A Man for Others

No matter how well we think we know the plan, we must always remember only God KNOWS the plan. This past week I was faithfully reflecting on one station of the cross, like I had promised I would in last week’s blog. All week I read different accounts of Jesus being Condemned to Death. I was prepared to write about how I initially thought Pilate was getting more blame than he deserved (he did after all “wash his hands” of the event). I was also prepared to write about how I thought the reason he is vilified is that God is sending a message to all who have the power to act but don’t or to those who do act but act under public pressure and not for what is right.  

That changed when a parent sent me the following video about CKS Alum and current Jesuit sophomore, Joe Edgar, speaking about friendship: http://www.jesuittampa.org/cf_media/index.cfm?obj=2670. In this video, he speaks about his pairing with a younger CKS student through our Kindergarten Buddy program, where 8^th grade students sit with younger students at school mass and participate with each other in several activities throughout the school year. Many years ago, when the program first started it was a way to give our wiggliest worms in Mass an older student to sit next to and give our (sometimes) hardest to engage group of students a reason to be engaged. The program quickly blossomed, activities outside of school mass were planned with kindergarteners and their buddies (Christmas celebrations, Valentine’s Day, and graham cracker parties). It gave the younger students a big brother or sister at the school as a role model and it gave the older students a greater sense of responsibility.

Watching the video, you can see how both students can grow from the experience. As an educator, the video also shows me that some of the most powerful lessons we teach our children happen outside of the “academic” curriculum. I think about how many experiences—inside and out of school—Joe must have experienced in 16 years. From all of them, he wrote about his buddy, Jake. My take away: everything we do in school—from what we teach to the way we respond to questions and even the way we plan recess—is an opportunity to impact the life of a child. Therefore, unlike Pilate who was condemned for not taking action to prevent the condemning of Jesus, we must take the actions necessary to create meaningful educational experiences for our students.