Teaching to Learn
Sunday school lessons push me to learn more and be more. Leading a class were the average person is 15 years my senior only makes the drive more intense. Standing in front of a class full of people that have centuries of knowledge between them makes me have to know more. Teaching to learn gets me to a place of hearing faster than any other path I have experienced.
Teachers Bare More Responsibility
James tells us in Chapter 3 of his book that teachers are going to be judged on a stricter basis than others. I have to be prepared to teach the lesson, to answer questions related to the lesson (and sometimes out in left field) and also to find a way to help the people in the group/class HEAR what it is that I am saying. I am not just responsible for my words, but to some level I am responsible for what they hear.
Teachers Carry over from the Classroom
My words in the class are important. My actions outside of the class are even more important. Nothing hurts my heart more than to hear tales of young Christians hurt by the words or actions of a teacher (or former teacher) outside of the class. Sometimes the incident happens weeks, months or even years down the road, but people watch what I do if I ever take the step into the front of the room.
Teachers are Expected to Know More
The first time I took to the podium in that classroom, I know that my knees were shaking. Fortunately, it was a BIG podium and I am a short girl, so there was no risk of being seen. There were plenty of questions from the ones sitting out in front of me, and I only presented about a third of my lesson. I soon realized that I needed to know the information from the book but also any related information that might come up. No matter what my age, as the one leading the class, I was expected (and challenged) to know more.
Teaching comes with being a Christian and a person in general. Daily living has each one of us teaching – sometimes through words and sometimes through actions. Choosing to take the role of teacher only adds to what is required and expected. Although being a teacher can be scary and intimidating, I have found that teaching to learn does the most for growing my own spiritual walk.
What do you expect from your teachers or what do you think people expect from you AS a teacher?
