Prayerful Teaching is Walking with God during Lent

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Prayer and Meditation

Justice. Mercy. A humble walk with God.  All lead to living out the will of God.  All define my calling as a teacher.   I still find it challenging to stop and treat each student justly and to love tenderly those students I deem difficult.  With students pulling me in all different directions all day long, I find it more expedient to loosen my grip and scamper away from the Lord’s hand. During Lent I will strive to allow the Lord to take me by the hand so I can feel His love pulsate within me.  With my hand firmly planted in His, I can take the steps necessary to treat my students justly and with the mercy of tender love.

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Pause and take a deep breath at stressful times.  This may sound like an overused adage, but it has strength.  Firmly squeeze one hand with the other and pray, “Lord, send your strength to me and through me.  Take my hand and lead me in this moment to calmly respond to (Name the situation e.g. the current uproar in my classroom, the argument over who owns the pencil, the students who are off task) with justice and love. While this action takes only a couple of seconds, it gives you a few precious moments to pause, reflect, and compose yourself.

• Tenderly love all students.  Disapprove of student behaviors, not the student.  Make sure students know you are rejecting their behavior and not them. You might say, “Maria, usually you know that your friends cannot be disturbed when they are working, but you seem to be forgetting that right now.”  “Lukas, you know I think you are a great student, but please get back to work.”

• Provide students with opportunities to allow the Lord’s hand to guide them.  Afford students the opportunity to responsibly correct their behavior.  This works best after you discuss appropriate and inappropriate classroom behavior and post options of how students can correct inappropriate behavior.  Students need to see this technique modeled.  (You will never be short of volunteers to model inappropriate behavior.)  After the inappropriate behavior is modeled, the class can brainstorm how the behavior might be corrected.  A list could be posted in the classroom or given to each student to keep taped in their desk or class folder.  Just concentrate on two to four important behaviors.  This is a model and not intended to cover every minor infraction that occurs in a normal classroom.

• Ignore minor problems instead of disrupting the entire class and drawing attention to one student.  Practice the “teacher look” in the mirror.  It is one of the most powerful tools of a master teacher.  Be sure to use it.  Since teaching is action, you are most likely always moving around the classroom.  Walk over to the child and put your hand on his desk for a second.  You need not say anything.  Make it a habit to keep a clipboard handy.  Tell students you use it to note positive behaviors and unfortunately, at times, to record other types of behavior.  Picking up the clipboard, glancing at a student, and writing on the clipboard often solves the problem.  If the student reacts in a positive manner, after what you deem a sufficient amount of time, make sure the student sees you using an eraser on your clipboard.  You need not share what you wrote or whose behavior you detailed.

• Define student behavior and exercise consistency in your expectations of those behaviors. Students need to have expectations of behavior clearly defined and upheld with consistency.  If not, chaos will reign and amid that chaos you might find it easier to ignore your humble walk with the Lord and to let go of His supportive hand.

Challenge of the Week

Draw a simple path on a sheet of poster paper.  Separate it into five sections.  Label each section with a day of the week.  Before you leave for the day, reflect on and record how you walked on the path with the Lord as you were tending to your students. You may even decide to set a goal for yourself to reach at the end of the week.  If you do, be sure to write the goal at the end of your path. 

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching is Holding Hands with GodI

I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You

                                    Isaiah 42:6 (NASB)

 

Prayer and Meditation

 God will never abandon me.  When I fail to feel His presence, He sings out my name with love.  When my morale sinks to new depths, He watches over me and lifts me up.  He forever holds my hand with a gentle and fatherly grasp.  It is God who has entrusted me with my calling and it is God who counsels, encourages, and supports, me through my day.  Rather than wasting time counting my faults, let me move closer to God and seek to please Him through my love and dedication in teaching His children. 

 

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

•  Teachers are often vilified in the media and made scapegoats for what is wrong in society today.  It is impossible not to be affected by this negativity.  It is during these times that we must step closer to God, firmly plant our hand in His, and never let go.  We must not be ashamed to look back and count our achievements.  It is through our achievements that we glorify the Lord, refresh our souls, and embrace our calling with new-found strength, not out of pride, but as humble servants of God.

 

• Lift your spirits at least once a day.  Determine what exists in your classroom that lifts your spirits.  Take advantage of it.  Are certain students always smiling?  Take a second to find joy in their smiles and do not forget to smile back.  Do students relax and laugh at funny stories or silly jokes?  Build them into the day.   Appoint a joke teller of the day. 

 

• Write a student a thank you note when the occasion calls for it.  Be specific in stating the purpose of the note.  Capture in your mind the smile of gratitude that will spread over the receiver.  Even though you may not observe the recipient reading the note, this works just as well if you personally write a note (no e-mail) to parents praising their child with specific examples of conduct or achievements.

 

• Post pictures of students engaging in learning activities in a place in your room reserved for just such pictures.  If you need a morale boost you need only glance at the collection of pictures.  Be sure to “catch” all students at their “learning best.”   If someone is having a bad day, you will have a visible reminder for them of what they can accomplish.  Be sure to rotate and update the pictures.

 

• Keep a diary of positives.  Before you leave school, jot down 3 – 5 accomplishments of the day in your diary.  If a student got out of his seat one less time than the day before, that is an accomplishment.  If a shy student volunteered to answer a question in class, that is an accomplishment.  God notices all the little things and so must we.

 

• Expect to encounter challenges and obstacles in your day.  Listen, love, laugh, and celebrate your calling anyway.  Remember, God is holding your hand

 

Challenge of the Week

Build into your classroom agenda at least one fun activity each day.  It should be something both you and your students enjoy.  It can be as simple as telling a joke, writing a quick positive note and placing it on student’s desk, or beginning work on designing a classroom logo and motto.

 

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

Prayerful Teaching is more than Covering the Curriculum

So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.

                                    1 Corinthians 14:9 (NIV)

 

Prayer and Meditation

I am obsessed with “covering” the curriculum especially because I realize over half of the school year has passed. I easily forget that even if students are listening, listening does not equal learning. My words are useless if they just twirl and whirl in the classroom air and fall to the classroom floor in a meaningless array of confusion and bewilderment.  Let me slow down my chatter to ensure my students travel with me on learning expeditions.  May my words be fewer and my actions structured to student needs.  May I always remember teaching is reflected in actual learning, not the quality or quantity of words my tongue utters.

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• “Now Think!  Just Think!” are the words of Professor Hill from The Music Man.  Telling students to “Just think” or “Be more creative” will result in nothingness, or worse yet, create an atmosphere of disparagement.  Commanding students to “Just think,” implies you believe they are not thinking.  Involve the class in demonstrating and giving solid examples of exactly what the “creativity” or “thinking” you are searching for looks like.  Move from whole-class and then to small group activities before expecting students to function on their own. 

• Getting it right the first time rarely happens for adults.  This is also true of children.  Most likely you will need to model learning objectives in more than one way before all students “get it.”  The key word is model, not repeat the same words that students found unintelligible the first time.  Do not move on until students can model their new skill back to you.  It is better for students to master one, two, or three leaning objectives than to “cover” ten objectives with mastery of none.

• Guide students in the learning process.  Catch errors before they become a bad habit embed in their minds. When learning something new, it cannot be expected that students find their own errors and correct them.  They need coaching just as athletes need coaching to become better players.  No one would think of expecting athletes to perform with just a lecture and a couple of “on your own” practice sessions and a few homework problems.   Even the Olympians have coaches who constantly work with them. 

• Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Mastery requires hands-on repetition, not more words from the teacher.  Mastery requires that you come back and use the skill or knowledge you learned, not shove it in a messy classroom desk or overstuffed hall locker.  Do you remember all of the state capitals?  You probably knew them in 4^th grade, but now cannot recall them all because you had no need to bring them up from your memory.  Can you recall Sunday’s gospel reading?  Can you recall the gospel reading from one month ago?  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.

• Assigning homework.  One simple rule:  Students cannot be asked to do homework for which they are not prepared to successfully complete.  This is only asking for trouble.  The teacher wastes time making corrections that cannot be understood by the student.  Negative feelings about homework grow.  Students are set up for failure.  Adults rightfully shy away from taking on tasks they know they will not succeed in completing.  Children cannot be blamed for feeling the same way.

Challenge of the Week

“All aboard!” cries the conductor to the 30 passengers all headed for a place called, “Growing Up.”   Thirty passengers board the train.

 “First stop.  Be back on board in 15 minutes, shouts the conductor.”  The lines at the snack bar and bathrooms are long.  Even though some passages race to get on the train, the conductor does not see them.  Only 25 jump aboard on time to continue the journey.

 “Second stop!  Be back in 10 minutes,” barks the conductor.   The lines at the snack bar and bathrooms are long.  The conductor sees some passengers heading toward the train, but feels they are not moving fast enough.  He has a schedule to meet.  Ten more passengers are left behind with 20 continuing the journey.

“Third stop! Be back in 8 minutes.” Two more passengers are left behind.  They see the train loading but know they might not make the train.  They do not even try. 

When the final destination is reached, the conductor says, “I did my job well.  I drove the train and covered my territory.”  Was the conductor aware that some passengers were lost?  Did he care?  As you teach this week, be aware of any similarities you share with the conductor and make the appropriate adjustments.

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com

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