January 29, 2007
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8th Grade again…??!!
I have to make a decision. Right now I’m looking to find my peanut and so I have started my search with teaching- one of my spiritual gifts. The opportunity I was given was one of great need- but not necessarily one I would have picked right off. I sat in this Sunday morning on a class of 8th grade boys for Sunday school. Their present teachers are both leaving. Thomas, or Mr. T, is a twenty eight year old African American guy who is rather structured and has lesson plans, but just gets on wonderfully with the kids. He’s comfortable and he has good control- plus, he seems to have a knack for making some really good lesson plans and helping them enjoy the class. When he started in the beginning of this school year they had maybe four boys in the class- when I came this last time, there were at least fifteen. It grew because the boys enjoyed it and got their friends to come- primarily thanks to him, as well as probably the other. Mr. T was teaching his last time this Sunday- it’s a shame, because I really feel I could have learned from him. Then, in several more weeks, Durham is leaving. He’s a Dad, probably in his fourties, and he is really into drama and group activities- the opposite of Mr. T, he likes less structured activities. They would trade off, one ‘owning’ an entire month, then passing the next month over to the other. Both teachers- gone.
So it’d be just me, and a nineth grade teaching ‘assistant’ who kind of helps out when needed. Dare I take this task on? Middle school was hard for me, and I was in general the outcast and geek of the time- I was silly, outgoing, but not accepted and thus teased. Horrible at organised sports, too. I was told by my Mom that when it comes to teaching, the harder years for you in school are often the harder ages for you to teach. She feels my strong age groups tend to be elementary school, and maybe high school.
Eigth grade boys are a hard group to ‘sell’- Mr. T shared he didn’t really want that age group when he started either, but he really grew to love them. It was hard for him to go- he took a picture of each one to pray over, and told each one the potential he saw in them to grow in different ways. LOL, he even said at one point “And remember, keep your hands to yourself and, when necessary, off yourself.” I know that sounds startling (for those who ‘get it’) but apparently some guys conversations made discussion in that area necessary in a past class- and when I asked, Mr. T explained he had the support of the pastors and parents in tackling those subjects when they arose. Wow, we never talked about that stuff when I was in Sunday school!
They prayed for me, specifically, at the end- and two of the boys prayed things like “We pray Mr. Patrick will come and start teaching us” or “we hope he’ll come here again and like us”, etc. LOL Talk about making it tough to reject. They’re a pretty closed group- they had a time to share with each other, and of course all the ‘nice, encouraging’ things they could think to say were “you’re a cool guy”; “you’re really… um… good at skating…”; “you’re funny”; or the really intimate “you were nice to me”.
So, I need your input. What do you think? Dare I try to take up this class, spending TWO HOURS every Sunday morning teaching eighth grade boys- and trying to come up with a lesson plan for them, a way to teach them, a way to handle them when they crack up, AND also activities like x-box parties and lock-ins (Mr. T said he never was ‘brave’ enough to do an all night lock-in… he didn’t “have the patience”, just an x-box party from 8 PM to 11 PM at the church gym).
The main question I have in my mind, and heart, is- can I do it? Would it be wise to start out this way, doing serious solo teaching (though they might hopefully eventually get me a partner) for the first time ever with such a hard age group? An age group that, when I sit down among them, I find myself feeling like I am their age again and hope I don’t look too nerdy? Of course, while I’m find organised sports alien- one of the two big popular topics at their age- I DO know my way around games and computers, and in the right amounts that is a pretty cool topic for them.
But, am I ready to handle smoothly when one of them blurts out- like they did when I VISITTED (of all things!) this last Sunday, “Well, ***** brought up that topic because he plays with himself…” Or when they are laughing and someone falls and hits their head on a chair, getting hurt- as happened this Sunday as well- whilest I am trying to teach them about the fruit of the spirit?
How would I be able to seriously teach them- in a way they really will learn from? Do I really have the talents to do this?
Pastor Gary, now my mentor as well as friend, said that one of the most vital skills in ministry- something you do ALL the time- is learning when to say NO. You have to learn to be able to say no to the things that aren’t a priority, so you can say YES to the best things God intends.
-Patrick