| OCTOBER 1, 2026 -- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
What a child sees makes the most lasting impression. Grange Ritual
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you all. Phillipians 4:9.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
When I remember my parents and my grandparents what sticks in my mind the most is what they did and how they did it. I remember particularly their volunteering to help their neighbors and their communities. As I matured, I almost automatically started doing likewise, as it seemed to me that was what was supposed to do. And my children followed along the same paths.
As a college professor, some of my happiest moments were when ex-students came to visit me and related how helpful various pieces of advice, I had given them had been in their lives and careers. It is certainly true that the best way to teach is by example.
The department I was in at Central Connecticut State University also taught Science Education, how to teach Science. At the front of one of the classrooms was a large sign: “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand”. This applies not only to science, but to any discipline. If we want to impart knowledge or anything else, it is not enough just to talk about the subject. We must teach both by demonstration and by having those whom we wish to teach also participate in the doing. One thing to be careful about is to realize that, just as our children and students will learn the correct way to do things by seeing us do them, they may also learn bad habits and practices by observing what we do wrong. Be careful to inculcate only those teachings that lead to better habits: kindness, honesty, and responsibility. And be sure to provide ample opportunities for them to practice these teachings themselves.
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