Top 5 secrets of an effective Sunday school teacher.

 

Top 5 secrets of an effective Sunday school teacher:

Ever noticed how most Sunday school teachers seem upbeat, calm, resourceful, happy, and confident? You think there is a certain fountain of happiness and calm that they know about; there is this mystery about them. How do they seem great AALLL the time? I can imagine every Sunday school teacher or every teacher wants to maintain this mystery. When a teacher is effective, this means they are giving their best, no matter the circumstances they face. They are confident and able to face anything in the classroom; is it because they have a secret or because they place their confidence in them?

Secret No. 1: Prayer.

Effective teachers constantly and consistently talk to God, being vulnerable to God with their fears, weaknesses, and worries because he wants to obviously hear from them, and guess what? You too, yes, you. They ask for strength for this journey as a teacher to nurture these little lambs, and they ask for wisdom to see each child through HIS eyes. After praying, they allow God's peace to GAURD their HEARTS and MINDS Philippians 4:7. They get to hear from him by reading his word.

Secret No. 2: Personal growth.

Effective teachers constantly and actively look for creative ideas and ways of teaching or having fun with their learners. Yes, consistency is key, but there is no fun in playing the same game every Sunday and singing that one song every Sunday. They spend a lot of time in their secret lab—yes, the secret lab—where all the lessons are brought to life. They spend time preparing their lessons. They attend Sunday school teacher training workshops or find material to read to equip their skills.

Secret No. 3: Help learners grow.

Effective teachers help their learners grow by encouraging the effort they make, not how intelligent they are. Challenges their learners to think in terms of how they phrase questions, effectively communicate with their learners, and encourage curiosity.

Secret No. 4: Getting to know learners.

Effective teachers make an effort to get to know their learners, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and help them grow where needed. Getting to know each learner's learning style and making an effort to accommodate each style in every lesson Effective teachers discover each child's special interest and make an effort to encourage them to pursue it. Annnnnnd, (sighs) they write notes to their learners; this one cuts deep for me because I haven't done this in a verrry very loooong time. I have been making an excuse, and that's "I have so many learners in my class". I am going to do it, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Secret No. 5: Pray with the learners.

Effective teachers pray with their learners because they understand that they MUST practice what they preach. They pray with their learners, and by doing so, learners learn how to pray and the importance of speaking to God. When praying, praise God—Jesus/God, you are a good friend/father to us. Repent- Jesus/God, We are so sorry for the bad things we did this week. Ask- God/Jesus give us a heart like yours to always be good and kind. Yeild, Jesus/God, can you give us the strength to know you more and be best friends with you always? Also, always, always, always take time to pray for each of them and their families.

In my early years of Sunday school teaching, I was extremely insecure because I thought I had to be a certain way. I thought you never got exhausted, you never got burned out, and I would always be happy with my learners. It wasn't until I understood the mystery of every cool, calm, and confidently effective Sunday school teacher.

The secret was in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Throughout this teaching journey, we will face challenges and tough circumstances, but if we draw near to Jesus as we labour in and for his kingdom, then he will give us strength for the load and by so doing, he makes it light for us. If we take up his yoke, his ways, follow his commandments, learn from him, and be his disciples through his word, then, only then, will we find rest for our souls.