Dr. Cristina Sevadjian

Hi Covenant Friends,

Well, January and February of this year have given us cold weather and a flu outbreak so significant the Rhetoric school had to close for two days! February can feel like a hard month in the school year. Breaks are fewer; the grind and stress of the school year have set in; and we begin to feel concerned about how our children are doing. Parenting is both overwhelming and exhausting.

Our world grows more confusing, fragmented, chaotic, and difficult. Yet we know from scientific research that strong communities raise strong children. As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Fortunately, we have a village at The Covenant School! 

Part of my job is helping parents choose schools based on academics, family values, and the social, emotional, and specialized learning needs of their children. This professional knowledge was a huge benefit when it was time for us to choose a school where we wanted to raise our children. I had already had a long relationship with Covenant, and one of the things I loved most was the parent-school partnership. I knew we needed a village. The parent-school partnership meant that we would have help in making sure our children’s learning was on track, that we would have help in reinforcing the message of the Gospel, that we would have help in the character development of our children, and that we would have support when our children’s lives became difficult. I needed help. This is a hard time to be a parent and a child!

Administrators and teachers invite us into a partnership built on trust, and at times, it can feel pretty vulnerable! Teachers and administrators provide feedback about our children’s learning, behavior, and character development. I struggle with perfectionism and the desire to perform well, so a meeting about my child often feels like a report card on my parenting. Of course I know this is not the intent, but I can fall into believing this lie!  And still, it can be easy to become defensive, critical, and angry out of fear when I have a hard meeting at school. Yet I have had the blessing of seeing the great amount of prayer and thought that goes before any feedback is given.

As parents, we can often have strong opinions about a new school policy or a hard experience involving our children. We can quickly share our discontentment and stir others up, which can inadvertently threaten the trust in the parent-school partnership. 

The Covenant School, like anywhere else, is an imperfect place filled with imperfect people. However, it is a village firmly rooted in the Gospel of Christ, which is preached and lived each day. What hope and light is in our world! I want to encourage us all to lean in and trust that parent-school partnership, even when it is difficult.  I have been personally encouraged by this partnership this year.  If you are in a season where the partnership feels hard, I encourage you to work on that parent-school partnership. Your child will benefit from a strong village of support. If you have reaped the benefit of that partnership, encourage your administrators and teachers this month. Tell them how they have positively impacted you and your child. 

My prayer is that we can labor together, persevering even when the difficult seasons inevitably come, knowing in the end, we all need a village.