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School Cartoons

Complementing a child goes a long way

cartoon of a happy teacher with a paper and a student
Cartoon of a teacher saying to a student, "This is a great story. You should copyright it!"
(c) kevin@kevinspear.com

Cartoon of a happy teacher and student. The teacher says, “This is a great story. You should copyright it.”

It breaks my heart when I hear about an author who almost didn’t take up his craft because an English teacher once told her that she was a terrible writer. But it is inspiring to hear of those who heard that discouragement, yet overcame it and are authors today.

It is a shame when discouragement comes out of our mouths. I am as guilty as anyone else of spewing criticism to others. Unfortunately, it is too easy to do that in this world.

But a complement goes a long way. My fourth grade teacher encouraged me to consider drawing when complemented my part in a poster. I didn’t think of myself as an artist until that moment.

Be sure to give a sincere complement to a child when you have a chance. You never know how it will change his life.

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animal cartoons

Do you find the slop to your liking?

Featured image of three pigs. One is a waiter and two are at a trough
Featured image of three pigs. One is a waiter and two are at a trough
“If you two find the slop to your liking, I will bring the check.”

I feel for my mom. With four kids to feed, she probably felt there were many a time when she was slopping the hogs. It didn’t matter if it was the finest cuisine or leftovers.  We ate like little piggies and barely grunted a thank you without Dad’s direction.

Now I realize how well she took care of us. I couldn’t have been easy to keep four kids fed, clean and out of trouble while holding a job. But Mom and Dad did it well and with style. Today, I see how much I had to be thankful for.

You may be a Mom or Dad that is tired of slopping your little piggies. But you can know that one day, the kids will realize how well you really took care of them. The realization happens about the time they have to take care of little piggies of their own.

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holiday

Happy Memorial Day

Cartoon of dad and son at grave site: Memorial Day
Cartoon of a dad and son at a gravesite. The dad says, “You would have like him. Grandma says he loved to read the funny paper.”

 

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13

On this Memorial Day, I think about my relatives and ancestors that have served my country. To my knowledge, none of them paid the ultimate price on the battlefield. But all of them saw things they undoubtedly never forgot.

Thank you to the men and women who have defended our freedom yesterday as well as today.  You are not forgotten.

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Motivation Cartoons

Keep failing and keep enduring!

close-up of a jogging couple. The guy is exhausted
Cartoon of a jogging couple
Run the race with perseverance | kevin@kevinspear.com

There was an article in my morning newspaper about an Anderson University professor who gets to participate in Google X lab.

AU professor invited to secret Google X lab » Local News » The Herald Bulletin.

Professor Scott Kennedy talked about the point of research is to fail sometimes. Not only is that the point of research, but it’s also the point of getting anywhere in life. Professor Kennedy says,

I am always telling my students that the point of research is to fail sometimes, to mess up and learn from what happened, what didn’t happen and what didn’t work. You can’t be afraid to try something.

This goes perfectly with the lesson I will be teaching the kids in large group this morning. It’s about endurance: sticking with what you started even when things get tough. Here is the verse for the month:

Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9

Whether it’s science, business, parenting or doing good, we will eventually succeed if we do these things:

  • Keep our eye on the goal
  • Work on them daily
  • Change our tactics or steps when they aren’t working so we can keep moving towards the goal

Go ahead and fail today. If we keep at it and work towards the goal, we will reap that reward in the end.

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Teen Cartoons

Why is it so hard to find a good babysitter?

Cartoon of two teen girls

 

It can be quite difficult to find a good babysitter. You want someone who is good with kids, but doesn’t act like one of the kids. At least, you don’t want to wonder if the babysitter needs a babysitter to watch her and the kids!

You want someone who takes initiative and maybe has some activities for the kids. But you don’t want someone who leaves a mess. You don’t want to vacuum glitter for the next forty days and forty nights!

You want someone who will be in charge, but you don’t want someone who will act like a prison guard. At the same time, you don’t want someone so mousey that the kids take over and your home becomes a scene from Lord of the Flies.

How can you find a good babysitter? Here are some tips that worked for our family.

  • If you attend a church, religious institution or a social club, ask around. A church usually has a youth group. It doesn’t hurt to ask the youth pastor and get to know an available student.
  • Form a co-op with friends that have kids your age. You can either use the network to find qualified babysitters or parents can take turns watching everyone’s kids while the other couples go out.

While this may make things more difficult, please use background checks. Careforhire.com has good tips on how to conduct a background check and what are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do it.

Best of luck!

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