On Thursday I had an attack of food poisoning. It took all this time to get that poison out of my body. Saturday I thought I was better, and I was able to go out to dinner on Saturday night with no ill effects. However, I was not feeling well on Sunday, although I limped through church and Sunday School, and on Monday I was positively worse. I was going to call the doctor this morning, thinking that maybe I had the flu after all...but today I am back to my old peppy self. Emphasis on old--but peppy too. Anyway, I think my bout with food poisoning is finally over. I was sicker than I thought I was.
On to new things. Today I am playing catchup--which reminds me of a story.
When I started teaching Sunday School about a year ago, I realized two things: I needed a way to make sure I could keep chaos under control and I needed to get to know the kids better. So, I made only one rule for the kids, and only one. It is a rule that I only have to remind them of rarely: no interruptions. This means when I am talking, there is quiet enough to listen, and when they are talking, we can be polite and really listen to what each of us has to say. That one rule has worked wonders on my ability to have control in the class and to keep the noise and rambunctiousness to an acceptable level. I don't ask for perfection. They know that.
In order to get to know each other better, I start each class with about 10 minutes of "Catch-up time". We go around the table and talk about our week. One at a time the kids talk about their week; about tests at school, hockey games, gymnastics competitions, birthday parties, new baby sisters or brothers...on and on. They really look forward to this time. THEY LOVE having people listen to them! It is fun to learn about what their week was like, and it is a great bonding exercise. One of the assistant teachers came in to help last Sunday and he said, "What a nice group of friends." That made my day. They ARE friends--because we have learned to LISTEN to each other! What a gift!
I don't want Sunday School to be like weekday school. I want it to be a little more open, and a lot more friendly, and I want them to WANT to be there. This is probably the only time of the week where they can talk about Jesus, and read the Bible. Their lives are packed with so many activities it is amazing. We do a lot of Bible reading, and digging for meaning, and talking about history, geography and what life might have been like in Biblical times. It is fun, and they are very smart. It is challenging to find material that is good enough to keep their interest. I work during the week to prepare for the class and put together readings and activities that they will enjoy. We learn together.
And every Sunday there they are sitting at the table at 11:00 sharp waiting for me. I barely have time to get a cup of coffee after church. They are eager for Sunday School.
It makes my week!
Have a great day.
