Today was a long day. I believe that waking up on the wrong side of the bed is a very real thing, and if you go back to sleep for a quick power nap, your bed can turn right around so that you wake up on the RIGHT side.
Church was long, and not your, my kids won't hold still and are tired and hungry, kind of long. They were actually VERY good today, which was an answer to prayer because we have really been working on reverence the last few weeks. Today was long because at church, I am now in charge of teaching the 3 and 4-year-olds in their primary class. This is Lydia's class, and there are 10 of them that consistently come. Today was my first week. Prior to this, I volunteered at the church by planning monthly activities for the women of our church. I LOVED it. Though hectic, it was the most fun I have ever had serving in the church. Last week they asked me to teach in Primary. I said yes- then that's when they told me they wouldn't need me to plan these activities anymore. Some people say that planning the activities would be very hard. For me, teaching 3 year olds is like trying to climb Mount Everest. Isn't it interesting how innocent children humble us? I feel very inadequate after today. It's one of those things where I don't even feel like I'm that great at teaching my own children reverence, yet alone 10 little ones that synergize their energy and want to jump up and down and run and wiggle and stand on chairs and lay on the floor and pick their noses and tell me everything that happened at dinner last night. This will be a challenge. This will take faith. And I suppose this is what the Lord wants me to learn right now. And maybe if I am lucky, 10 little 3-year-olds will get something out of it too.
9 comments:
I feel for you! I teach the 4 year olds and some days I come home ready for a nap! All I can say is, there are good days and some crazy and not so good days. But it's great when you hear one of the kids telling their mom after church in the hall what they learned about.
When Tyson and I were first married, we taught the 3-4 years olds, and it is tough! I am sure you are going to be great at it, and the best thing is how the kids will learn to love you!
See, I am one of those that planning enrichment would NOT be fun, but STRESSFUL. I would LOVE teaching the sunbeams. 10 of them would be handful, admittingly. But I'm still envious of you.
I'm the sunbeams teacher too!! I've figured a few things out thus far but I'm still learning. Those little guys have so much energy and are really good at getting sidetracked! We erase "reverence stars" off the board when they are not behaving well and then are rewarded with treats or stickers at the end of the lesson of there are any stars left. It's worked wonders. That, and I ALWAYS have a coloring activity. At least one. It fills up time well. GOOD LUCK!
Good luck Heather! The class you have is big, but the kids are too cute! It will be a challenge but it's amazing what a blessing it is to those kids. You will do a great job!
When I first started teaching Primary I was teaching 5-year-olds. There were seven of them and I would often come home in tears after Primary (one girl actually told me she "hated" me). I cannot even imagine 10 Sunbeams! It took me four months to figure out the kids and start to enjoy it. Just as I was starting to feel like I was having fun and I was enjoying those kids...they ripped me away and gave me a different calling. I'm sure you'll be great, just stick with it and I promise you will be rewarded!
I am the sunbeam teacher too. luckily I also have another lady tht helps me out and we alternate which sunday's we teach. they still give us snacks to give to our kids so we always do that first and then have our lesson and they LOVE to play with playdough so after we have the lesson and do the coloring activity and what ever else we have a closing prayer and then they get to play with playdough until their parents come and get them!
Another thing that works REALLY Well for me is to have a poster of our class rules with pictures and go over them EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY! then they are fresh in their minds and they always sit and listen better! You could also have them help you create the rules and the consequences, then they feel like they can follow them easier! I hope it gets better for you, i know it will! good luck!
10! Wow! Aaron and I are teaching a Sunbeam class but they split them up into 3 groups of 6. They do have lots of wiggles and by the third hour they have a hard time.
I don't remember who gave it but there recently was a talk about how children aren't always very reverent, but the most important thing is consistancy. The speaker was saying that during their FHEs their kids were fighting, not listening, running around, etc. However, the most important thing was that they were consistant and had FHE every Monday, even if the kids were sitting there picking their noses:). They soak up a lot even when you think they aren't:).
I bet you are doing great! Do you have someone teaching with you? It helps to have Aaron there to concentrate on helping the kids listen and me to give the lesson.
I've taught the 3-4 class and/or the 4-5 class for the last 4+ years. It is such an up and down thing. But it's amazing how much they absorb, even when you don't think they're getting much. My advice would just be to break up the lesson time with "fun time." It helps get a few of the wiggles out. But let's be honest - they're 3 years old, it's only going to be so reverent. :)
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