| | | This photo brings great JOY to us. On Thursday October 22nd we gathered to celebrate Macy’s completion of the program. What great changes she made over the months that she spent with us. A common theme from our staff and her family was the strength God has produced in her through the obstacles she has overcome. She is currently completing her senior year in high school and working diligently at a part-time job. Her parents, Jason and Angela, shared how their time here was so important for their own growth. We look forward to all God has in store for Macy on her continued journey. |
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What a beautiful day God blessed us with on Tuesday, October 13 th for our golf tournament. We had almost 20 teams join us for this special day to raise funds to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. We want to once again recognize our Presenting Sponsor, Southeast Restoration Group along with our other high-level sponsors including Kiker Wealth, NJ Wilbanks, North Georgia Christian Academy, and DayStar Apparel. We also had numerous Corporate and Hole Sponsors. It is our sponsors that make this tournament possible. We’re grateful for their continued partnership.
Before beginning our round of golf we enjoyed a Putting and Chipping Contest along with a time of fellowship during our lunch. A highlight of the day was hearing a testimony from Wyatt, one of the young men in our teen residential program right before our round began as all the golfers assembled at their carts. His story touched some hearts as there were a few teary-eyed golfers as they left to begin their round. I think you will be encouraged if you take the time to watch.
In a year where so many events have been canceled or postponed we’re truly grateful for all those who made our tournament possible. We want to say a special thanks to Russell Smith and his staff at Been Tree Golf for another terrific tourney. The Lord provided a gracious amount of funds from the tournament that will be used to continue making a difference in the lives of those we serve.
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Our great friend and Director of The Joy House Counseling Center, Garry Barber, was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this month. Soon after the diagnosis he had brain surgery to remove the tumor. Steve Lowe visited with Garry earlier this week. His doctors are very happy and encouraged with his recovery from surgery. They were able to enjoy a great conversation and he is making steady progress in his recovery. He walked Steve out the door when he visited with him to enjoy some time on his front porch.
He is scheduled to begin treatments during November. His family is taking great care of him and they are all blessed by the continued outpouring of love and support from their family and friends. Even in the midst of this great trial they’ve been able to trace the grace of God. He is missing being able to counsel others, and his heart for his clients/friends is evident each time we meet.
We’re grateful for all of our friends and partners who have joined us in praying for Garry and his family and for all the tangible expressions of love. Please continue to pray with us that our Heavenly Father will completely heal Garry. |
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Occasionally when I was teaching in the public-school system, a student would transfer into my class from a place like the Joy House Academy. He might have stellar grades but almost immediately begin failing my class. I drew the conclusion that the program from which he had transferred must have been, to put it bluntly, a joke. How could he make such great grades there but then return to public school only to fail miserably? How else could such a disparity be explained? After teaching for five years here at the Joy House Academy, I think I have some of the answers.
The Joy House Academy teaches academics in a Christian framework which honors God the Creator. Without that foundation, all else fails. What students find built on that foundation is solid. Here students discover dependable structure and limited distractions. Every day the expectations are the same: they arrive, participate in prayer, sit down in their private cubicle, and get started with their work; they work all day and strive to meet at least the minimum expectations of production; most go beyond that minimum (eventually). There are no class changes, no bells ringing at JUST the moment they are beginning to understand. There’s no opportunity to hide in the bathroom instead of going to math class. Because students sit in cubicles, there’s no easy opportunity to interact with other students instead of focusing on their work. Cell phones and electronics are not allowed, so there is no temptation to check messages and social media every time the phone buzzes. The only social time at school is at break and during lunch. Basically, the focus is altogether on academics. It’s amazing what an impact structure and limited distractions can have on issues like ADD, ADHD, and achievement.
Another advantage is class size. My public-school class sizes typically ranged from 20 to 35 students each. Most of us have experienced being students in large classrooms. It takes maturity and self-discipline to stay focused in that environment, and if you are distracted for one second from the lesson, you can miss vital information. Even if you are not distracted but pay close attention, sometimes concepts are difficult to understand. When everybody else understands them and nobody has questions, the teacher moves on. If you are too shy or too embarrassed to declare to everybody in there that you don’t understand, you just fall further and further behind.
Here at the Joy House Academy, because the maximum number of students we have at any given time is 16, students receive enormous attention and support. Not only am I in the classroom each day, but so is a parapro. Thus, the maximum teacher-student ratio is 1:8. On some days we have tutors, reducing that ratio even more. Students are sitting in their cubicles reading the instruction; when they don’t understand, they put up their flag to get assistance. They come to the teacher’s desk, which is private. Because there are so few students, teachers have TIME to sit with them to explain. We have time to figure out where exactly they are misunderstanding. And we have time to encourage them. If a student really wants to learn, he can.
Something else we have time for is to help them work through the emotion that comes with not understanding something. I have been truly stunned by the impact that emotion has on a student’s ability to think. Every single day students come to my desk frustrated by an assignment that they don’t understand. They spend time complaining about how hard it is, and how stupid it is, and so on. First, we deal with that frustration. When they exclaim, “This is hard!” I remind them, “Yes, it is. But you know what? You can do hard things.” When they say, “This math is stupid! I hate it! I wish it didn’t exist!” I say, “Well, I guess you hate air conditioning and bridges and roads and refrigerators and cars and GPS, because without math, we wouldn’t have them.” Conversations like that are harder to have when you have 35 students in the class.
We often talk about how hard it is to think when we are so emotional. A student and I were working on a science problem that had both of us frustrated. My initial instinct was to say, “Don’t be frustrated.” But then I realized, “You know what? Of course you’re frustrated! So am I. It’s frustrating when we don’t get it. But it’s making it hard for me to think. How about you?” She agreed, so I said, “Let’s speak directly to that emotion: ‘Hello, frustration. I understand why you are here; I have been confronted by a challenge I don’t understand yet, and that is scary. But I need you to step aside because I have work to do.’” It may sound crazy, but after we said it out loud, we had solved the problem in five minutes.
Finally, because the Joy House Academy is a benefit of the overall Joy House residential program, there is frequent communication between the school and the house parents. When there is a problem in the home, we know it. When there’s a problem at school, they know it. It’s tough to manipulate either parent or teacher when they’re both on the same page and they are communicating. Parents, teachers, and counselors are sending our residents the same message: meet the expectations; do your best; you can do it. And they do.
Basically, the Joy House Academy offers not only structure with few distractions, but also tremendous academic and emotional support, both at the school and in the homes. Every adult here is able to develop a caring relationship with each student. When all of these advantages are built on the Solid Rock, it makes all the difference.
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