A Sonlight student on Proverbs, proverbs, and teaching

Paul Jean-Rilus, 11 th grade
Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Toran Kopren, Windsor, CO

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he shall not depart from it.” Pro 22:6

The Bible shows the importance of training children in the right way, because this helps them in
adulthood. Many people misunderstand this verse, thinking that if a child is raised by godly parents,
then he will be a godly person, or the other way around. Although that can be true sometimes, it is not
always.

As the Haitian proverb says, (I translated it) “You should straighten the tree while it is still young.” This
saying and the verse state the same idea. As parents, teachers, and even older student, training up
children is part of God’s plan. Teaching students not only increases their knowledge but can do
something much bigger: shape their character, personality, and possibly who they will be tomorrow.
This is such a great work. Teaching and training children under God can lead them to a relationship with
Christ, which is the greatest relationship they will ever have.

I encourage anyone who trains or supports students in God’s way to continue doing the work because it
is such a great one. Without this guidance, in many ways, I would have been different. I am still being
trained, I can be a guide to younger students because I know the importance of training a child and
when he gets older, he won’t depart from it.