We know that we are not supposed to boast except in the Lord. So let’s take a moment and look at what God is doing and how He is moving.

When we start a new school year, our hope and prayer is that our students grow and increase in their capacity to learn and become that which we believe God has created them to be. We then step into the year, have hiccups and minor setbacks as students struggle with the love, compassion, expectations, and the reality that we will not accept anything less than then their very best.

When students push through, the results are very clear. The process of allowing room for mistakes is critical. Let’s face it, nobody like to make mistakes; especially in front of other people. We create a space for kids to feel comfortable making mistakes so that we can help them overcome them, and in turn, they feel more comfortable when they head to school. Not only do they know the answer; they know the process to get the answer (more important).

Let’s talk numbers for a minute because that seems to be one of the things that most people are drawn too.

Getting on a list can be good or bad. When we talk about a principals list or a superintendents list, that could be positive or negative. For me (Phil), I seemed to have a tendency to reach the wrong list while in grade school. That is not the list we are referencing! We are talking the good list and the way it is achieved is through grades. We challenge all of our students to maintain a “C” or above grade average. For some, because of learning disabilities or learning deficiencies, just getting to a “C” is a huge thing. In some situations, our students are a grade or two behind which can present another set of challenges.

That is why these results are incredible. Before speaking about them, let me say that without a great team, NONE of this is possible. Our team is outstanding and the truth is that if we could grow our team, we could reach more students by getting them off the waiting list… another post will come soon about this problem we face.

Here are the numbers:

So what does this mean? In this last grade reporting period, 65% of our students made the principals or superintendents list (the good one). Almost 3/4’s of our students are performing at an extremely high level and that is to be celebrated! I started this post by saying, look at God. I will end this post by saying, look at what God continues to do!