How to help Students Process the News
I grew up in Northern VA and have spent over 90% of my life here. That is not normal in the Washington, DC area as it’s a very transient area. Whenever a new President, Senator, Congress person or military official comes into town, it is not always a permanent move. There are always a lot of people moving into and out of the area. But, my parents raised my brothers and I here and this is where I am raising my children.
I say all this because I am very familiar with politicians and how Washington works. It is anything but pretty. In fact, it can be very ugly at times, as we seem to be having more often these days. As ugly as it can be, it can also be also very confusing. After all, people we help elect into office can act and behave in ways we did not think they would. And, in today’s digital world, the news fills our social media channels from every person who wants to speak into a situation. Some are true, some are false. How in the world can you make sense of all this?
As hard as it may be to process for an adult, it can especially hard for teenagers to process all this. How do you help students process the craziness of what is happening in the world and with our elected officials? It’s a tricky issue but here are a few things I have done over my time working with students.
Meet with students and help them process. This can be a very confusing time for them and considering that they may not know how to process it all. Take time to meet up with them and listen to them. They may or may not want to talk about politics but the more you can meet up with students, the more you can help them process all that they are going through and thinking about. It could be about the news or it could be about other things. The more you can meet with students and help them process life from a Christ-centered world view, the more effective students are going to be able to process all that is going on.- Point people to Jesus as the example. As much as we like to hope that the people we elect are flawless and will do good, the reality is that they are all flawed. WE are all flawed (Romans 3:23 – we all fall short). Christ isn’t flawed. Christ uplifted people, hung with the marginalized, uplifted women and helped countless people. He challenged social norms while pointing people to a loving father.
Life can be very confusing at times for students. Then you throw in all that they are hearing on the news and it can add a whole new layer to the confusion. Take time to meet with them and point them to Jesus. The more we can be doing this, the more they will be able to look at the world differently and process all that is happening from a Christ-centered view. And that can be just the difference that will make the ultimate difference in their lives.
What do you think? How do you help students process all that is in the news these days? Share your thoughts below or social media using #ymsidekick when you post.
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