It Takes Two to Teach!

“We can no longer teach alone even if we wanted to.  Safety demands that there are two adults with children at all times.” (Johnson, 2003, p.35)

This discussion will involve team dynamics rather than a discussion on safety policies in our teaching areas.  It is important to consider the essentials of effective teamwork and how team harmony can be created.

Every team needs a leader.  Perhaps leaders have been designated or a natural leader has emerged; but it is important for someone on the team to take ultimate responsibility for the team and who makes the final call for tough decisions.  Leaders have to assign roles and responsibilities as well as helping volunteers grow into their roles or move into new responsibilities.  People work better when their gifts and interests have been identified and tapped into.  Effective team leaders encourage dialogue and discussions, and effective team members support their leader.

Communication is a necessity.  It should be open, direct, consistent and honest.  Don’t seek out conflict, but do not avoid it either.  It is important for a team to work through conflict together.  Once disagreements or hurt feelings are worked through, relationships, teamwork and effectiveness are always stronger.

If the team is not functioning well; get another leader to consult with the team or help in navigating the conflict.  Don’t forget to allow time for a team to get used to one another, to learn to work as a team, and to respect one another.

Open conflict, hidden agendas, and passive aggression all contribute to unhealthy teaching environments.

Congratulations to all our graduates!

We had a great day on Saturday with 5 Biblical Studies Certificates (our 1-year credential), and a Master’s degree recipient too!

Megan Davies, Trisha Domingo, Shannese MacKinnon, Sara MacLean, and Latisha Richard all received their certificates.  And even better, Eileen Tanner finished all the requirements for her second Master’s Degree!  While she didn’t receive it on Saturday, she’s on her way to Lincoln, Illinois later this week to receive it during their ceremonies there.

We also want to say “thanks” to two others:  Bob Crockett has now retired from our Board of Directors, after helping to lead MCC for 26 years, and Dr Johnny Pressley, Academic Dean at Cincinnati Bible Seminary came all the way here to speak at our graduation festivities regarding God’s Spirit from Zechariah 4.  That’s the famous phrase “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit’ says God Almighty.”  Our efforts mean and do nothing without God’s Spirit to make the difference.

It was a great day of celebration with a full house; thanks to all who made the trip, and congrats again to Eileen, Megan, Trisha, Shannese, Sara, and Latisha!

 Window of Opportunity, cont’d

Reflect

on your own journey. 

Write down

the major events or circumstances

that helped you become a Christian,

and make note of the events

that helped you to continue in faith.

Realizing that different Christians

have different experiences

that brought them to Christ,

think about how God

can use your experience

to help

non-Christians.

How is your belief today different from when you first became a Christian?

(Teacher training on the go, Johnson)

A Window of Opportunity

“For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him

shall not perish

but have eternal life.” 

– John 3:16

It has been called the 4/14 Window.

The 4/14 Window is the period between

the ages of four and fourteen

when 60 percent of Christians

accept Christ as their

Lord and Saviour.

Helping others find Christ starts with love.  Love those who do not know Christ!  There is a children’s ministry leader in Florida who, prior to praying for the meal, asks the waiter if there is anything special the church staff could pray about for them.

It’s important to understand that we don’t save, God does.  It is not because we are smart, or speak well, or tell good stories, or have great snacks, that produces results; it is the work of the Holy Spirit!  God’s word speaks, and the Spirit nudges.  You are one of God’s messengers.  Share Christ in every lesson. 

Understand how God saves us.  All of us have sinned, and we are separated from God.  BUT God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us to pay for our sin.  Our students need to know this, trust God, and have faith in Jesus to receive his forgiveness.

Challenging Students, cont’d

Everyone likes to teach children who are motivated, but teaching difficult students or bullies is another thing.  How can you create an environment where everyone learns even when you have bullies, smart alecks, or others who lack the motivation to learn? 

Ask for help from others who are also involved with the same students; ministers, parents, friends, and previous teachers, and they can offer you some advice on how to motivate.  These partners in ministry may show you that you shouldn’t work alone in your classroom.  Perhaps the challenging student might benefit from a little personal attention from another helper.

Try enlisting a mature adult who will give full-time help to the student as a nurturing project.  Short-term solutions for a student who is under-motivated will only reinforce his or her worldview that no one cares.  Look for ways to meet their needs, while meeting other students’ needs at the same time.  Develop a relationship.  Give them opportunities to succeed.  Let them know they are important.  Use humour.  Maintain a sense of control.

In what ways do we label children?

How can you effectively assess children without labelling them?

Teaching Challenging Children

Both speed bumps and brick walls

are made out of very hard material.

Our response to these barriers will determine whether

we wreck our cars or are merely inconvenienced. 

Your reaction to students who appear to have

little desire to learn determines if they

slow your classroom down,

redirect it,

or wreck it.

Motivation: Bill Cosby, playing the role of Dr. Cliff Huxtable, was sitting at the dinner table with his daughter Rudy.  Rudy refused to finish her dinner, and her father would not let her leave the table until she had finished her meal.  Rudy refused to eat, so Cliff told the story about another five-year-old who would not finish her dinner.  All her friends went to middle school, graduated from high school, and went to college, but the young girl remained at her dinner table.  Rudy, apparently, was not impressed—she still would not finish her meal.

Denise, Rudy’s older sister, came into the house, and Rudy could hear Denise and her friends move the living room couch, roll up the carpet, start to play music, and begin to dance.  Just then, Denise came into the kitchen, and Rudy asked her older sister if she could join them.  Denise said, “Sure, as soon as you finish your dinner.” 

Rudy ate her three Brussels sprouts, placed the plate in the sink, and went out to dance.

This week, think about how you motivate your students.

Face-off or motivation?

(Teacher Training on the go, Johnson)

Attendance Boosters, cont’d

Your students may spend every other weekend with their church-going parent, or the parents may only be sporadic attendees; it’s important to understand that.  Never point out how many times they have missed your class; but celebrate their attendance and participation.  Warmly welcome sporadic attendees and tell them how glad you are that they are there, remembering to make the regular attendees feel just as important.

When students are absent, let them know they are missed; e-mails, actual postcards, texts, or even sending a part of the lesson.  Let them know you hope to see them next week.

Make every class the best it can be!  Start on time.  If you don’t want to start the actual lesson for about 10 minutes, have pre-lesson activities ready, and make them the best part of the class.

Focus on making the Sunday school and event that children are sorry to miss.  Is it exciting?  Do they have friends they miss if they aren’t there?  Do they actively engage in the lesson?  Attendance is not the goal.  You want students who come, motivated to learn and grow in their relationship with Christ.     (Johnson, 2003, p.29-30)

Attendance Boosters

You can’t increase student achievement without increasing student participation.

You can’t have any of your students participating if they don’t show up!

What can a Sunday school teacher do to boost the attendance of those students who rarely or inconsistently attend?

Even if students aren’t completely in control of their attendance, you can have an impact on turn out!

How do you feel when a student doesn’t show up for that lesson you just knew he or she would love?  How can you turn your disappointment and discouragement into action by creating a class that students will feel sorry to miss?

Learning to Love God

Valentine’s Day candy sales were projected to be over a billion dollars and over a million roses were expected to be sent, according to a retail organization.  A poll indicated that over 80% planned to give greeting cards and 60% anticipated taking their sweetheart out for the evening.  Love seems to be a last-minute thought for most people.  According to NBC’s Today Show, Valentine’s Day generates more last-minute buying where other holidays are planned for ahead of time.

How do we plan to teach God’s love?  Do we tell the stories of what God has done?  Do we teach His faithfulness, His love, and His character?  Do we connect the stories of the Bible to personal examples?  Your own experiences with God and your learners’ stories create a wonderful correlation between the history of the Bible and the learner’s life today.

Love is always associated with action in scripture.  Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.  Peter said, “Yes, you know I do.” Jesus then responded, “Feed my sheep.”  In other words, “Then do something!”  love and obedience go hand in hand.  If we love God, we do what he wants.  The classroom should reflect this observation by making practical applications of every story, every lesson and every question.

Helping Learners Love God

Think about all the things you love:

• We love puppies and kittens
• Sunshine
• Snowdrops and tulips
• Back rubs
• Shopping
• Music
• Money in our birthday cards

It’s easy to love something we can see and feel, but much harder to love what we don’t know!

Scripture tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30); fully connecting with God.  How is that done?  We need to show our learners how to spend time with God, pray to God, and share experiences with God.  They need to know what God has done and what God is like in order to form a passion for or even an opinion about God.

When was the first time you felt that God loved you?

How do you live out your love for God?