The weather is (finally!) warming up, the days are lengthening as we approach the summer solstice, hay-fever sufferers are monitoring the daily pollen count and we are, of course, in the middle of exam season.
If you are the parent or grandparent of a teenager or can see teenagers in your church hard at it, you might have sympathy with the wise words of Ecclesiastes: ‘Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body’ (Ecc.12:12).
As a teacher for over 20 years, and now a parent of three teenagers, I have seen both sides of the exam experience. I have also been an examiner for several different exam boards over the years and, contrary to popular belief, examiners are not trying to catch you out or take marks away from you. One of the key points in examiner training is the importance of ‘marking positively’. Exam boards are actively looking for ways to rewards students for their knowledge and ideas. The question is always where can we give credit rather than where can we penalise. I wonder if that is a principle we could apply to life as Christians too?
Honouring God in a really tough employment market
Youth unemployment is currently running at just under 16%, with the graduate job market being particularly hard hit.Last year …