Turning the Tables

​by Adam Kronberger / Head of School

Most jobs have small daily perks that can become the favorite part of an employee’s day. Standing outside the front of Crosshill Christian School each morning personally greeting students and parents is certainly one of the favorite parts of my day. Each high five given is a quick symbolic connection and prayer over each individual that enters the fold. Another enjoyable perk of my job is performing daily announcements over the intercom system. News, birthdays, lunch menu, and sports updates are intertwined with music and sound effects. By the time learning begins in the classroom, it feels like the day has already been won.

One portable classroom of 7th grade students did not yet have a phone installed at the beginning of the year, so I had the added benefit of giving “live” announcements to the class for a second time. As the class was generally already engaged with the morning lessons, I found much joy in silently sneaking into the back of the classroom and suddenly bursting out “Goooooooood Morning Crosshill Christian!” Inevitably, half the class would jump in their seats, with large grins on their faces equal to my own. 

A phone was recently installed in their classroom and I performed my last bittersweet “live” announcement in their classroom. Unbeknownst to me, the class and their teacher, Mr. Scheler, had been scheming for some time about a plan to get me back and “surprise” me in some sudden way. The other day I was in the safe comfort of my office preparing to begin my morning ritual of announcements over the phone system with music blaring from my speakers. I began to sense a vibration in the floor like a herd of elephants was approaching. And right in the middle of my “live” announcements over the phone system, twenty 7th grade students charged into my office with a “surprise” greeting. With little time to adjust, we collectively completed the school-wide announcements with impromptu chorus at times, with grins stretching across our faces.  

Luke 6:40 states that “everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” The principle of “actions speak louder than words” certainly applied to this scenario as my actions modeled behavior that students applied to put a smile on my face! As parents, we are responsible each day to provide instruction to our children covering a wide variety of learning. But more importantly, it is our actions that either confirm or contradict those instructions which carry the most weight. So whether it is a high five, a loving embrace, an example of integrity, or a practical joke, allow the volume of your actions to confirm the people God wants us to be. 

– Adam Kronberger / Head of School