Where Did the Time Go?
If you’re a parent of school-aged children, try this: count how many Mays you have left before your child graduates from high school. For many, it’s less than a dozen. That moment—watching them walk across the stage to receive a diploma—will be here before you know it.
I often encourage parents to pause and ask: What do I want to be true about my child on graduation day? Once you have that picture in your mind, you can begin working backward, making intentional decisions today that will help shape that future.
One of your most essential choices is who you partner with in your child’s education. Every school produces a particular kind of graduate. What kind do you want to raise? Does a school have a clear vision of the type of young people it’s helping to develop? Does that vision align with your values?
These questions matter more than you think. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, once said, "The books you read and the people you spend time with will determine who you become." School is a perfect example. Between kindergarten and 12th grade, your child will spend over 16,000 hours with educators and read around 200 books. Those hours shape hearts and minds.
Research confirms that when a school’s values align with those of a child’s home, students perform better academically, behave more positively, and grow into more satisfied, engaged adults.
At Indian Rocks Christian School, we take that partnership seriously. We aim to graduate students with sound minds, servants’ hearts, and skilled hands. Why these three traits?
Sound minds – In a world of noise and confusion, we want students to think clearly and critically. Research shows that critical thinking helps reduce anxiety. Students should be trained to think about what they are thinking about.
Servants’ hearts – When students shift their focus from themselves to others, they become more empathetic, resilient, and emotionally healthy. Students do not need to think less about themselves, but they should think about themselves a little less.
Skilled hands – In academics, athletics, the arts, or everyday life, doing things well builds confidence and a sense of purpose. My favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote is ‘If a man is called to be a street sweeper, all of heaven and earth should pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”’
These qualities are the result of intentional decisions made every day by families and by schools. At IRCS, we’ve spent over 40 years refining our approach and are committed to partnering with parents in Christian education.
When I talk with parents exploring school options, I tell them: This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s about stewardship. You have the God-given responsibility to choose what kind of education your child receives and who will help provide it. Our job as educators is to be clear about who we are, what we value, and what kind of graduates we’re shaping.
Thankfully, we live in a place where you have the freedom to make those choices—Pinellas County, Florida, is a great place to raise a family and invest in your child’s future.
– Dr. Chris Hobbs, Indian Rocks Christian School
Dr. Chris Hobbs is the Head of School at Indian Rocks Christian School. Follow Dr. Hobbs on social media @Dr_ChrisHobbs and connect with our school on Instagram @IRCSeagles or ircs.org. IRCS is the most followed K-12 private school in North America on Instagram.
