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Sunday School Service Issue
hi everyone,
i have been a sunday school servant for the past 3 yrs (i began in my first year of college until now) serving 3rd graders. I feel like im not a good sunday school servant at all and im a horrible role model. I feel like this verse from Mark 9:42 applies to me:
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."
I feel like I am doing more harm than good but I just dont know what to do any more. And now the Amin el khedma thinks we (the people who began serving the same time I did) should be serving higher level classes by now. I cant even prepare a lesson correctly, i do not know how to relay the message to these kids, and I can not grasp their attention for more than a minute without me having to yell at them or tell them to pay attention. I just cant deal with kids too well i suppose. I really dont know what to do any more and I need some advice on what to do because I just cant do this anymore.
Please pray for me
i have been a sunday school servant for the past 3 yrs (i began in my first year of college until now) serving 3rd graders. I feel like im not a good sunday school servant at all and im a horrible role model. I feel like this verse from Mark 9:42 applies to me:
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."
I feel like I am doing more harm than good but I just dont know what to do any more. And now the Amin el khedma thinks we (the people who began serving the same time I did) should be serving higher level classes by now. I cant even prepare a lesson correctly, i do not know how to relay the message to these kids, and I can not grasp their attention for more than a minute without me having to yell at them or tell them to pay attention. I just cant deal with kids too well i suppose. I really dont know what to do any more and I need some advice on what to do because I just cant do this anymore.
Please pray for me
Comments
I can imagine you have that feeling, cause sunday school service is a huge responsibility indeed! But it should not matter in which class your serving, 3rd grade or older or even "e3dad khodam", cause its not you who is talking but the Lord who is working through you.
Try to be faithfull in your service and pray that the Lord may use you in reaching the hearts of those teenagers.
Regarding what you said about drawing the attention of those kids, maybe this aspect will become easier when serving an older and hopefully more mature class :) (well at least that worked me, cause I'm not good with little kids as well :P)
and i am consciously trying to come closer to God and to be a better person.
please pray for me and my weakness
I tutor fifth grade kids (10-11 years old) at the local elementary school, and yeah, they're crazy little balls of uncontrollable energy a lot of the time, but I do know that most of them still want to do well and impress you (the adult), or "beat" their friends (like last week when one of the girls taunted one of the boys after answering a math problem quicker than he did: "Nyeh nyeh! You got beaten by a girl! Ha!" :P). Even if you don't feel like you're the best person for the job, you're the person who is there and willingly giving your time to them so that they can learn from you at whatever level you can teach them. I have to believe that your FoC, who presumably knows you very well, sees something in you that maybe you don't see in yourself that makes you a suitable match for the Sunday school right now.
As far as coming to him with your problems, while I don't have an FoC to worry about at the elementary school, I do still have to occasionally go to one of the main program directors (I help run the remedial program within a larger tutoring company) with honest evaluations of the children's behavior and progress, and in turn I am evaluated by the program directors and the students' teacher, who give me advice on how to deal with problem children. It can be a bit sensitive sometimes (because these are people's children, so you don't want to look like the "bad guy" for saying that a certain child is a problem), but if I didn't have anyone to go to when problems come up, it would be even more difficult. Please, rather than leave the program, take advantage of any help and guidance you can get from your FoC.
hi everyone,
i have been a sunday school servant for the past 3 yrs (i began in my first year of college until now) serving 3rd graders. I feel like im not a good sunday school servant at all and im a horrible role model. I feel like this verse from Mark 9:42 applies to me:
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."
I feel like I am doing more harm than good but I just dont know what to do any more. And now the Amin el khedma thinks we (the people who began serving the same time I did) should be serving higher level classes by now. I cant even prepare a lesson correctly, i do not know how to relay the message to these kids, and I can not grasp their attention for more than a minute without me having to yell at them or tell them to pay attention. I just cant deal with kids too well i suppose. I really dont know what to do any more and I need some advice on what to do because I just cant do this anymore.
Please pray for me
I think the attitude is not totally correct, yet understandable.
You are not meant to be making the children to like your personality. You should make them love Christ, NOT YOURSELF.
Yes, you should be living a holy life whilst preaching one to others, but part of that call to holiness is repentance and the humility in knowing that although you are sinful, you are seeking God's grace constantly to overcome the various tribulations surrounding you.
What's so bad about that?????
You are not meant to be making the children to like your personality. You should make them love Christ, NOT YOURSELF.
Yeah, we (I) keep on forgetting that sometimes
God bless you
If the fact you feel unworthy to be a Church servant, NOR a good example for the youth, leads you to repentance and seek God's grace daily. I see no reason WHY you cannot be a Church servant. In fact, you seem ideal.
That IS the example I want my kids to have from any servant. That we should have it engraved in us that without God's grace, we'll all most likely fall into sin - over and over again.
If you recognise this, and you repent, PLUS you try to show the Children CHRIST'S PERSONALITY, not your own, i think you'll make a great servant.
please pray for me and my weakness
well i never try to push my own agenda if thats what u mean... I do try to get the kids closer to God and to love Him more, but i feel like im failing at it. they are harder to deal with with every passing class and i feel like they just dont care about coming and dont care about learning anymore. some of the good (well behaved and willing to learn) kids in the class have complained to me that everyone else in the class is being noisy. whenever one of my kids tries to ask me a question i need to wait a minute or 2 to get everyone quiet enough for 10 seconds so i can hear the question. then there are some kids who are just a complete distraction to everyone and are always talking to anyone they are seated next to. i just really dont know how to even control these kids so i can get the message across to them. they even sometimes ask me where the other teacher is because they like him better (we have 2 servants for this class of about 10 kids so we alternate weeks because we are both in college).
please pray for me and my weakness
Im not sure if I've understood this correctly, but your entire attitude is positive and respectable.
Your initial post made me think that you are worried about your image towards the children - which is still very good, but I was just making the point (whether it applies to you or not) that you (or anyone serving) should be more concerned at introducing Christ to the children.
I think for your FoC to have given you a position of service like this in the Church, its a good thing. I'm sure he's well aware of your weakness.
I really cannot see anything wrong.
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I apologize for not reading the replies, but I would suggest that you spend time with yourself and reflect on the things you think are making these kids stumble. Writing them down will help organize your thoughts better, then you can discuss it with your FOC.
Sunday School isn't just those 30 minutes in the classroom; it's a long term relationship you're building with each student. Get to know them (and their parents) on a personal level. Let the kids know that they can come to you with any sort of problem (it's hard for them to speak with their parents at this age.. they need a wise, yet older rolemodel). Share your own experiences with them. Tell them stories of when you were in 3rd grade and how you responded to X situation. I think it's also important to let out the kid inside you every now and then. Making them giggle will not only set a happier mood in the classroom, but also change their view of you. I was always closer to my funnier/outgoing teachers.
Reflect on what a perfect Sunday School teacher is to YOU, then do your best to be that person.
Also, chocolate (or seyumy candy) every week after class does MIRACLES.