By Dennis Edwards
I was recently asked to speak to my son’s high school class. His sociology teacher invited me as the class was covering the topic “Equal, but Different.” She knew my son had been home-schooled when he was young, and that his parents were missionaries operating a local NGO. But the reason she had invited me was because my son’s behavior had had a positive influence on his class and the whole school.
She told me confidentially, “William is different from the other students. He always comes to school with extra-curriculum reading book. He interacts well with all the students and treats the professors as if they were his aunts or uncles. If we had a student like William in every single classroom, the school would be different.”
Besides always emphasizing the importance of love and tolerance for others, we had tried to instill in William, and all our other children, the importance of taking initiative, being responsible, and going beyond the minimum in a job or task. William had applied these principles during his High School years. As a result I was asked to give a power-point presentation of my life and work to the students.
The school sponsored exchange visits of students from other countries. William was fluent in the native tongue and in English the international language. As a result he became the interpreter for the foreign exchange students. Later he was asked to translate for the Mayor who came to give the students a welcoming speech. When William graduated he was presented with the Best Student award and the award for the student who had developed the most over the three year course.
In the power-point that I presented at William's school, I was able to share my life story to the students. I explained how I had found Jesus after losing my faith during my early university years. When I concluded the presentation, the students gave a hearty spontaneous applause. One of the students even asked how she could become a missionary. Modelling his life after Christ’s, William had opened the door for me to in turn encourage his classmates and explain to them that the answer to life's problems is in Jesus.
William and myself during a charity campaign.
I was recently asked to speak to my son’s high school class. His sociology teacher invited me as the class was covering the topic “Equal, but Different.” She knew my son had been home-schooled when he was young, and that his parents were missionaries operating a local NGO. But the reason she had invited me was because my son’s behavior had had a positive influence on his class and the whole school.
She told me confidentially, “William is different from the other students. He always comes to school with extra-curriculum reading book. He interacts well with all the students and treats the professors as if they were his aunts or uncles. If we had a student like William in every single classroom, the school would be different.”
Besides always emphasizing the importance of love and tolerance for others, we had tried to instill in William, and all our other children, the importance of taking initiative, being responsible, and going beyond the minimum in a job or task. William had applied these principles during his High School years. As a result I was asked to give a power-point presentation of my life and work to the students.
The school sponsored exchange visits of students from other countries. William was fluent in the native tongue and in English the international language. As a result he became the interpreter for the foreign exchange students. Later he was asked to translate for the Mayor who came to give the students a welcoming speech. When William graduated he was presented with the Best Student award and the award for the student who had developed the most over the three year course.
William and myself during a charity campaign.
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