1) You’re a natural talker and you just love to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Effective teachers tend to be great listeners. Devising talking points and questions to allow your class members the opportunity to share in meaningful dialogue is critical. Reading facial expressions and listening carefully to what is not being said will help you target areas of discussion that are relevant and timely to your members needs and interests.
2) Your own life experiences always seem like ideal examples regardless of the topic of discussion.
Effective teachers have the ability to direct the focus away from themselves and onto whom it really belongs…Jesus Christ. The weekly lesson period should not be a platform for sharing the triumphs (or defeats) of the teacher. Remember, it’s not about you! Being able to craft a discussion that encourages members in this Christian race and uplifts Jesus Christ are the ultimate accomplishments of a great Sabbath school class.
3) You’re not really a stickler for time. A few minutes late is no big deal.
Effective teachers set a good example for promptness and consideration of the time of the class members. Teachers should arrive early for Sabbath school and greet as many class members before class as possible. Set a pattern and reputation for starting and ending on time. Teachers should be models of consistency.
4) You know weekly topics so well you don’t even need to study.
Effective teachers share fresh, divine insight that they receive from constant study, meditation and prayer. The bible is a living word and as such it contains new revelations and relevant inspiration to meet the needs of each member who attends. A helpful target for preparation time is one hour for each 10 minutes of class time. A 45 minute class should be prepared for by at least 4 1/2 hours of study.
5) You’re not really a people person, just a good teacher.
Effective teachers are people persons, even if it does not come naturally. There is a need in every class for the teacher to extend themselves by showing genuine interest in the lives of all class members. Sabbath school involvement should extend beyond the weekly Sabbath morning class period. Calling missing members and engaging new and visiting members should be a regular part of your Sabbath school class. You can and should be an ambassador-of-one sharing the love of Christ with all whom you interact with.
6) You’re only teaching because no one else wants to.
Effective teachers realize the calling on their lives and have a real desire to improve their abilities to their maximum potential. When teachers have the proper mindset, they approach this responsibility with the seriousness it deserves. Even if you’re not sure if this is your calling, the bible plainly says “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10
Being an effective teacher might demand being a “new you”. This is an age of change and some changes must be radical and complete. “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins”. Luke 5.37, 38 NIV
There is a higher level for us all to reach and God has promised that “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. Ephesians 3.20. Today I’m asking for you to be your best!
How are we going to do it? Will it be by the smoothness of our words or the preciseness of our grammar? Will it by the strength of our intellectual powers or the weight of our empirical evidence? Perhaps the visual image of our spiritual maturity and the distinctness of our apparel? How will we reach the people that we minister to from week to week? Contact is not enough.
At this time of the year we find most people in a reflective mood. There’s something about the realization of another year passing that makes all of us take a closer look at our lives.
If there is one skill an effective Sabbath school teacher must have, it is the ability to ask great questions. Nothing can make or break a lesson study more than the quality of the questions being asked by the leader.
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