Ep 49: Cultivating Virtue: Teaching Character and Faith with Peggy Osborne

We're having a conversation with a longtime friend and advocate for faith-based early education, Peggy Osborne today. Peggy has journeyed alongside her husband, Chris Osborne, in pastoral ministry for over 40 years. Having served faithfully at Central Church in College Station, Texas for over three decades, she now finds herself in Fort Worth, supporting her husband's teaching role at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as a mentor for pastor's wives and female seminary students. Peggy has a broad knowledge and experience base as a classroom teacher and administrator in the Early Childhood Department of the College Station Independent School District. Since December 2010, she has collaborated with her daughter, Lauren, providing consultancy services to Faith-Based Schools, childcare centers, school districts, and Head Starts across the nation. Today we are going to talk all about character development and why teaching virtues like kindness, love, joy, patience, etc. are important in early childhood. We're laying a foundation of faith for young children years before they make a decision to follow Jesus. Peggy will give us insight into how to use concrete, visual examples, and repetition to help young children understand abstract virtues. Things like, Intentionally "spotlighting" and praising specific acts of virtue in children, rather than just general praise, and connecting virtuous behavior to biblical stories and principles, are incredibly impactful in building their internal sense of character. She will share just how creating a classroom culture that prioritizes and celebrates biblical virtues can positively shift the overall environment. She cares so deeply about teaching the next generation in the ways of God. Finding ways to intentionally teach children these virtues (the fruit of the spirit) will repay big dividends. Just as you will learn from her in this episode, you're building the culture of your classroom! We know that the Holy Spirit's power is what makes those "morals" or "virtues" significant but just think…YOU are introducing many of these families to the Truth of God by intentionally teaching their children to walk in Jesus' ways.    Additional Resources:  Instagram: @deuteronomy14.2 Website: https://youaremytreasure.com/product/the-fruit-project/ Facebook group: Treasured (You Are My Treasure) As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram and on Facebook