My five year old daughter inched cautiously to the edge of the diving board, bright orange swimmies firmly affixed to her arms. Though she didn’t yet know how to swim, our instructors believed she was ready to leap off what looked to me like the highest platform at the Olympics. “Miss Colleen” was treading water beneath the diving board, reassuring Kyra that she would be there to swim beside her to the side of the pool after she jumped in. She plugged her nose, held her breath (I was already holding mine!), stepped off, and splashed into the water, rising up to the surface with a giant smile.
“Miss Colleen” and “Mr. Bob” have taught “Parenting Through Swimming” for years, and our family was fortunate enough to see a flyer advertising the class after moving to the area. I was intrigued by this both/and approach—learning for parents as well as for children. Our two and five year old definitely needed more water skills before summer, and I have been curious about my own learning as a parent since I took a course in parenting education while in a period of vocational discernment. (My kids are now 20 and 17, and my need for learning only increases as they grow into young adulthood!)
Though 15 years have passed, I think of the course often, picturing my daughter on that diving board as she approaches each new challenge and, for a time, must stand alone. I notice how the same instincts to call her back are stirred in my body, and I remember how important it was that day to stay in the shallow end as she mustered the courage to leap into the deep end. Then and now, I must let her learn and grow at her own pace, with other trusted adults providing encouragement and support. As my son contemplates his college choice, I remember when Mr. Bob lifted two year old Lucas from my arms and swam away with him saying, “Notice, Mom, how every part of you wants to reach out and take him back. Now notice how he begins to trust me as he gets further away from you—as he knows that his body can float and that he’s safe with me holding him.”
My most important lessons in life were learned outside traditional classrooms, in swimming pools, at music and study summer camps, around the dinner table with storytelling elders, or beside a child befriending baby animals at the local farm. I am grateful for all the traditional ways I was privileged to learn—in college, graduate school, and seminary. But I hold a special place in my heart for the lessons learned along the path of my life—the “just in time” workshop, the book I randomly selected from the library with wise words I continue to ponder, or the sermon that spoke right to my heart.
Given this, it’s a privilege to focus my attention at the American Baptist Home Mission Societies on developing similar “just in time” offerings.
Perhaps you are noticing as you complete your taxes that your income or spending are out of synch with your financial goals.
“Tools for Financial Literacy” are videos you can access on your own time to learn how to use free and accessible on-line tools for people of all economic levels who want to learn more about saving, cash flow, managing debt, and achieving goals.
Our upcoming “Chaplaincy Skills for Community Ministry” is a six week course for those who might be discerning a future in chaplaincy or who just want to be more aware of the emotions that arise when listening to someone who is in pain.
And for those of you who might carry student debt from your experiences of formal, credentialed learning at the undergraduate or graduate level, the upcoming “Student Loan Forgiveness for Ministry Leaders” webinar is for you. Join us to learn about the current guidelines regarding public service forgiveness for clergy and other non-profit employees.
Just as you might flip through the “Adult Education” catalog in your community or scroll through courses offered by your public library, we hope you’ll visit the Center for Continuous Learning regularly to see our upcoming opportunities to learn with others in our American Baptist fellowship and beyond.
Jump into the pool of learning with us, and share with us what skills, resources, and conversations would best equip you to serve as God has called you!
My five year old daughter inched cautiously to the edge of the diving board, bright orange swimmies firmly affixed to her arms. Though she didn’t yet know how to swim, our instructors believed she was ready to leap off what looked to me like the highest platform at the Olympics. “Miss Colleen” was treading water beneath the diving board, reassuring Kyra that she would be there to swim beside her to the side of the pool after she jumped in. She plugged her nose, held her breath (I was already holding mine!), stepped off, and splashed into the water, rising up to the surface with a giant smile.
“Miss Colleen” and “Mr. Bob” have taught “Parenting Through Swimming” for years, and our family was fortunate enough to see a flyer advertising the class after moving to the area. I was intrigued by this both/and approach—learning for parents as well as for children. Our two and five year old definitely needed more water skills before summer, and I have been curious about my own learning as a parent since I took a course in parenting education while in a period of vocational discernment. (My kids are now 20 and 17, and my need for learning only increases as they grow into young adulthood!)
Though 15 years have passed, I think of the course often, picturing my daughter on that diving board as she approaches each new challenge and, for a time, must stand alone. I notice how the same instincts to call her back are stirred in my body, and I remember how important it was that day to stay in the shallow end as she mustered the courage to leap into the deep end. Then and now, I must let her learn and grow at her own pace, with other trusted adults providing encouragement and support. As my son contemplates his college choice, I remember when Mr. Bob lifted two year old Lucas from my arms and swam away with him saying, “Notice, Mom, how every part of you wants to reach out and take him back. Now notice how he begins to trust me as he gets further away from you—as he knows that his body can float and that he’s safe with me holding him.”
My most important lessons in life were learned outside traditional classrooms, in swimming pools, at music and study summer camps, around the dinner table with storytelling elders, or beside a child befriending baby animals at the local farm. I am grateful for all the traditional ways I was privileged to learn—in college, graduate school, and seminary. But I hold a special place in my heart for the lessons learned along the path of my life—the “just in time” workshop, the book I randomly selected from the library with wise words I continue to ponder, or the sermon that spoke right to my heart.
Given this, it’s a privilege to focus my attention at the American Baptist Home Mission Societies on developing similar “just in time” offerings.
Perhaps you are noticing as you complete your taxes that your income or spending are out of synch with your financial goals.
“Tools for Financial Literacy” are videos you can access on your own time to learn how to use free and accessible on-line tools for people of all economic levels who want to learn more about saving, cash flow, managing debt, and achieving goals.
Our upcoming “Chaplaincy Skills for Community Ministry” is a six week course for those who might be discerning a future in chaplaincy or who just want to be more aware of the emotions that arise when listening to someone who is in pain.
And for those of you who might carry student debt from your experiences of formal, credentialed learning at the undergraduate or graduate level, the upcoming “Student Loan Forgiveness for Ministry Leaders” webinar is for you. Join us to learn about the current guidelines regarding public service forgiveness for clergy and other non-profit employees.
Just as you might flip through the “Adult Education” catalog in your community or scroll through courses offered by your public library, we hope you’ll visit the Center for Continuous Learning regularly to see our upcoming opportunities to learn with others in our American Baptist fellowship and beyond.
Jump into the pool of learning with us, and share with us what skills, resources, and conversations would best equip you to serve as God has called you!