handy too. Those classes have helped me in trivia games, to understand Forrest Gump, and to be able to sort through all of the fact/fiction stories going around about the presidential election. I don't remember though when the last time somebody asked me the capital of New Hampshire or my opinion of why the Roman empire fell.
I am in no way trying to say most classes in high school are useless. I know that it depends on the profession you go into to which skills from high school you use. There are accountants, architects, doctors and scientist that use the math and science they learned in high school everyday. I use many of the skills I learned in English class everyday as I prepare outlines, research and etc. Sometimes I wish I had paid more attention in English and maybe even studied. (Don't tell my parents though. I don't want them to say, "We told you so.") I use things I learned in economics, psychology, health, general math, and home economics as well. So what am I saying? I am saying that when we know we will need something and use something we tend want to learn it more. The one class I can say I did all my homework, all the available extra credit, and even the recommended but not required assignments was Practical Cooking. Why? It was easy for me to see that I would be using those skills for a life time. I can cook any kind of eggs I want to go with my bacon thanks to that class. I think most people are like that. The more they can connect the use of what they are learning to their everyday life the more interested they are in learning. You can see this play out in many ways. Give a teenager a report and you will see whining and complaining about how hard it is and why they shouldn't have to do it. Give the same teenager a new phone and ask them to teach you how to use it. All of a sudden they become a research genesis and in a short time is prepared to give you an oral report on the phone and how to use it. In both cases they did the same thing but they connected the topic of the phone to their everyday life. So am I trying to tell teachers how to teach? Nope! Instead I have a question for Christians.
If you can easily connect learning about God and studying the Bible to your everyday life why do we not study it? We complained in school about learning things we will never use. We said we only wanted to learn those things we need. We need God. We need His word. We need the scriptures. Why are we not learning them? We look for things all the time that will make our lives easier. We
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:12-13 (ESV)
Jesus was speaking about continuing education here. He was telling the disciples and us that at this moment there is more He wants to teach us but we are not ready. Just like a 2nd grader is not ready for advanced calculus. So there was a teacher sent to continue our education, the Holy Spirit. Just like a high school teacher will be there to teach advanced calculus to the students when they are ready. Teachers prepare lessons everyday, do a great job of teaching, and try to connect what they are teaching to everyday life but they can not force the students to open their eyes, do the homework and learn the material. The Holy Spirit is willing and able to teach. The Bible is easily accessible. It is up to us the students to pick it up and learn what God wanting to teach us. When we miss the lesson and fail the test it is not the fault of the teacher, but the fault of the student. So what's your spiritual grade?
Parting Thought: I took two years of French to be able to say, "Je ne peux pas parler francais." (I can't speak French.)
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