The Art of TeachingM

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2015

SundayHERE’S WHAT I THINK

A classmate has just received a bad grade for a class test. They are quite angry and threatening that their parents will complain to the school administration about your teacher, who they feel is picking on them.

You have been in the same class and know that your classmate is often disruptive in class, does little work, and probably deserved the grade they received. You know your teacher works hard to be fair and to make learning interesting.

How do you respond if your classmate asks you to back up their story of unfair treatment?

Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think.

Monday

WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO SAY?

Different people, different opinions. Some of the quotations below represent the views of true kingdom citizens; others may not. Can you tell the difference? How do these statements compare with what God is saying in His Word? After reviewing the texts in the God Says . . . section of the lesson, write a statement that cap-tures your belief. Be prepared to quote yourself at Sabbath School.

“Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.”—Chinese proverb.

“If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others.”—Tryon

Edwards, 19th-century U.S. theologian, descendant of Jonathan Edwards.

“For every person who wants to teach there are approximately thirty people who don’t want to learn—much.”—W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman,

20th-century British humorists.

“The secret of teaching is to appear to have known all your life what you learned this afternoon.”—Anonymous.

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”—John Cotton Dana, 19th-

20th-century U.S. librarian and museum director.

“To teach is to learn twice.”—Joseph Joubert, 18th-19th-century French philosopher.

“To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler—and less trouble.”—Mark Twain, 19th-century U.S. writer.

“We must always be working towards the moment at which our pupils are fit to become our critics and rivals.”—C. S. Lewis, a longtime tutor at Oxford

University, in The Four Loves.

WHY TEACH?

I recently asked two friends a few questions about being a teacher. These were their honest thoughts.

What is the best thing about being a teacher?

A: The best thing about being a teacher is the daily interactions with young people. You are there on their good days, bad days, and everything in between. Also, it’s awesome building positive values in a classroom setting and modeling characteristics of being a young on-fire Christian.

B: Being able to connect with kids, to see them learn something that makes them feel more confident in themselves, and to affirm them.

What is the worst thing about being a teacher?

A: All the paperwork, kids letting you down, being underappreciated and overworked!

B: Experiencing how cruel kids are to each other, and seeing dis-crimination and bullying constantly, and feeling helpless to effectively fight it. It is ingrained in school culture, and in the way kids try to find status and acceptance. Also, trying to control behavior and the frustra-tion of not reaching the kids who need and deserve your attention, or getting a body of knowledge into the students’ very distracted minds. Then there is also the never-ending workload that takes over your life, if you let it.

What do you wish students knew or could understand about teachers?

A: I wish my students would understand the 100 percent effort teachers put into their work. It isn’t just something they get up in the morning and do, like driving, but it is planned, organized (most of the time), and purposeful. I also wish students would understand that teach-ers are real people with feelings, hurts, happiness, and all the rest.

B: That they are human, with feelings and a normal life. The way you are treated as a teacher is unheard of in normal child/adult relation-ships. Also that we do care, and are trying to help them.

Having been both, is it better to be a student or a teacher?

A: Having to choose between being a student or a teacher is tough. I hated being a student in high school, but really caught on to the idea in university. Now, I find learning fun, interesting and deeply challenging, so I often consider going back to school. That said, being a teacher is rewarding, and you are learning at the same time as well!

B: I think I learn more as a teacher, and am often relieved that I don’t have to do the work I’m asking the students to do! So I suppose a teacher is the better option.

Copyright © 2015 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Write your own quotation.

What I say is . . .

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Key Text: Choose one of the texts from Wednesday’s section of the lesson. Write it here and memorize it this week.

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WednesdayGOD SAYS . . .

Exodus 18:20 (NLT)“Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives.”

Psalm 90:12 (NLT)“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

Proverbs 23:23 (NLT)“Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment”

Matthew 10:24 (NLT)“Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.”

Romans 12:7 (NLT)“If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.”

Ephesians 4:11, 12 (NLT)“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their respon-sibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Titus 2:7 (NLT)“And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.”

AND . . .

Education, p. 13“True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.”

Education, p. 280“Great is the responsibility of those who take upon themselves the guid-ance of a human soul.”

Education, p. 276“The teacher should have a more comprehensive education than can be gained by the study of books. He should possess not only strength but breadth of mind; should be not only whole-souled but large-hearted.”

TuesdaySO WHAT?

Every day at school we are confronted by these strange people known as teachers. They are people who seem to be excited about the stuff that bores us. They seem to actually like math, history, and English—and all those formulas, rules, and dates. Or are they just putting on a brave face to try to convince us to learn these things? What kind of people are they?

As one gets older, one gets to know teachers as real people. Most teach-ers I know enjoy their job, most of the time. They enjoy learning, they enjoy teaching, they enjoy interacting with young people and encourag-ing them to learn and do the best they can.

Outside the classroom, they are real people, too. They have families, go to church, play sports, go shopping, and do all those ordinary things. In some ways, being a teacher is just another job. But in other important ways, it is more than that, particularly for the best teachers.

At its best, teaching is not just about learning stuff. It’s about teaching people to learn, to think, and to grow for themselves. Ultimately, it’s about the people themselves. The classroom setting provides an enor-mous opportunity for influence. That’s where a good teacher who is also a good person can make such a difference. And that’s why we should appreciate those teachers who demonstrate in their lives and classrooms that kind of commitment.

ThursdayWHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

Learning is life. When we stop learning, we stop really living. In a sense, we are always either a student or a teacher—or both at once. Anything less is missing out on the fullness of what life can be. Sometimes learn-ing can happen almost by chance. It can even be fun. But at other times, learning can be just plain hard work. We need both. And curiously, learn-ing often becomes fun after a foundation of skill or knowledge has been built by hard work.

But many students find the most fun in being able to share their skills or knowledge with others through teaching. That might mean helping a friend who is struggling with their math homework, taking time to help a younger brother or sister master a new skill, telling someone else about God or even planning on becoming a full-time schoolteacher. Whatever our stage in life, we can begin to share what has been given to us by our many teachers.

THE ART OF TEACHING / May 30, 2015

Copyright © 2015 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

FridayHOW DOES IT WORK?

Think of different ways to teach different things. Next to each of the activities, skills or knowledge listed, suggest two different ways that might be most appropriate to teach the individual listed. Assume you are an expert in each of these activities.

For example: Teaching someone to drive Get them to read road rules Allow them to drive with your supervision

l Teaching your little brother to play ball ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching a grandparent how to use a computer ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching a tourist some of the history of your town ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching a 5-year-old to write their name ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching a junior Sabbath School class about the solar system ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching your friend how to bake cookies with a new recipe ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching a class about plants in your local area ______________________________________ ______________________________________

l Teaching your friend that God loves them ______________________________________ ______________________________________