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Re-ED Principles "Time is an Ally"

Time is an ally, working on the side of growth in a period of development when life has a tremendous forward thrust.

Steve Kozak, Program Director
Kinship, The Pressley Ridge Schools
Greensburg, PA

Time is an ally working on the side of growth in a period of development when life has tremendous forward thrust. This is more than just a saying. This is a principle of Re-EDucation created by Nicholas Hobbs. Today, as I contemplate 20 years of Re-ED service to children and families, I know that this principle is true. Much of our current culture runs counter to believing that time is an ally. We are taught that time is running out. We are immersed in a hurry-up, microwave, time is money, fast-paced world where compliance and efficiency are rewarded, while contemplation and process are dissuaded. If we are not careful we could be teaching our staff and our children that problem-solving, conflict resolution, and growth must occur now, whether it in genuine or not.

No diligent farmer who plants an apple seed in the spring expects to eat its fruit that same summer. In an agricultural measure of time, one would expect to till the soil, to create the furrows, plant the seeds, and spread the fertilizer. Then one must nurture the young saplings, water them, support them when necessary, and then some 7 to 10 years later partake of their fruit.

In the field of troubling and troubled youth work, it seems to me that the process and time requirements are similar. No teacher/counselor should expect to be in this labor-intensive environment and see fruit in just one, or even several seasons. Change, meaningful change, which provides a foundation upon which a child can grow takes time. I would like to challenge our best young teacher/counselors to do this: Let time be an ally! Learn as much as you can and put your best skills to work but let the children take their time. Teach them to use time to solve their conflicts, heal their shame, and pardon their guilt.

Let the schedule be built on accomplishments instead of the ticking clock. Let their willingness to try and stick to a task or lesson be more important than an artificially or arbitrarily imposed limitation of time.

Make time work on behalf of your kids or group. Take the time you need to nurture and understand your child’s thoughts, and feelings as he or she work toward agreed upon outcomes of behavior. The funny thing about time is that it never stops, and never goes backward. Neither can we.

The future of the childcare industry is currently being shaped by the tremendous changes and challenges we face today. In many of our states, managed care systems have already been established which, by their nature, begin by limiting the time in which concerns can be addressed in a setting. Our challenge as administrators, directors, supervisors, teacher/counselors, and advocates of children’s services and their rights, is to be true to our principles. We must become evermore creative in our work with children and families, using whatever time we have in the most effective manner. We must also be sure to use whatever influence we have or can get to help shape these constantly changing systems of care to develop in such a way as to find balance between the need for fiscal responsibility and provider accountability and the belief, our belief, that time is, indeed, an ally.

Steve Kozak just celebrated his twentieth year in Re-ED, all of them in various positions with The Pressley Ridge Schools. On behalf of all his friends and colleagues in AREA, congratulations, Steve, and best wishes for your continued success.

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