Back in high school, I ran cross country. I wasn’t great at it but stuck with it for three years. One of the things you learn quickly when you get ready to race is “the Kick.” The Kick is the concept of sprinting in the final portion of the race to the finish line. You have been pacing yourself all race and now you empty the tank of your energy and strength. I remember the very first race that I ran. As a newbie, I had paced myself too slowly at first. I realized this because when it was time to “kick,” I sprinted past a slew of other runners. While it felt great to pass so many runners, it revealed that I still had a lot to learn about pacing and racing. After three years of running cross country, I learned how to run at a higher pace during the main part of the race and when to “kick” and empty the tank. It took practice.
Our students also have to be trained to finish things well, especially at the end of a school year. The weather feels like summer this week. The sun is setting later and later. Spring sports and church softball games are keeping us outside. There are so many things that indicate that summer is coming. But if we’re not careful, our students will get caught in the lie that summer is already here.
WHY FINISH STRONG
1. Finishing Strong Honors God
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” God wants us to do al things to His glory. A former teacher at RCS used to ask her students a question each time they turned in an assignment, quiz, or test: “Did you do it to the glory of God?” Not did you do your best or check your work, but did you do it to the glory of God. That question made an impact on one of my children who was in her class. That question was at a whole other level than our typical questions.
As Christians, we ought to approach each day with a commitment to glorifying God. The same should be true of our kids. But for our kids to be trained to do that, we have to model the way and make things right when we fail. I know that you are likely weary of checking homework, working on math facts, and checking Gradelink. It is almost over. But not yet.
2. Finishing Strong Produces Habits That Build Character
There is a gravitational pull to slack off. I say it is sin nature. It is very real and it is really strong this time of year. Finishing strong is a discipline that only happens by cultivating proper habits. Our students can fall into the lie that once they have a job or once they are involved in something they enjoy, then they will show up on time or be responsible with what is expected of them (I’ve had that conversation with more than one older student in the past few weeks). What I wish they would hear from me is that responsibility doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t just engage once we do something we are passionate about.
Responsibility is like a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly with the appropriate amount of resistance. Reviewing Math Facts before dinner in Elementary school prepares her for reviewing on her own for multiple quizzes or tests in Middle School, which prepares her for managing her schoolwork, sports schedule, and after-school job in high school. It starts with the very small things before it can get to the bigger ones.
HOW TO HELP THEM FINISH STRONG
1. Stay Consistent On Your Own Expectations
Keep that bedtime consistent whenever possible. Like I said, the sun is staying up later and later right now, but we’re not at summertime yet. What I have found is that even though it can feel “nit picky,” keeping consistent in our expectations in the little things must come before our kids are ready to be trusted to be consistent in the bigger things. Don’t let the “Summer Slide” happen at home and we will do the same here at school.
2. Help Them When They Are Overwhelmed
All of your child’s classes are coming close to their last chapters, projects, tests, etc. That can get overwhelming for many of them. Lean in to help. This means working with them to plan their time to allocate it to the right things. Many times, kids see all the different assignments and projects as one massive wall that is impossible to climb. They need adults to help them look closer at all the things due and make a plan. Students need to learn to stop looking at that wall and instead see the individual items that make that wall. When they do that, they can learn to see the steps of the individual tasks and projects that make that wall much easier to tackle.
3. Encourage Them
One of the ways I knew that I was getting close to the time to “kick” in my cross-country races was the noise of the finish line. Go to any cross-country race, and you will find a whole bunch of people lining both sides of the path leading up to the finish line. They are there cheering on the runners to finish strong. I can’t put into words how much extra strength and energy you feel when you hear those cheers. And when you see your own family and friends cheering you on, it’s like a turbo boost.
Let’s cheer on our kids and each other to finish strong.