Prayerful Teaching is Ceaseless Prayer

Pray without ceasing

                        1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB)

Prayer

How fortunate am I to be called to a vocation that allows me to pray without ceasing, encourages me to honor and glorify my Father with each action I take, and permits me to be forever in prayer as I engage in my earthly calling.   I offer up to you, Lord, this day that I will spend with your precious children.  May every action and activity I engage in today lead me to experience You more fully, love You more perfectly, and journey closer to You.  May I lead my students to you as I serve You in the joyful spirit of prayer.

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Offer up the day or a part of the day as a prayer for one of your students.  In about a month or so each of your students would receive this powerful prayer.

• Say the simple, silent prayer, “Thank you, Lord” after a successful lesson, activity, or class achievement.  This is true even if just one student experienced a victory.

• Remind yourself you are a servant of God and have been chosen to carry on a sacred mission in partnership with prayer.  Especially remind yourself of your mission if teaching seems more drudgery than joy.  Recall one or more recent successes. 

• Seize a moment to take a proverbial deep breath and ask the Lord for patience and guidance when feeling impatient or exasperated,.  This takes but a second and can rescue you from a sudden fall into despair.

• Celebrate daily.  Nothing is too small to celebrate with prayer and thanksgiving.

Challenge of the Week

Designate an hour during the day.  Make it a point during that hour to concentrate on ceaseless prayer.  Some examples:

            During moments of success, “Thank you Lord.”

           

            During moments of stress, “Lord, guide me.”

            During moments of laughter, “Thank you, Lord, for the joy in my work.”

During moments of impatience, “Lord, let me find You in (Name of student).”

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching is Increasing Love for Others

 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else

                                    1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV)

 

Prayer and Meditation

Reading the scriptures, I am more and more convinced that God has an overwhelming love for me.  Unfortunately, too many of my students do not feel loved by God, by friends, by family, or by those in their daily lives.  Many do not even love themselves.  Jesus demonstrated throughout His lifetime how much He loved us.  Let me, by my actions, assure my students that they are loveable and loved.  Let me demonstrate to them that I am not a judge, eager to punish them for their failures, but a patient servant of God who unconditionally loves all the children He entrusts to me.  Through my gentle guidance and support may my students come to know they are worthy of love and trust.  Most of all I pray that my students come to know the forgiving and everlasting love of God which is present in all of us.

 

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Observe and honor random acts of kindness among your students.  Hold an honor day once a week to hand out certificates.  Acknowledge that there were so many other random acts of kindness that you could not honor everyone, but everyone will get honored in time.  Acknowledge how you felt observing these acts.  Perhaps a kindness box could be placed in the classroom where both you and your students could describe random acts of kindness you observed.  So as not to make anyone feel awkward, the recipient of the kindnesses need not be mentioned.  Care must be taken so avoid details which would reveal the recipient. 

• Print out each student’s name and place it in a box.  Have students randomly pick out a name.  Be sure to also place your name in the box.  Several days later, students write complimentary or caring message to that student.  This works best if you give students sentence stems so the comments do not become meaningless such as, “I like you,” “You are a good friend,” or “You’re nice”.    Examples of sentence stems might be:

I saw you ….

I like how you….

It was very considerate of you when you….

        The stems can be brainstormed together as a class.  If you feel there are any inappropriate 

        comments, just replace the message with one you complete.  To make this action more sincere, 

        especially for older students, the student doing the complimenting need not be identified.

• Write out a positive message on a card for each student.  Hide the message somewhere where only that students will find it such as in the student’s desk, attached to papers you are returning, taped underneath the student’s desk, or as a bookmark in a student’s book.  It is best to put the messages in a colorful or unique envelope with the student’s name on it in case someone who is not the intended recipient finds it.

• Practice good deeds.  Students select someone for whom they will do a good deed in the coming week.  A discussion can be held on how students felt when doing their good deed and how the recipient of their good deed must have felt.  Is it important that the recipient even knew a good deed was bestowed?  There can be numerous variations.

Students randomly select another student in the classroom. 

Students select an adult or another student in the building, but not in the classroom. 

Students select family members or important adults in their lives.

• Build awareness for those less fortunate.  This can take many forms, but even small children can learn empathy.  Homeless shelters, especially the children in those shelters, always have needs.  Just collecting new pencils or coloring books and crayons is just one example.  Older children may want to collect gloves, mittens, and blankets for the homeless who are living outside.  Food pantries are always in need of canned goods.

Challenge of the Week

Demonstrate your love for a faculty or staff member with whom you have had an unpleasant experience.  Surprise that person with a bouquet of flowers or a “secret Santa” type gift.  Acknowledging that you were the give of the gift is not necessary.  If this does not seem like a credible option, write a note acknowledging the work of someone in your building whom you feel has not been properly recognized for outstanding service.  The note may or may not be signed.

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching with Gentle Words

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

                                    Proverbs 15:1  (NIV)

Prayer

Harsh, rough, haughty, menacing, spiteful—I pray my students never associate these words with me.  Gentle, kind, tender, fair—these are the attributes I hope emanate from me to every student in my classroom and every adult in my school.  Students may not remember the content or skills I taught them, but they will always remember either the pain or the joy my actions brought them.  I have no regrets for the gentle words I have spoken or the gentleness my actions communicated to my students.  I have regrets only for the harsh words I have spoken, the callousness of character they conveyed, and the times I failed to give comfort with gentle words.  I pray, Lord, that my words be guided by the example of your love for your children and that my words be only words of comfort and gentleness. 

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Plan ahead.  Pushing buttons is a skill easily mastered by some children.  It is natural to become angry and upset when it is your buttons being pressed by a child in your classroom who has a built in audience of peers.  Keep in mind Proverbs 15:1.  If you respond with harsh and angry words, you stir up more anger. Children tend to practice the behaviors that get the response they desire from the adult.  If shouting angry words worked, teaching would be a lot easier.  As you get to know your students, plan on what you are going to do ahead of time to avert an ugly situation.   Remember:  It takes two to argue.

• Model.  When a student has an outburst of angry words, always react with gentle words and in a calm and business-like manner.  Never engage in a power struggle.  Though difficult, now is the time to model the behavior expected of all of your students.  

• Avoid negative, bossy words whenever possible.  Instead of, “You better pick up the paper on the floor from your art project before it is too late,” say, “I lost track of time just like you.  Let’s all work together to clean up the room so we can….”   Instead of telling students what not to do, state in a positive manner what it is they should do.  Instead of, “Do not sharpen your pencils during class,” say, “Sharpen pencils before class so as to allow class to run smoothly.”  Note proper behavior when it is occurring.  “I notice how we think better without the grinding noise of the pencil sharpener interrupting our thoughts.”

• Restate the positive.  If a student is poking or refusing to do an assignment in class, remind the student of something well done in the recent past and connect it to the present. Sometimes this requires creative thinking!  But keep in mind you cannot order or demand or issue consequences that cannot be carried through.

• Displaying kindness is centering on the child, not on the perceived shortcomings of the parent.  Every teacher has students whose home refrigerators have no food, who are sent to school without breakfast, or who sit in the cafeteria with nothing to eat.  Think what it would be like for you to be in a state of hunger.  Would you be at your best, ready to teach and take on the day with all of its challenges?  Is it possible to keep a stash of wholesome breakfast bars to share with students?  It is understandable that one may find this a financial impossibility, especially if teaching impoverished children, but can you find alternative ways to fund the needed food?

Challenge of the Week

Select a child who likes to “push your buttons.”  Spend two minutes each day for ten straight days conversing with this student one-on-one.  Get to know what interests this student, what he likes about school as well as what he does not like about school.  Try to uncover an aspect of classroom life for which he could take responsibility.  Then ask him for his help in that particular area.   Remember to praise him and thank him for his help.

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching when Working with Adults

Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;

                   Psalm 37:34 (NIV)

Prayer

Sometimes the biggest challenges I face are not with my students, but with the other adults in my building.  It is so easy for me to judge them and just wish they would just go away.  I feel they are shirking their responsibilities to the children, other faculty members, and the mission of the school.  I wish not to judge them, but this is difficult, especially when I put in so many extra hours beyond the face-to-face time I spend with my students.  I do not know what they are experiencing in their lives or what is influencing their attitudes.  I need to be compassionate and to love them as much as you love me.  Help me Lord to have hope, to try to see within them the face of Jesus, and to turn my frustration into actions of love, gentleness, and kindness.

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Smile and greet everyone with a cheery “hello.”  If someone does not reply, do not let that stop you.  Just keep repeating the process.   If time allows, ask a non-threatening question such as, “How was your weekend?”  Then be sure to respond to the answer.  “I am glad you had a great weekend,” or “I am sorry you had no time for yourself.”  You may be the only adult who attempts to bring a smile to this person or perhaps even acknowledge her in a positive manner.

• Praise someone without sounding like a snoop, meddler, or intruder.  “When I passed by your classroom this morning before the students arrived, the door was open and I could not help but see the poster of ….  Your students must really love it.”  Many times an unhappy person is an insecure person so it is important that this person know that you did not observe actual teaching.

• Share what you have with others, but do it in a humble and nonthreatening manner.  Instead of saying, “I thought you might like this graphic organizer for your students,” say, “I created this graphic organizer for my students.  You can have this copy, but I really would like your advice on improving it, or how to introduce it to my students.   You may be surprised with what you learn. 

• Listen intently to what others say.  Follow the simple listening techniques you use with your students such as eye contact and uncrossing arms and legs.  Listening to a person does not mean you have to agree with the person.  Kindly remark, “I have not had that experience with….”   If gossiping ensues it is better to say, “I am uncomfortable discussing ….” and change the subject.

Challenge of the Week

 Select at least one staff member (teacher, administrator, or support person) and make a point to greet that person with a smile and appropriate words each time you meet.  This should be a person you normally do not greet in such a manner.

 

God Bless and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching is Wholesome Talk

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

                        Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

Prayer and Meditation   

Words can tear down or build up.  They can impart strength and create a lasting impact in the lives of others. Still today I can clearly recall biting, hurting words that were spoken to me as a child and how small and useless I felt.  So too can I recall the words spoken to me which set me free to grow and soar and led me to my serve my savior. Let me never forget that the words I speak, whether positive words or negative words, loving words or words filled with anger and hate, though uttered in a quick, careless moment, linger a lifetime. 

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Sprinkle “cliff hangers” throughout the day.  Students will beg for more, especially if they think they are ones getting a privilege or that rules will be bent.  Snatch a cue from television newscasters.  They make what would be boring stories into exciting cliff hangers. 

           Example:   “We could…later today, but the room might turn into a mess.”  (Students equate 

       

           Example:  “We are really going to create a mess in this classroom on Wednesday.  We will

           have to build in time to put the room back together.”  (Students have something to look

           forward to later  in the week.  You will have their attention as you teach up to

           Wednesday’s event.

            Example: “We might act out the scientific process of …, but it would get pretty loud in here

            so maybe we will just read about it.”  (Students will beg for action, rather than listening.

            You will have a captive audience.

            Example:“Remind me sometime to tell about how….”  (Students will want to hear what you 

            have to say immediately,)

• Scrutinize advertisements.  Advertisers spend a great deal of money to study the impact of words on consumers.  As a teacher, you are selling a product, a multi-faceted product at that.  Along with the content area, you are selling a future to your students.  Advertisers know you will not buy their product if they put you down, embarrass you, or make you feel ashamed, lonely, or miserable.  They address your needs, build up your spirit, and clearly show (not just tell about) how their product will benefit you. 

• Use the inclusive “We” language.  It is so easy to separate the classroom between student and teacher.  Replace “I” and “you” with “us” and “our.” 

• Create a list of alternative words to replace the empty, meaningless words so commonly used in a classroom such “Good,” “Excellent,” or “You can do better.” Replace these with phrases such as:

 “I like the way you….”

“Thank you for adding that thought to our classroom discussion.”

“This will get easier, but for now can you...?

“You have everything correct up until this point.  What would you like to change?      

  What would you like to rethink?”

• Complaining has become rooted in our culture.  Instead of a complainer, be an agent of change in your classroom or in your building.  When you observe something that is not working well, offer solutions of which you will be a part.  It is so easy to complain in front of students about such things as interruptions, tardy students, or extra duties, that we are not even aware that we are complaining.  If students hear us complain, they will pick up on how to complain too.

 

Challenge of the Week

Think of yourself as head of an ad agency.  Select one lesson or common core the class will be studying in a few days.  How can excitement be built up so students will be eager to approach their study?  Advertisers are extremely creative and so are you!

 

God Bless and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com