May 25, 2023

Dear Hill Country Families,

Our calling as Christian parents contains two seemingly contradictory charges: to relinquish the illusion of control by submitting our child’s life to the Lord and at the same time, to wisely and attentively steward every moment and resource at our disposal to help mold them into who they were created to be. Our goal as parents is to prepare our children for the day when they will, inevitably, leave us. This biblical desire outlined in Psalms 144:12, that “our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace” is the hope of every parents’ heart and prayer as their children cross the threshold into adulthood. Every year at graduation, I watch, somewhat teary-eyed, as each senior hugs his or her parents, and then, crosses the stage – alone. I imagine the mixture of overwhelming joy and bittersweet pride the parents feel as they watch their child in that moment.

And then what? Will our children stand firmly planted in the truth of the Gospel? Will they refuse to conform to the patterns of this world? Will our words of wisdom echo in their minds when they need it most? We ask ourselves, have we truly done all we could with the most precious gifts with which we have been entrusted? I know entrusting our children to the Lord is a daily discipline, but trusting Him for the span of their unknown future seems challenging.

Holocaust survivor and author Corrie ten Boom reminds us, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” So we guide our children, our students, to know God and to pursue wisdom in their daily lives and as they walk into an unknown future. Proverbs 3:1-4 says:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

As Christian educators we understand our goal to partner with parents means we join in this endeavor; in and out of the classroom, we want to train our students to walk in wisdom daily, for the rest of their lives. One tangible way we do this is through our senior thesis capstone course. As a culmination of our students’ study of logic, research, communication, elocution, and foundational knowledge of a biblical worldview, senior thesis requires each student to stand on his or her own and give a defense. For our last episode of IN the Classroom, I sat down with Mrs. Heather Morris, our senior thesis teacher, to hear more about her love of teaching and how she guides her students through their final year at Hill Country. We discuss how she strategically prepares our seniors to approach their thesis capstone with an intellectual humility, a desire for truth, and ultimately, a love for wisdom.

With Excellence,

Sarah Novlan, Director of Academics

See our previous interviews from the IN the Classroom series here:

• Latin Teacher, Casey McMickle
• First grade teacher, Sherrie Reichenau
• Fourth grade teacher, Mike Giles
• Middle School teacher, Ed Baptiste