Soul Trek: The Gist of Teaching

Teaching-preparation has become so easy in church’s Sunday school classes because of the availability of the ready-made teaching materials. All are already there from the passage, the objectives of the lesson and even a step by step procedure on how to execute them. I have nothing against these materials, content-wise they are so rich and well-planned. The 4 A’s of teaching: Activity, Analysis, Abstraction and Application are all represented, emphasized and detailed.  But what I am concerned of is the teacher himself/herself.  The one who uses this ready-made lessons.  How does his/her teaching intention go along with the content of the material he/she teaches?  What is the teacher up to when he/she instructs?

            The tendency to have a “soulless-teaching” has a very strong inclination to the teacher who follows a manual.  I think, Sunday school teachers should also evaluate themselves on the way they use the teaching materials.  Are they treating it as something that dictates them what to do without a "deep" understanding the purpose of each content? Are they being "slaves" of the ready-made materials because of the comfort-benefits? Or are they still the “masters” of these materials? Do they let the lesson/passage in the material speak  and teach them first?

                What I am trying to drive at is that the materials and the contents of the lessons will all be all lifeless unless the teacher soulfully  and truthfully submits to the heart and the intention of the whole learning process. Another thing that I would like to raise is that these materials should not encourage complacency in the “quality” time that the teacher will devote himself/herself in preparing his/her lessons but instead, these should invite the teacher to see-through the soul of the “intent” and “content” found in these manuals.  This is what I call the “soul trek” in teaching preparation.

Yes, I believe also that teaching should nurture the mind, teaching should touch the heart and teaching should move the hands of the learners. But, for me, the gist of teaching has something to do with the “soul of integrity” of a teacher—meaning, he/she has already experienced the process or the journey of the lesson he/he will bring to his/her learners.  He/she knows the “soul” within what he/she is about to teach.  The soul of integrity in teaching is when the teacher comes in class well-prepared inside and throughout.  When the teacher with all integrity stands in class not with the “manual” in mind dictating him/her what to do next but whole-heartedly has analyzed the “content” and the “gist” of learning he/she will transmit to his/her learners.

Teaching is transmission, how could one teacher transmit if his/her hands are empty?  In every lesson, a teacher should personally discover a "new learning" first. He/she should have the first-hand journey on how wonderful that new learning was and how it will be too to each of his/her student.  In all this, I believe that it is a healthy practice for a teacher to be able to traverse his/her personal “soul trek” on his/her particular lesson before coming to class and for me that is the gist of teaching!

"Where am I going?" (The Journey on Genuine Education)

Isn’t it hard to travel without knowing where you are going?  If ever you know where you are going but you don’t have any idea how to get there? That would be a problem!  But thanks for tools and gadgets like maps, to people who can guide you and of course, the GPS, this things and ways help us reach our destination.  Another important thing that we should consider when we travel is the purpose of our going there…right?

As mission workers, we used to travel and go to different places to meet people and minister.  When we travel, there were many concerns that we need to pay attention at like the culture, the place and the people that we will be meeting there: their age, their knowledge and culture. Of course most of the information about them are getting discovered as we go along with them, s we mingle with them.  We get to know their needs and struggles.  These information give us clues on how to approach them, how to deal with them or how we can effectively teach them.

This experience is also the same thing for me being a teacher.  To have a list of objectives in my lessons are like maps and GPS that will help me reach what I am driving at.  Having my goals prepared will make me arrive to the direction where I wanted my students to go.  Of course, the most important is to be able to define the purpose of the day’s lesson.  I think, the success of this process, I believe has something to do with how we know “the people” or the students that we are interacting with. 

I came to realize that teaching is like a journey.  We have to be prepared.  We should know where we are going.  We should know how to get there and most importantly we should know why we are going there-our purpose and if it was reached is another important matter to consider.

I believe that there are no ‘shortcuts’ in the journey of a teaching.  As a teacher, we have to walk with each of our students as they journey too.  Patience and understanding are needed as we accompany them- for some are slow and some are fast. That is okay…

 Yes, as we travel on smooth and rugged roads, rain or shine of our journey, we need to be strong at “heart”.  For seeing each of our students step on to that grandstand of learning, we can joyfully say “Yeah! All have finally arrived!”

Now, can you share to me your journey as a teacher with you students? How is it going? By the way,have you asked yourself, “Where am I going?  Where am I leading them?”

Gleaning on the meanings of “Teaching”, “Techniques” and “Methods”

Gleaning on the meanings of “Teaching”, “Techniques” and “Methods”

In the path of Genuine Education

Why did you enroll in this class? This was the highlighted question which was asked from all of us during our Teaching Techniques and Methods class with Dr. Leonides Son.  Surprisingly, from all responses, one answer was highlighted from this question, “It is required”.  This answer entails a lot of meaning.  Allow me expound this term. What is first the meaning of “require”.  According to the dictionary it means ‘to demand as necessary or essential; having compelling need for (Merriam Webster).  Thus, in gleaning on its relationship with this course, this subject possesses such characteristics that are important in addressing the necessity in the discipline/study of Christian Education. As I reflect with the word, “essential”, as an educator, what does this course offer to address such “need”? What is/are the “essential/s” of “techniques” as we teach?  What is/are the essential/s of the “methods” in the way we execute our lessons?  And in gleaning on these concepts, how could we obtain genuine education with all of these?

               The synonym of “technique” is “approach”, meaning, ‘to make advances to especially in order to create a desired result; to take preliminary steps towards accomplishment or full knowledge or experience of’’ (Merriam Webster).  Thus, this course is in relation to a “preparation with intention and connection”.  In teaching, or being a teacher, being prepared, I believe, is not only about documenting our lesson plans but it also incorporates the teacher’s spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical being.  I think, these factors should go along with the process of the “preparation”.  I think I should also be reminded that “preparation” in teaching is not only a “mechanical and structural” approach but it is should also be “personal”.  As a teacher, as I prepare my lessons, how involved am I? Do I see the relevance of my teaching with how I view God and my relationship to Him? How do I view the world and its nature? On how I see myself?  On how I regard each of my students as unique and special beings? Or am I just preparing “just” to “attain” my goal “extrinsically” but not “internally”? I believe that these questions await answers that would help us obtain the education’s genuineness.

               In gleaning on the word “method”, it means the “process; orderly arrangement or the habitual practice of orderliness and regularity” (Merriam Webster).  How do these descriptions relate with me as a teacher?  For me, being a teacher is not just a career or endeavour but it is a “lifestyle”.  There is a saying that “we should walk with what we talk”. I think that the ‘method’, ‘the habitual practice of orderliness and regularity’ on the way we live our lives are important elements as teachers/teaching. I believe that teaching should not only be boxed in the four corners of a classroom but it should also penetrate to the outside world.  I remember one of the topics that we had in our Ministry to the Youth last semester, it was about the importance of “ethics”, the conduct and morality of a teacher and how we models them in the way he lives his life and on how he translates and teaches the values to his students.  Oh, how will this guiding philosophy could really quicken “Christlikeness” in the way we do our education!

               Now, let me expound the meaning of teaching.  Teaching correlates with the word “tutelage”, meaning, ‘an act and process of serving as a guardian and protector’ (Merriam Webster).  As I reflect, as I plan and as I visualize the lessons I will teach my students in the future with the conviction to address to their needs, do I see these actions as an embodying role of being their ‘guard’ and their ‘protector’ from the waywardness of the world’s knowledge?  Am I that devoted and willing to take those roles to “serve” them?

Lastly, as I meditate on these things, I believe that with all the factors which I elaborated above about teaching, in techniques and in methods, the essence of being in the spirit of ‘servanthood’ is very integral because I believe carries on the good quality of a model teacher, “humbleness, lowliness, meekness and modesty” just like what our Master Teacher-the Lord Jesus Christ has exemplified.  I believe that it is the heart of education—the peak of what is “required” where we plan, perform and outlive our duties as good stewards and servants of guiding, directing and serving the learners in the path of genuine education!