In a few weeks I will begin my favorite thing to do: teaching the Jr High Sunday School class at church. This will be my 7th year with my current set up. First year we read a Gospel, second year the Acts of the Apostles, and the third year we read from the Old Testament. Over the course of three years in my class, children get a chance to see what is really in the Bible.
We have no curriculum. We read a chapter, we break it down: who, when, where, what happened, what can we learn. Then we do an activity related to what we read. Coloring sheets, word search, puzzles, or hangman with words from what we read. The class earns points towards individual treats or class outings.
This truly is the highlight of my week each week. I love each and every child I have taught. They remain my kids long after they move on to high school. I am amazed at what I learn from reading the stories and hearing their perspectives. I am excited to start every September and sad every May to say goodbye to those who are moving on. If you ask the younger children at church how many years before they join my class, most can tell you.
This year we will be reading the Gospel of Luke. I am doing more research this year than I have done in years past. I personally really want to understand what Luke is trying to tell us. And we will do some comparing of what is in Luke to what is in the other Gospels (thanks to my new Parallel Gospels Bible). We are going to start the year listing all the things we know about Jesus' life and then as we read figure out where things are found. (I get excited just typing those words.)
As I type this I remember my grandma Yoder who passed on to me her love of Scripture. You could ask her any question, the most obscure Biblical fact, and she had the answer. I will never be as knowledgeable as she was, but I hope I make her proud.
Thank you for reading.
We have no curriculum. We read a chapter, we break it down: who, when, where, what happened, what can we learn. Then we do an activity related to what we read. Coloring sheets, word search, puzzles, or hangman with words from what we read. The class earns points towards individual treats or class outings.
This truly is the highlight of my week each week. I love each and every child I have taught. They remain my kids long after they move on to high school. I am amazed at what I learn from reading the stories and hearing their perspectives. I am excited to start every September and sad every May to say goodbye to those who are moving on. If you ask the younger children at church how many years before they join my class, most can tell you.
This year we will be reading the Gospel of Luke. I am doing more research this year than I have done in years past. I personally really want to understand what Luke is trying to tell us. And we will do some comparing of what is in Luke to what is in the other Gospels (thanks to my new Parallel Gospels Bible). We are going to start the year listing all the things we know about Jesus' life and then as we read figure out where things are found. (I get excited just typing those words.)
As I type this I remember my grandma Yoder who passed on to me her love of Scripture. You could ask her any question, the most obscure Biblical fact, and she had the answer. I will never be as knowledgeable as she was, but I hope I make her proud.
Thank you for reading.
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