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Don’t Teach Your Child to “Follow Their Passion” My son said it quietly when he was 13. We were driving home from school when he tried to explain that he didn’t want to attend summer football workouts anymore. He wanted to try cross-country instead. He had lost interest in helmets and shoulder pads and was drawn to the runners’ community. That was in 2017. Years later, he earned a college scholarship to run and earned all-conference honors in his senior year. At the time, though, none of that was visible. He was simply curious about something new. A few years [...]

ARE YOU READY…TO RAISE AN ADULT? At Indian Rocks Christian School, we are deeply committed to our Portrait of a Graduate. Cultivating sound minds, servant hearts, and skilled hands is not a slogan—it is how we prepare students to pursue God’s call on their lives in any industry or ministry. But here’s a quiet truth: much of what prepares a student for adulthood happens between the cracks—outside the formal curriculum and beyond what any portrait can fully capture. I was reminded of this in June of 2023 while attending a college parent orientation for one of our children. The vice [...]

Dreaming and Investing: The Journey to an Exceptional Reality for Students   When I was eight years old, my dad hung a basketball hoop on a tree in our backyard—but he placed it low. He wanted me to learn the proper fundamentals, to experience the joy of seeing the ball actually go in. I spent countless hours out there, imagining buzzer-beaters and championship moments. That backyard hoop became a place where my imagination could run wild. As I got older, I started dreaming bigger—I wanted to dunk. So my dad pulled me aside and taught me a few simple exercises [...]

Basketball, Bows, and Arrows: The importance of vision-casting for your child Mo Johnson was a postal worker in my hometown with a barrel chest and a big afro. He was a faithful husband, loving father, and deacon at my church. But to me, he was Coach Mo, my eighth-grade basketball coach, which made him very important. I’ll never forget him, because he was the first person besides my dad to cast a vision for what I could be. After a few good games, he pulled me aside and said, “Hobbsie, you could be good at this if you worked at [...]

The Secret to Your Child’s Success? A Strong Work Ethic As parents, we want to prepare our children for a prosperous future. One of the most powerful gifts we can give them isn’t a gadget, a tutor, or even an excellent education, though all those can help. The secret to lifelong success is much simpler: teach your child to work hard. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor of the light bulb and the motion picture camera, held over 1,000 patents. His company, Bell Labs, was one of the most innovative in history. When asked about the reason for his success, Edison [...]

HARMONY: How We Can Orchestrate a Symphony of Life at IRCS this Year Music is not my gift. My musical abilities are so deficient that I would tell you I’m tone deaf, but I’m not sure I’d be right. Ironically, I love music. I once took a personality profile assessment that identified love of music as one of my strengths. Recently, I was mesmerized when I watched a well-known rock star play a sequence of his songs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was a symphony of 107 instruments. The harmony among many different instrumentalists, their varying expertises, and their [...]

YOU’RE INVITED TO CULTURE-SHAPING MOMENTS Two young fish were swimming along when they met an older fish. The older fish smiled and said, “How’s the water, fellas?” The younger fish swam on for a bit, then one turned to the other and asked, “What’s water?” That little story reminds us how culture works, it surrounds us, influences us, and shapes us, often without us noticing it. Culture can be described as: The social glue that holds people together “The way we do things around here” Deeply held beliefs and assumptions The unwritten rules Some of those descriptions sound positive, others [...]

JUMP ANYWAY: Raising Courageous Kids in an Anxious, Fearful World It’s a familiar scene for many parents: you’re waist-deep in a pool, encouraging your hesitant child to jump from the edge into your arms. Fear holds them back, yet they finally leap. The thrill of that first jump is unforgettable…as long as you catch them!  That simple moment reflects a broader truth: our children are growing up in a culture increasingly shaped by fear. The Anxious Generation has topped the New York Times bestseller list for over a year, revealing just how deep this anxiety runs. But fear is not [...]

RECIPROCATING SAWS: 5 Back-and-Forths That Build a Thriving School Community At our house, my wife is the true DIY pro. Her favorite power tool? The reciprocating saw. If you’ve never used one, think of an electric version of a hand saw—just faster and stronger. What makes it powerful is the constant back and forth. That’s where the real cutting happens. The same idea applies to building community. It’s not a one-time action—it’s a constant back-and-forth effort between home and school. At Indian Rocks Christian School (IRCS), one of our core values is Building Community. Like a sawing action, it only works [...]