This one is a bit introspective, but I think it will challenge everyone in the end. The intended audience for this post is lay church teachers / leaders, though it should make everyone think a bit as we are all teachers in some area or some segment of our life.
Now on to this weeks post. I was thinking back over a series my pastor taught last year regarding the various phases of the parent /child relationship. Basically the relationship begins as one of complete provider, then moves to guide / correcting, then encouraging and coaching, and then after the child is completely on their own the relationship become one of friend and council Again that is just a quick overview and I did not cover all the stages and their roles, but you get the idea. ANYWAY, what came to me as I thought about these various phases, and the changing roles within the relationship, was a bit of wisdom about teaching. I must admit that I think I knew all of this before, but it this reflection put it into a more organized view and outline for me.
You may have already developed this view and outline, but here goes. Teaching is really a combination of two of the different phases described in the relationship between parent and child. Teaching, when done correctly, is a combination of the relationship developed between parent and child during the coaching and the friendship stages of a child's life.
Now, I am not saying that a teacher can fill the role of a parent, but a good teacher can feel the role of a coach and friend, regardless of age. I think one of the biggest mistakes teachers of adults can make is assuming that they need not do more then just lead the study, or the class, because they are working with adults. A good teacher is far more then just a facilitator, although they are that at times.
A good teacher connects with the students and encourages them to stay at it and improve. Hopefully, the teacher is mature enough in their walk that they can help guide others through problems and situations that arise. Then, once the teacher has provided some direction, they can help guide the students through the problem by coming up beside them as a friend and supporting them through the change and/or work that is required.
Teaching need not be a vocation for all that pursue it, but it does need to be a passion them. To teach well you must desire to help those that you are leading. You must want to meet them where they are, and then help guide them to where they can / could be. This is not to say that the leader / teacher knows everything, but it is to say that they should be willing to learn more and do something extra to help their students.
A teacher should never be so comfortable that they feel that they do not need to prepare or think that they do not need to push for greater depths in their studies. Even if the prep / depth is not used that week / quarter / semester in a class, it will be useful in the future in other situations.
For too long lay teaching has been a Sunday morning, Sunday evening, weekly small group or Wednesday night event in the lives of many people. Having a passion to teach is something that makes you call up/email a student on Tuesday or Thursday and ask how their job / school / whatever went that day. Again, I am not talking just about children or youth, I am talking about the leader of Coed VII calling to be sure that their 95 year old student got home from the doctor ok. Teaching / leading is not an hour or so a week, plus some study time before hand. Teaching / leading is praying for the students when they need it, as well as praying when they don't ask for it. In the second situation be sure to thank God for those times that they are ok.
Another key factor in being a good teacher is knowing the students well enough that when they come up with a idea, concept, or vision that the teacher has the ability to either guide them and support them in it, even if it is something the teacher knows nothing about, or to help them hone their vision a bit before they launch out. This is only possible if the teacher knows the student well enough to know if the student will follow through with the vision or leave it short. Sometimes the best thing a teacher can do is lovingly say, "That sounds ok, but how about..." or "Interesting, but have you considered this...." Again, it is a relationship built over time and one where the teacher is consistently both coach and friend to the student. Basically, teaching should involve leading and guiding while supporting.
A good teacher / student relationship also has a component of accountability within it where the student is making sure that the teacher is keeping up with more then just the lesson. That means that the teacher is accountable to the students to follow up, check on them and pray for them, and should be called on their lack of action if it is consistently lacking. Though it is not easy it is what it takes to be a good teacher.
Along this line a familiar scripture comes to mind -
James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Take a few moments and get a good understanding the above scripture. Be ready to take on that higher standard and stricter guide because that is your call. Be a great example to those around you, even if you do not realize you are impacting them at the moment.
Remember you are leading / teaching someone somewhere even if you do not realize it. The bottom line point of this note is to encourage you to be a great teacher, no matter where and when you are teaching. You should come up beside others and guide them, while supporting them in their Godly endeavors. You should know them well enough to help direct them, and do it with love. You should be consistently yearning for a deeper and more mature walk for yourself. Most of all you should be praying for those that are around you.
Bottom line I just wanted to share that teachers should have more then a hour a week commitment to their students, and should yearn for more then surface relationships with their students. Fundamentally, it all goes back to the idea that they do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I knew these things before, but this reflection gave me a newly codified view on how to clearly define a teacher.
Also know that no teacher is perfect and EVERYONE will fall short of this standard in their teaching, but that does not mean we should not strive to be the best teacher we know how to be.
