The Key to Effective Teaching

Friday.  And that means Five Minute Friday – a weekly linkup and writing exercise that I always enjoy.  I enjoy the free-style writing – and the rather quick thinking over a prompt as I tend to be an extreme overthinker – and I enjoy the community of writers.  I have not been able to participate as regularly as I would like because I was volunteering and out the door early on Fridays.  But, as I mentioned on Tuesday, my Fridays have returned to “regularly scheduled programming” and I am rather enjoying that:)

This week’s prompt is “teach” and just a few weeks ago, I did ten answers to questions all about school, learning and teaching.  Many of my thoughts this morning echoed my thoughts there.  No need to repeat myself but I will elaborate, just a bit (five minutes worth), on a quote I left in that earlier post.

GO. I quoted Jim Henson and then appreciated the teaching I have been privileged to do lately with the younger ones at church.  In our Junior Church program.  What a joy it has been!  Not only to teach but also the joy of knowing – and being able to do – what God has gifted you to do!  We might teach in a classroom, around the kitchen table or under the hood of a car.  We might mentor someone over coffee, share ourselves in a small group or Bible study, or teach in one of a hundred other ways.  But we can all teach.  Share knowledge, wisdom, and/or experience with others in order to instruct.  To help.  To mold and to encourage.

Who are you teaching?  Obviously, a lot of teaching is formal – prepared for and anticipated –  but there is so much teaching that is simply learned.  And often learned through observation.  Paul expressed it like this, in the first part of Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do…”   He was encouraging – even challenging – the readers of his letter to not only listen and learn from his words but to also observe and see,  And then follow his example.  He could say this because his life (what he did) was consistent with his words (what he said).

Two quick takeaways – five minutes goes by fast!  Lead, or teach, by example!  We teach much more through what we do than with what we say.  There are always people watching.  Always.  So, what am I teaching?  Especially to those with whom I may never speak but who observe me.  As well, what I do must back up what I say.  If it does not, I may fool a few of the people for a little while, but not for long, and the inconsistency will undo anything I have tried to teach with words.

STOP.  I have forgotten how challenging this exercise of putting together coherent sentences while the timer is running can be!  Not sure if I made much sense…but I made a good point, or two, to myself!!  To see what others thought about teaching, visit the linkup here.  Happy weekend, friends!