Teaching isn't something I've ever really had to do in a formal setting before. I mean, unless you count class presentations, which, for me, can have a tendency to go horribly wrong. Or if you count being a big sister as teaching experience, and with four younger siblings, I can say I've done plenty of that. But the first time I actually had to prepare a lesson and actually teach a class was when I was called to be a Sunday school teacher for the gospel principles class in my branch. It has been quite an experience.
I thought at first, that it would be cake. As the daughter of an "actress" (she was never professional, just community stuff), I've been on stage ever since I've been in diapers (community stuff as well). I sometimes feel more at home in front of an audience than I do talking with just one person. So that was definitely in my favor. Besides, I've been going to Sunday school for over twenty years, and I know the material cold. So, no worries, right? I was looking forward to a really fun experience.
The first couple of times I taught were awesome. I was well-prepared and everything went smoothly. After that, it was harder, and I think it was because I let the first two times go to my head. I tend to do that. For me, if it's not a challenge, I completely lose interest, and then I don't work hard enough to keep up. And that pretty much explains every poor grade on my college transcript. I literally did better on harder classes than the easy ones. It's one of those really, really lame character flaws I'm still trying to work on.
Another thing that made it harder was the nature of the class itself. It's gospel essentials, so it's designed to teach basic principles to new churchgoers. A starter class, if you will. That means that my students generally were more shy and reluctant to speak up than the students in normal classes. It also means that there are fewer students, and that the number changes from week to week. Sometimes there twenty, and sometimes are only three of us. It's hard to be able to plan for that. Also, the material itself is very basic, and there's not a lot of it per lesson. It's easy to get trough everything and have time to spare of you don't elaborate and try to dig deeper, and if your students don't want to raise their hands, it's hard to do that.
The result of all of this is that I feel like I'm teaching a really boring class. I actually had some one fall asleep a couple weeks ago, though I think there were extenuating circumstances on that one. I feel like I stand up there, and just go through material that could be interesting, but to my students, it's boring as a blank piece of paper. I just don't know how to inspire them, I guess.
So, I'm not sure where to go from this point. I try so hard to bring the Spirit into our discussions, but it's nearly impossible to do that when your students seem uninterested in whatever you say. I could bring baked goods or something like that, but wouldn't that take away from what I'm trying to teach? I wish I knew exactly what I was doing wrong so I could fix it. It's just so frustrating, mostly because I was supposed to be so good at this! I'm going to do some praying this week, and a little more self-analyzing than usual. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.
I suppose what I've learned through this experience so far is to respect my teachers for what they do. I hope I'm the kind of student they need me to be. Hopefully, this will all work out some way or the other.
Regards, best wishes, and stay tuned this Friday for something special,
-Cecily Jane
1 comment:
I don't know how old these students are, but I've found that the use of analogies is sometimes a good way to get through to people. It's better if you come up with some beforehand, and the weirder or off-the-wall the better, because people really have to focus and discuss them to get what you're saying. Often they think you're crazy and argue, which only helps better disperse the information, even if they win.
I'm an atheist, so bear with me if my facts are a little off, but I'll give you an analogy that could work with an educated audience.
C: "I guess you could say that Moses was a little bit like Frederick Douglass"
Students: "Beg pardon?"
C: "Well you see, like Moses, Frederick Douglass was raised to a station above that of the rest of his people, but he did not separate himself from their plight.
Students: "Okay, well, Douglass couldn't part the Red Sea"
C: "Yes, but he still worked with the gifts that God gave him, just like Moses. The story of both of these men shows that. . ."
You get the idea. Perhaps I'm way off here, but this was fun to write, anyway. Best of luck.
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