“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
As I write this, I am looking out the window at what seems like a continuous rain and the ever-present gray cloudiness that has been pervasive this February. If it were not for watching a golf tournament or two on the west coast where there is perpetual sunshine, I would have forgotten the way a shadow looks. It’s easy this time of year to get caught up in recency-bias: allowing the lens of our perception to become clouded by the immediate events of the past days or weeks. It’s important for us to step back and remember that the cold, rain, and gray clouds are not the norm; they are a regular, predictable, and temporary occurrence that, when viewed in the context of a year, are necessary for the preparation for spring and the warmth, sun, and blue skies that it brings. Each season has its benefits and its drawbacks, but they all work together to form a cycle within which life takes on a rhythm and cadence that provides a dynamic stability.
If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves caught up in recency-bias in the raising of children. The current attitude and actions of our children can create a too-optimistic or too-pessimistic view of their life as a whole. It is sometimes too easy to think that my child has “always done x”, when in reality it is simply a phase or momentary blip of behavior one way or the other. In the immediacy of the moment, we can project all sorts of things onto the canvas of their life and fail to put things into context. It is during those times that it’s necessary to step back and remember that this is a journey and to remain focused on the destination.
As we continue to build a school that seeks to come alongside you and partner with you in raising up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, I am challenged to consistently pull us back to take in the view of the goal, our mission. Without that context, we can begin to find ourselves thinking too highly or too critically of the current state of things. As we shared with you at our State of the School meeting, there are a lot of great things happening at Heritage. The momentum is palpable as God continues to meet our needs – and dreams – in ways we never dreamed or imagined. At the same time, we can do better. The pursuit of excellence is like following the North Star: it provides direction and encouragement, but we never arrive. It is simply a guidepost. It is important to continually seek to provide context, to keep moving forward, to keep striving, and remember why Heritage Preparatory School exists: to prepare children who think with excellence, believe with confidence, and live with character.
As we continue on this journey and experience the different seasons of life in our children, our community, and as an organization, it is my prayer that we remember that we serve a sovereign God whose hand is on this school and who is continually working in and through our community to raise up a generation of culture-shapers: confident young men and women imminently prepared to find their voice and enter the Great Conversation.
Thank you to all who were able to join us last week for our State of the School meeting. I always come away encouraged and excited about the future of Heritage Prep after spending time together as a community. If you missed it, we were able to celebrate what God has done in our school and community, what you can expect as we prepare for the 2020-2021 school year, and more details around the launch of our high school in August 2021. As promised, we have scheduled two follow-up High School Q&A coffees for the following dates and times:
Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.
Mrs. Hames and I will address a specific topic followed by a Q&A. We will provide the topic of conversation in the Monday Memo the week of each event. These are opportunities for you to ask questions and for us to have a dialogue about the high school planning. We look forward to seeing you at one of these coffees!
Thank you for being a community committed to following Christ and His precepts for raising children who will make an impact on our culture. And thank you for being a community that loves and cares deeply about the destination of your children.
Now, let’s get ready for Spring!
Matthew H. Skinner
President