A Christian boarding school impacts students lives as the staff endeavors to live out what Christ has done in their lives. One of the greatest (and unbiblical) mistakes that people make when dealing with teens is in judging them. The students very well may test all the boundaries set in place, but when they cross the line, there is no need to judge or take it personally.
If you do judge, you will greatly hinder your ability to be of any real help to the student. Judging is essentially condemnation, and, when you condemn someone for their behavior, you are certainly not acting like Christ. On top of this, our current generation does not typically respond to judging or condemnation. During the baby boomer generation, that seemed to be the way that kids were expected to be brought up.
I believe that teens – and all humanity for that matter – respond well to correction which is given in a loving manner. Do not mistake this for compromise, for it is far from it. Teens must be corrected and disciplined for their misbehavior, but doing so in a loving and corrective manner will help you win each and every time. Consistency is also of great value in directing the lives of teens: making certain that you stick to your guns when it comes to implementing punishment will help make the results of that discipline longer lasting.
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