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Practical Ideas for the Christian School Classroom, Part 1 of 2

I love teaching! To be sure, there are some “crazy days” in the classroom when you’ve already given out demerits, a child has just gotten sick, and it’s only 8:05 in the morning. It’s pouring rain outside, and you can tell you’re going to have “one of those days.” In spite of all the ups and downs, I enjoy being a Christian schoolteacher! This year begins my fifteenth year of teaching, and for most of those years, I have taught fifth grade. The following are some practical ideas to help you get off to a good start this year. Many of these ideas will be familiar to you, but it helps us from time to time to push the reset button at the beginning of the school year.

1. Pray for your students every day.
When I first started teaching, I remember having a discipline problem with one of my students. When I went to a more experienced teacher to ask her advice about the problem, the first thing she said to me was, “Have you prayed for that student today?” I was embarrassed to say that I had not. That day I learned an important lesson. Since then, I have made it a priority to pray for my students by name each day before going into my classroom. It is amazing what a difference this will make in your attitude toward the students and their attitude toward you.

2. Ask the Holy Spirit for His help and guidance.
Several years ago, Bro. Domelle came and preached at the church where I was attending, and he spoke about begging God for His power. I realized I was trying to teach and do God’s work in my strength instead of His. It changed my life when I realized the importance of asking the Holy Spirit for His help.

3. Be well prepared.
Your students can tell if you are prepared to teach and if you know your subject matter. A well-prepared teacher commands respect in the classroom. Many discipline problems can be avoided by simply being prepared and ready to teach. A well-prepared teacher is one who never stops learning.

4. Learn from experienced teachers.
In our church, we have many teachers with several years of experience. One of my friends, Mrs. Iva English, has been a teacher for more than sixty years. I enjoy asking other teachers for their ideas and their advice. The following ideas are ones that I have used and borrowed from the other teachers at Martinsburg Christian Academy.
Classroom Teams

Every nine weeks, I divide my class into three teams. Those teams can earn points throughout the school day by doing well on their speed drills, reading skill builders, completing their homework on time, etc. They may also earn points for good behavior. Points can be taken away for disobeying our classroom rules. In this way, the teacher can use peer pressure to his or her advantage. No one wants to be the cause of having points taken away from his team. At the end of the nine weeks, I have a pizza party during lunch for the winning team as well as other rewards throughout the day. There are tenth and eleventh graders who ask me which team is winning in fifth grade. They still remember which teams they were on and how many times their team won. Continued Tomorrow