Topic(s): Christian Life

Preparation

Study the material to be presented. The quality of your teaching directly correlates to the amount of preparation time. Use the teacher’s guide provided for your class as a guide, not as the fount of all knowledge. In any sort of teaching, knowledge is found from more than one source. Look up words, utilize a Bible atlas, check commentaries, etc. In order to be a good teacher you must first be an interested student. Check ahead of time to see what visual aids might be available such as filmstrips, maps, etc. Always remember to pray.

Before Class Starts

Be early. Parents dropping children off need time to get to their classes before they start. Some are teachers in other classes and need to be able to drop off their children in your class and get to theirs early. Set an example for the students. Take the time in the minutes before class to greet the students. Take an interest in them, a real interest, and you are likely to have a more positive class. Begin the class with a prayer. This sets the tone for the class and helps to focus the students.

Teaching: Reviewing

Review previous material. This both reminds them of what they already know and alerts you to what needs to be stressed in order to make a smooth transition to the new lesson.

Beginning with the review period to start the class, work to involve the students as much as possible by utilizing effective questions. It is often helpful to write out review questions as part of your preparation. Although necessary with younger children, limit the use of rote memorization queries (“What is grace?”). Rather, ask questions that require thought—especially with older kids. The definition of “grace” might be a fundamental but then ask them to put that knowledge to work (“What do we mean by grace?” “What are some examples of grace?” “How was grace demonstrated in the previous lesson?”).

Allow time for the students to answer. Don’t give up too easily. Restate the question or provide an illustration. Positively reinforce correct answers. Encourage those giving an incorrect answer. As much as possible, involve all the students with the questions asked. Be gentle, but be persistent. Some kids are natural “backrowers” and have to be coaxed out of their shell.

—adapted, Brian L. Crispell

“And he began to teach them . . .” —Mark 8:31

Take Your Children

Topic(s): Children

The Bible admonishes believers to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it,” and a new nationwide survey provides some statistical support for Proverbs 22:6, a verse often quoted by Christian parents and educators.

According to the latest report by the Barna Research Group (BRG), adults who attended church regularly as a child are three times as likely to be churchgoers as adults than are peers who avoided church during childhood. They are also much more likely than their unchurched peers to be involved in church-based and personal spiritual activities.

The BRG survey of 1,003 adults found that roughly 71 percent of those interviewed had regularly attended church as youngsters. Sixty-one percent of those who attended church as a youngster still attend regularly, while 78 percent of those who were not churchgoers as children remain absent from churches.

Overall, 63 percent of adults who attended church as children now take their own children. In contrast, only 33 percent of adults who were not churched bring their own children to a house of worship.

 - From barna.org by way of Christianity Today

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

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought. - Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Topic(s): Humor

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Bobby was excited about the task —but he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Bobby was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, “The Lord is my Shepherd and that's all I need to know.”

A Sunday school teacher asked, “Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the ark?” “No,” replied Johnny. “How could he, with just two worms.”

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. —William Arthur Ward