My first baby was colicky and my husband and I spent many sleepless nights and weary days trying to learn how to help her feel better. One of the things I learned by accident was that the more I talked with her and told her what to expect, the better she handled things and the less she cried. By the time she was a year old, it was very clear to me that she understood me when I told what we were about to do and this really helped her with transitions.
The recent news that high school students’ SAT scores are at the lowest level in 10 years brings a whole host of questions to me about testing and the quality of education in general. I don’t want to even try to address the general quality question because there are so many factors that affect a student’s potential for success. However, it does cause me to pause and consider what we are doing here at Our Savior’s Lutheran School to promote and encourage the success of our students. Last week I wrote about one success factor explained in a study of students’ pro-social skills. The study showed that students who get along with others, share, are kind, etc. have a dramatically better chance for success in life.