From "Consider This..." Podcast, What Can You Learn from An Eighth Grader?

Caleb Brox

I love to run. When I was about seven, I realized that I had talent in the sport, and I have worked hard to become faster and stronger. Running can be quite fun, but it is also, at times, very difficult. It requires focus, energy, endurance, and most importantly mental strength. When you run hard, you push your body to a point where you feel pain and want to stop. Every runner experiences this, no matter how fast they are or how long they have been running. To be a good runner is to learn how to push through that pain and keep your body moving. Although running is hard, it is always rewarding when you finish; after every run, you will be stronger than you were when you started.

Being a student at Wilberforce is like running. At The Wilberforce School you will experience hard things; I am sure you already have. Sometimes you will want to give up. But to do well at Wilberforce, you must learn to push through these hard times and look on the bright side. At Wilberforce when you push through a big homework assignment, you will feel accomplished and be smarter than when you started. In every way, this outcome is worth the work.

Running is extremely fun. Recently I ran my last cross country meet for The Wilberforce Middle School Team. It was one of the best races I have ever run. As I ran, I felt comfortable. The wind “breezed” in my face. The trees provided me shade, I was running at a good pace, and I could hear my family cheering for me. As I found in my run, many times at Wilberforce you will enjoy your class. You will love what you are learning, you will be in good relationships with your friends, and your life will feel easy. When you go through these uplifting times, enjoy them and do not take them for granted.

As I said earlier, not all running is fun. This season I ran a race in Cranbury. Part of the race went through a park that had many sharp turns and was wet and muddy. About two miles into the race, I slipped and rolled on the ground. I scraped my knee and bruised my hip, but I had to get up and keep running. My heart was racing, and I had dirt in my wound. All of me wanted to stop running and end this miserable race. But I could not stop; I remember praying for strength during that race. I knew that in my strength, I could not run hard to the finish. I needed God’s help. At the time it was so difficult, but looking back, I am so glad I fell. That day I learned a number of lessons: how to push through, how to be strong, how to work hard, and, most importantly, how to call out to Christ to carry me through.

Every runner will sometimes have a side stitch, every runner will make a wrong turn, and every runner will trip. This is just part of the sport, and each runner has to learn to prevail and look on the bright side. Not all of your time at The Wilberforce School will be a breeze: you will forget to do your homework; you will be bored in class; you will argue with your friends. It is how you work through these things that matter. Always cry out to the Lord if you are struggling. When hardship comes do not “drop out of the race,” but instead lean on Christ as your Rock.

When you run the purpose is clear: to become faster, to grow stronger, to run smarter, and to learn your race. Sometimes you will learn from a good race, but a lot of the time you learn from a hard race where you tripped or when you are beaten even though you hoped to win. In a parallel way, with your Wilberforce classes, you will learn the most from the times you mess up. Know that there is no such thing as a failure--as long as you learn from your mistakes.

My journey at Wilberforce has been fun, it has been hard, and I have grown and improved so much from it. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Today I want to encourage you to take Paul’s advice, to work towards the prize, to push hard through your race at Wilberforce, AND to set your mind toward winning your race.

Dorothy Wong

Over the past ten years of being at Wilberforce, I have learned an unbelievable number of things. Not only did I learn history facts, read classical literature, and calculate all sorts of mathematical problems, I also learned to be more like Christ by exhibiting habits such as self-control, patience, and respect. I am not perfect, and I still have a long journey ahead of me, but I can tell you that Wilberforce has made big changes in me. Today I will talk about my growth in self-control.

When I was an Explorers One student, as some of you are right now, I loved school. (I still love school now, but I can tell you that some days I don’t feel like going to school at all.) Anyway, I loved school so much that I was sad whenever I had to leave. It was amazing how much I enjoyed school. One day, I was not feeling too well. I threw up in a bathroom stall, and I just left the mess there in the middle of the stall. I was hoping to ignore my illness, and stay at school. Unfortunately, a person saw me walk out of the stall, and she went to tell a teacher. That teacher had to come and lead me out of class before I could infect or hurt anybody else. I did not want to go home, so I said, “No.” I wanted to stay. In fact, that day, a teacher had to drag me, by hand, out of the school building. I was so mad. I wanted to stay at school. So, what do I do? I screamed as loud as possible! The entire school heard my screams, and to this day, Mr. Yoon is haunted that memory. (You can ask him yourself!) This is just one of the many examples of my failures at self-control. The Wilberforce School’s teachers have helped shape me to become a more composed person. They said, “No.” when necessary, but they also gently reminded me when necessary, and they have guided me through my years.

My friends are also very forgiving. They are way more forgiving than I deserve. I have sometimes made impulsive moves, which led to several disasters. Most of them are too embarrassing to even mention, and I still make impulsive moves these days, though not as frequently. In fact, during this school year I hit someone in the head with my lunchbox. I don’t know why I did that, and I recommend that you don’t follow my example. As soon as the lunch box went “bang,” I felt so sorry, and I wish I had not made the poor choice. My classmate was very forgiving, and I am so thankful for that. But, I still have such a graphic picture of my sin in my head, and I know that I would not have done that if I had more self-control, if I had thought before I acted. This single incident has taught me so much. It has taught me to have better self-awareness and self-control, because each bad impulse leads to bad consequences for not only yourself, but others around you. I could not have learned that without the kindness, patience, and forgiveness of the friends around me!

As I said before, my teachers have supported in such unbelievable ways. When I was younger, there were several occasions where I had a physical fight with a classmate. I won’t tell you the nitty gritty details, because I can now remember and cringe. I am still ashamed of what I have done to this very day! I can tell you that I distinctly remember being sent to the principal’s office, and facing my punishments. My teachers gave me time to think about what I should have done, they gave me time to think about having more self-control, and they gave me time to try to fix the relationships which I had broken in the process of my impulsive moves. They also reminded me to respect my peers. And to this very day, that reminder still sticks with me.

I slowly learned from my mistakes, and all is pretty good now. I am still miles from being perfect. But I remember all those times where I have lacked self-control, and I see that someone always, whether it was a friend or teacher of The Wilberforce School, was there to guide me. In most tough situations which I encounter, I can usually keep my head and remember to have self-control. I am so thankful for The Wilberforce School, and I could have asked for a better education. I am so glad you are here at Wilberforce: know that your friends and your teachers are there to help you as well.

Tim Griegel

During my three years at Wilberforce, this school has taught me about my Christian identity. When I look around the world, and I see so many people who don’t know their purpose. A majority of the earth population’s goal is “to be a cow.” (That’s my description.) Most people just want to fit in with the herd. They’re afraid to stand out. At Wilberforce the community is different from the rest of the world. I have learned how to lead by example, how to reveal my Christian traits, and how to apply Christianity to all aspects of my life. Wilberforce shaped me into the Christian I am today.

1 Timothy 4:12 states: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” This verse is directed toward all of us (kids). It tells us to be courageous and show other people what a Christian does. I learned how to do this from many other great examples who are the Wilberforce staff, a few of these being Mr. Yang, Mr,Young, and Dr. Ristuccia. Many people think how they act and how they represent the Son of God doesn’t matter. Well, it does. Many of my friends from outside of school have not come to Christ. Whenever, I hang out with them, they often notice (and remark on the fact) that I won’t curse and I won’t talk about the same negative kind of things they will. This difference often leads to their asking me a question like, “Why do you act this way?” or they just ask themselves, “Why is he so different?” This questioning doesn’t immediately make my friends convert them to Christianity; however, it makes them stop and think. So many people are raised in homes where going to church every Sunday just isn’t “the thing.” That is why it is so important that who really believe in Jesus represent who Christians are and how amazing God is. When an atheist sees a Christian walking around town with fullness, joy, and a purpose, this leads them to wonder, what am I missing? To this question, we all know the answer is Christ.

At this point you are probably wondering how you are supposed to lead by example. Luckily for you Wilberforce has blessed me with the knowledge of how a Christian leads his life, what his character traits should be. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” This is a general list of the virtues that Wilberforce encourages us to demonstrate All of the staff and faculty express this fruit daily as they are teaching us, especially they show us patience. Don’t get me wrong, no one expects you to be perfect. At The Wilberforce School, the faculty and even your peers are there to help you improve in the areas you struggle the most, and to do so with genuine care. This camaraderie is one of the reasons Wilberforce is so special.

Lastly, Wilberforce has given me wisdom as to how to apply Christianity to all aspects of life. Going to Wilberforce has been such a blessing. I don’t know of many other schools that pray before each class and have a chapel every Friday. Every Thursday we break into groups and pray for each other. Four days a week we have Bible class to help us increase our knowledge of the Word. The atmosphere here is like a family, which is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in other schools. The teachers all show genuine care. It really is amazing, and it is a great privilege. In many other countries, it’s illegal even to say the name Jesus. Throughout the earth, two out of every three people don’t know Jesus. That is why none of us should take for granted the knowledge that is offered here. Wilberforce prepares you to go out into our world and be a strong Christian leader--one who isn’t a cow, someone who doesn’t blend in with the herd and follow the usual ways.

In life there are going to be many paths we can choose and many distractions that take us away from what is important. You will be asked to make many important life-changing decisions. The Wilberforce School teaches the right path, the path of God. Jesus commands us: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it ” (Matthew 7:13).

My time at Wilberforce has taught me about my Christian identity. I have learned how to lead by example, how to exhibit Christian character traits, and how to apply Christianity in the real world. I know that I have explained this morning is all is going over many of your heads, but I just ask if you are going to take away anything from my speech, remember this: Don’t be a cow; don’t just follow the narrow herd-like path. If you already can’t remember what those ideas mean, that is okay too. Just ask one of the one of the teachers around you, I’m sure they can tell you, because they are the ones who told me.