YOU TEACH PUPILS
by Harold E. and Arvilla K. Garner
Members of Faculty / M oody Bible Institute
N e v e r be guilty of teaching a Sun day school class— teach individ uals. Never teach a Sunday school quar terly—teach waiting hearts. The challenge— teach pupils, not quarterlies. Do you ever think of pupils as small-necked bottles waiting to be filled? You fling out the lesson as you would throw liquid out over some bottles, hoping that some will get in. There is only one way to fill bottles. Fill each one individually. J. Edgar Hoover has said that ap proximately seven out of eight pupils drop out of Sunday school by the age of fifteen. Could it be that we are so busy teaching lessons that we have forgotten to teach pupils? Granted that it is the Word of God that will do the work of God, what is the work of God today? John 10:10 gives Jesus’ answer, “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Our task is not to tell stories, but to build lives. To do this we should under stand and know these lives. We must also know ourselves and our message. To understand pupils and to meet needs effectively, the teacher must know: (1) the general characteristics of all age groups, not just the one he teaches. (2) the age group he teaches —know the pupils collective ly: know their general similarities and their general differences—physi cal, intellectual, emotional, social, moral, spiritual, age, sex, and race; know them individually—growth is an individualized process. Each per son is different. They are not alike in inherited traits and capabilities, backgrounds, home life, interests, talents, hobbies, joys, and heartaches. Why Should The Teacher Know His Pupils Personally And Intimately? Jesus, the master-teacher, sets the example. “ He knew what was in man” (John 2:24, 25). He dealt with individuals according to their need. Contrast His conversations with Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the rich young ruler. Pupils have various needs. They are not machines which, by pressing
a button, work one way. Press another button, and they work another way. Pupils are individuals, and should be treated as such. Knowing their per sonal characteristics, the leader will know what to expect and how to plan wisely. Brevity and pressure of time exists with only twenty-five or thirty minutes a week in the class session. Sunday school is the most important thirty minutes in a pupil’s whole week. A teacher dare not by-pass the opportunity to apply the Word to the pupil’s individual needs. Satisfaction and peace of mind re sult from teaching individual hearts instead of “ the group.” How May The Teacher Know His Pupils Personally And Intimately? Read helpful books and Christian magazines on child and adolescent psychology. Study in leadership training classes, such as the Child Study Unit (IV) of the Evangelical Teacher Training Association. Attend Sunday school conferences and conventions on a local, regional, state, or national level. Visit other classes and observe good teachers. Augment your theory with first hand knowledge: (1) Associate with your pupils. Jesus did. He said, “ Suffer the little children to come unto me” — imagine them climbing all over Him. He associated with peo ple: with Peter and Andrew as they fished; with Matthew at the tax col lector’s table; at the wedding in Cana. (2) Get to know your pupils on Sunday. Arrive at Sunday school before your pupils. Greet them cor dially, visit and work with them in formally. Use them in class; in re search projects, in discussions; stimu late questions and the expression of their problems. (3) Get to know them outside the class, in other church- sponsored activities. Play, study, work together informally; hold department and class get-togethers; sponsor clubs, camps, and outings. (4) Get to know them outside the church. Speak with their public school teachers; study their textbooks; take them on expedi tions and field trips; entertain them in
your home; visit their homes; counsel with them—be a good listener. In order to conserve these observa tions, keep a notebook with a page for each pupil. In addition to address, phone number, and school grade, have a picture of the pupil. Add in formation about his home life, school life, interests, hobbies, spiritual prog ress. Keep this open as you pray daily and as you choose aims for your cur rent lesson. What Should The Teacher Know About His Pupils In General? The teacher should know the out standing physical, mental, social, and spiritual characteristics of each age group. The Nursery department must lay a good foundation. The greater the superstructure the stronger must be the foundation. By three years of age many of the child’s attitudes have been acquired. Train him during these formative years to include God in his thinking and in his living so that a strong, worthwhile Christian life may be built. Unevenness of development is one of the outstanding characteristics of the child in kindergarten department. Through the transition from home to school, an entire new world opens before the Primary child. The Juniors’ motto is, “ Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Dr. A. H. McKinney says, “ It has been declared that the whole peda gogy of adolescence may be summed up in this principle: inspire enthusi astic activity.” This is basic for the Junior High Department Regarding the Senior Age Group, Ruskin says, “ There is not an hour of this period, but is trembling with destinies — not a moment of which, once past, the appointed work can ever be done again.” A teacher must make himself avail able to God, to the church, and to his pupils. “God is not interested in our capability nor in our inability, but in our availability.” You alone may be the only one to touch the life of your pupil for Jesus Christ. Know him, love him, win him, train him for the Lord.
MARCH, 1961
IS
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker