I hope you are enjoying a great summer. We are thankful for a wonderful 2016-17 school year. While the last few weeks are always a whirl of activity, they are also precious times together as a school community. The sports banquet, field trips, field day, headmaster’s dinner, graduation, class parties, and awards assembly were all special events. The year went by so fast. I often must stop to remind myself to cherish the days –for they are numbered –for all of us.
The same is true of our summer break. The next nine weeks will go by quickly. Get some rest. Take some time off. Let the children be children and enjoy carefree days. Enjoy a nice vacation or a few days at Tybee. Have a fun summer, but let me encourage you to cherish the days and be intentional with your family’s time this summer. A few weeks ago, there was a helpful article for students on the Gospel Coalition Blog, Students, Don’t Waste Your Summer. The principle applies to parents and families, as well as students. Set some summer goals for your family and children. Have a purposeful summer. Here are a few suggestions:
• Set reading goals for the family and/or children. Get a head start on the Veritas Reading Lists. Here is a great list of recommended books for summer reading (for parents and high schoolers) from Al Mohler. Maybe you can’t read 3-4 books per week like Dr. Mohler (He is incredible!), but you can be inspired by him to read 2-3 books over the summer.
• Take 20-30 minutes a day for 3-5 days/week and have your children learn keyboarding/typing. This is essential for students entering Logic School. Summer is a great time to knock this out. Donna and I did this one summer and had all three of ours typing well in no time. (Here are some recommended and inexpensive programs. My family used Mavis Beacon.)
• Visit area parks, nature centers, and historic sites. The Savannah area has many great places to see.
• If you have a rising third grader get a jump start on their insect collection (contact Mrs. Taylor, dtaylor@VeritasSavannah.org for details.) The critters will keep nicely in your freezer -woohoo!
• Have your rising 9th and 10th grader listen to this short story from Flannery O’Connor. She is an author they will study during the second semester in American Literature. This a rare audio of this author reading her own story. Great stuff!
• Have your children exchange letters (Letter? What’s that?) with far-away cousins, friends, or grandparents.
• Do several half-day service projects. Mow and clean-up an elderly neighbor’s yard. Help grandparents with a project. Ask your church for ideas and suggestions.
• Parents, please read these two articles. 1) A Theology of the Home is a fine discussion of the importance of home life. While we must not idolize our homes, we must also be careful not to underestimate the value of healthy home life. 2) You may not agree with all of the ideas in The Case for Free-Range Children, but I do think it will challenge some of your assumptions. There is much research that links healthy benefits for children who are not cooped up in the house all day or locked inside a fenced backyard. I often wonder if fear (often unfounded) has caused parents to be over protective and restrictive.

Blessed Good Friday to you. Happy Easter to you. Better yet, Happy Resurrection Sunday to you! I hope your family enjoys a rich time contemplating the death and resurrection of our Savior. This week I’ve been reviewing the questions and answers on the death and resurrection of Christ in the Heidelberg Catechism (1563). They provide clear, beautiful, and focused summaries of the very heart of our remembrances and celebrations this week. I encourage you to meditate on questions 37-45 in this ancient catechism. Here are a few select passages.

37.Q. What does it mean that he suffered?
A. That all the time he lived on earth, but especially at the end of his life, he bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race, in order that by his passion, as the only atoning sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.

40.Q. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble himself even unto death?
A. Because, by reason of the justice and truth of God, satisfaction for our sins could be made no otherwise than by the death of the Son of God.

45.Q. What does the resurrection of Christ profit us?
A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, that he might make us partakers of the righteousness which he has obtained for us by his death; second, we also are raised up by his power to a new life; and third, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.

These truths are the foundation of Holy Week. They are the foundation of a Christian worldview. And they are the foundation of Christian education –we are fallen and in need of a Savior, God in His love sent His Son to die for us to satisfy His justice and redeem us, and Christ rose again to guarantee for us all of God’s promises. I praise God that each day at Veritas our children are taught in light of these truths. Someone once referred to genuine Christian education as “Cruciform Education” –education shaped and formed by the cross of Christ. Amen!

Two Links for Your Reading and Growth
1) Did you know that the notion of “Learning Styles” (i.e. the auditory learner, kinesthetic learner, etc.) is not true? Here is a short article from Joy Pullman at TheFederalist.com that debunks the myth of “Learning Styles”. While nearly 90 percent of Americans think people have unique learning styles — the best known are labeled auditory, visual, and kinesthetic — cognitive research has steadily debunked the idea over time. To mark Brain Awareness Week this month, 30 internationally respected neuroscientists, psychologists, and educators issued a public letter asking teachers to stop wasting time with it. The issue is interesting because it shows how a concept that is not true can become entrenched in the public’s understanding, and how false assumptions in education (or in any field of study) can be perpetuated by the flow of government research dollars.

2) Eric Metaxas at BreakPoint.org makes a great case for the importance of reading in the lives of adults and children in Readers are Leaders. This is a topic I return to regularly in these emails. Part of our vision at Veritas is to produce lifelong learners. Lifelong learners by definition and by necessity must be lifelong readers. And lifelong readers typically come from homes where books and reading are priority. Metaxas writes, Let me tell you something you already know—reading is critically important—especially for Christian believers. God after all, reveals Himself to us in the written words of Scripture. Think about it—when we read the Word, we place ourselves in the very presence of God . . . In addition to the spiritual, intellectual and relational benefits of reading, reading helps us combat stress and keeps our aging minds sharp. Martin Luther once said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” I’d add that if you want to change your world, pick up a book and read. So how do we accomplish this in a world of binge-watching, incessant social media, commuting, and a million other distractions? The title of a recent article by Charles Chu at Qz.com sums it up well: “In the time you spend on social media each year, you could read 200 books.”

Happy Reading and Have a Blessed and Holy Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday!

Please let me point you to an article in the most recent issue of Touchstone Magazine that speaks very clearly and directly to the vision for covenantal parenting, godly homes, and Christian education at Veritas Academy. In Keep Them from Idols, Ross Blackburn expounds the great foundational passage for Christian education, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and argues that the education of children takes generations of fidelity. Here are a few quotes from the article.
The Scriptures understand that we are largely a product of our generations, and therefore put great weight on generational faithfulness (p. 31).
These words [Deut 6:6-9] are nothing less than a philosophy of education. At least three matters are worth noting. First, the command assumes that education is chiefly about God, in the implication that loving God and following his commands is the most important thing that a child can learn. Second, it establishes the parents as responsible for raising children to love God. Finally, it calls for such an education to be carried on in the course of life (p. 32)
Let us take seriously that the call to love God is countercultural, sometimes even in the church (p. 35).
Let us recognize the home as the primary context of education, and the call of parents to educate and disciple their children. Education is far more than imparting information. It is chiefly about forming Christian character and judgment, teaching children to love God in all of life (p. 36).
Let us remember that teaching children to love God means that education is firmly grounded in the cross of Christ (p. 37).
I remember as a young father being gripped by the generational nature of our faith (see Psalm 78:4-7). As a first-generation Christian with young children I was deeply humbled and greatly inspired to believe that God could work in my home to raise up a generation of believing children who would become godly parents who would raise up another generation of believing children. God uses many means to grow His Church and advance His Kingdom, but His primary instrument is generational faithfulness -godly homes producing godly offspring, who grow up to produce more godly offspring. I implore you to read, digest, and apply this article. I’ve not read anything in a long time, that so pointedly speaks to our vision for godly homes and Christian education at Veritas.

Here are two articles for you to read and contemplate this week. One is about parenting and other about reading.
In the article Three Areas in Which Parents Must Persevere, Pastor Scott Slayton reminds us to stay the course in 1) Quality Time, 2) Teaching and Discipline, and 3) Prayer. Most parents know what to do in raising their children. They know the basics of being good parents. They have wisdom and love. The problem comes in the day-to-day follow through and the consistency week-in and week-out. He says, “The hardest aspect of parenting is often not our lack of understanding, but our failure to persevere. As parents, what we need the most is to continue doing the little things every single day.” This article is a wise and gentle admonition to all parents. Happy persevering!
I have written many times about the value and importance of reading. I so desire that our families would be reading families –that our parents would set the example for their children by being active readers in their homes. This article presents a helpful argument for an important benefit of reading –loving others. Tim Challies in Reading Out of Love for Others argues that reading helps you to love and serve others more fully. While reading is typically perceived as a solitary act with great personal/individual benefits, it can make you more understanding of others and a better encourager of your family and friends. In my own reading, I often sense that reading deepens my empathy for the suffering and struggles of others. Challies discusses four practical ways reading helps us love others more effectively. Happy reading!

Scott Taylor, Headmaster

Each year I provide a list of what I hope produces some last-minute Christmas gifts. Please look over my Book Recommendations 2016. These are not my “Best Books Published in 2016” or even “The Best Books I Read in 2016.” This list consists of books that I suggest to the parent who is looking to read some books, but might not know where to start. They are well-written, engaging stories or essays that are accessible to the average reader. There are novels, memoirs, poetry, and non-fiction –some recent titles and some from previous centuries. I read theology and other Christian books, but generally leave those suggestions to your pastors and other sources (see here, here (World Magazine podcasts with recommendations for all ages), here, and here for some excellent 2016 Christian book recommendations). For those who are new to Veritas, you can read the recommendations from previous years Book Recommendations 2012-2015. Happy reading!

I hope your Thanksgiving week was a blessed time with family and truly a time of giving thanks to God for His goodness and kindness to you. As we come off Thanksgiving Break and head into Christmas, I am very grateful for our families. I was reminded about the quality and influence of our parents at the November 17 open house (which, by the way, went extremely well). Several visiting parents commented that they knew so and so, parents at Veritas, and stated very explicitly that the reason they were visiting was because of what they saw in our parents and families. “If she sends her children to Veritas, then Veritas must be an excellent school.” And, “The ‘fill in the blank’ family is involved here, so we thought we ought to check it out. They have amazing children.” No marketing can match the power of parents’ lives and testimony in the community.

Two quick anecdotes related to parents for you –one a bit humorous and one encouraging. First, recently the third-grade teacher wrote on a student’s communication sheet, “excellent participation today,” and dad wrote back, “She takes after me.” The next day it was noted on the sheet that the girl received a check for talking out (she like to chat in class) and the father responded, “she takes after her mother.” Chuckles aside, apples do fall in the shade. Veritas has outstanding students because God grace is evident in their homes.

The second anecdote is personal –from my own home. I offer this as an encouragement to you, especially if your children are still very young, to be faithful and stay the course –and do not ever think the things you say and do in your home don’t influence your children. My son, Samuel, a Veritas senior, recently wrote a couple of 2-3 page essays in response to typical, open-ended scholarship application questions. Eventually, your child must write these essays too. His questions were something like, “Describe the influences in your life that made you who you are today.” and “Describe a problem in our society and explain what you would do to fix it.” He asked me to proofread his essays before he sent them in. I read them and had one of those tearful, fist-pumping, overwhelmed with gratitude, moments as a father, saying, “Yes! Thank you, God! All those dinner time conversations for the past seventeen years paid off. My son was listening and believes what he’s heard about faith, worship, God’s Word, family, church, education, responsibility as a young man, and reading books.” It hit me like a glorious punch in the nose. I went to Donna, waving the essay pages, and said, “All those years, he was listening and he gets it.” God, by His grace, works in our homes and shapes our children though our homes. God even uses flawed, fumbling, and frail fathers like me. Psalm 78:5-7 in true! Stay the course. Be faithful. When you sin and mess up –repent, confess, move on, and trust God for the next day. Continue plodding ahead in faithfulness, day after day. Take the long view. God will bring the good fruit in due season.

Please pray and consider giving to the Annual Fund, the James 1:27 Fund, and to the Apogee Scholarship Fund. The deadline for completing the Apogee approval application is coming up very soon–December 15. Please do not delay!

In keeping with the theme of families, let me direct you to a couple of excellent web articles. Today, Tim Challies has posted an insightful article about why children must obey their parents. He begins by asking, Should parents insist upon their children’s obedience? The culture around us seems perplexed, so focused on personal autonomy that in many families it seems clear that the children rule the roost. Many parents doubt their ability to direct their children and may even doubt their right to demand obedience. Yet the Bible insists that children are to obey their parents and that parents are to enforce their children’s obedience. Tedd Tripp, in Shepherding a Child’s Heart, makes the case that you will never be able to train your child when he is eight or twelve years old unless you first bring them under your authority and teach them to obey when they are four or five. Tripp is wise and biblical!

Finally, speaking of family and parenting, the article, You Should Thank God That Your Kids are Mediocre Athletes at TheFederalist.com encourages parents to Thank God that your kids haven’t displayed the athletic prowess necessary to trick you into spending a fortune you don’t have for a dream that will almost certainly never materialize. When you take the long view of your children’s life and future, it is best to invest most of your energy and prayer in raising them to be mature, virtuous, faithful, independent, and well-educated adults. Athletics provide tremendous growth opportunities for children and can certainly develop maturity and leadership skills, but a parent would do just as well to buy lottery tickets, as to build a ten-year old’s entire life around the prospect of getting an NCAA athletic scholarship. Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord!

Have a blessed week,

Scott B. Taylor, Headmaster
Veritas Academy.