Your blog team apologizes for the delay in updating the posts. Here at CMI, we've just completed a very crazy couple of weeks with a large group of students. Weeks six and seven at Institute are always very busy. We run three modules simultaneously: IOT Level 1, IOT Level 2 and Dynamics of Teacher Training. Extra students always come in for those modules.We had an added challenge this time around. Just before week six began, we learned that Grace Swensen fell and broke her hip. That meant she and Joanne Anderson would not be here to teach the IOT Level 2 course. The rest of us scrambled to cover all the bases. Many of us taught classes we don't usually teach--or had not taught for a long time. We also had to bring in some outside staff to help with practicums.It was quite a challenge, but God provided the needed strength and wisdom.
Please join us in praying for Grace's recovery. She is home from the hospital, but is dealing with uncomfortable side effects from her medication. If you want to encourage Grace and Joanne, you can send a card to them at: 225 Hialeah Lane, Grayslake, IL 60030, or e-mail them at gswensen@sbcglobal.net.
Now to today's post! Stan Toler is a motivational speaker and writer. In a recent publication he listed qualities of a good teacher. We thought this list was very appropriate for those of us who are IOTs. See how you rate in these five important areas:
1. Teach sincerely
People are not only affected by your skills, they are influenced by the way you live. The greatest lessons you will ever teach will come from your own experience. Your transparency will be a greater source of inspiration than your facts or theories.
2. Teach purposefully
Vibrant teaching focuses on building productivity and responsibility. It observes weaknesses and teaches strengthening. It recognizes possibilities and offers plans. It estimates damages and offers reconstruction.
3. Teach methodically
Methods must fit the occasion and lessons must be aimed at the learning level of your students. And don’t forget, steady doses are better than overdoses.
Methods must fit the occasion and lessons must be aimed at the learning level of your students. And don’t forget, steady doses are better than overdoses.
4. Teach sacrificially
Every teacher is given a moment—a window of opportunity--that may never open again to influence a life. You may have to subtract time or energy in order to add the resources for someone’s development.
Every teacher is given a moment—a window of opportunity--that may never open again to influence a life. You may have to subtract time or energy in order to add the resources for someone’s development.
5. Teach sympathetically
The best teaching comes from the heart. Your students not only need your experience, they also need your attention. Teach them by not only respecting who they are, but also by what they will become.
The best teaching comes from the heart. Your students not only need your experience, they also need your attention. Teach them by not only respecting who they are, but also by what they will become.
Someone has said, "We should be in the business of building people up. There are too many people in the demolition business."
Our prayer for you, as an IOT, is that you are building up your students through your compassionate teaching.
Comment on this post? Click the comment link below and tell us what you think!
2 comments:
This would be a great session to include in our weekly GNC teacher training class. Several woman have been teaching since the days of Margaret LaHaye and think our "new" methods don't work. One teacher said "She doesn't need to come any more because she knows it all." Needless to say, the clubs where these people are teaching are losing children from boredom. Please pray that we can help them understand the importance of teaching methodically, not just as they have always taught or teach whatever they feel the spirit is leading them to teach. Many of these ladies have taken TCE so they should know better. It has been a great discouragement to us.
Signed, discouraged in Michigan
Dear Discouraged in Michigan,
We feel your pain! How sad when people cut themselves off from growing in their ministry. As Howard Hendricks says, "If you stop growing today, you will stop teacing tomorrow."
We will pray with you that God will give these ladies teachable hearts and a willingess to climb out of their rut. They need to realize that if you keep doing the same things the same way, you're going to keep getting the same results--in this case, not good! Feel free to use any of the ideas shared in our blog.
In the meantime, hang in there and keep challenging your teachers with creative ideas that will spark up their clubs. You just never know when an idea you share will touch that motivational button and get a teacher moving forward again.
Also, share testimonies (or have other teachers share) about how applying the methods taught in training classes has brought good results--change in the lives of the children.
Lastly Discouraged, remember that we do our very best in our service in order to please God, not men (or women!). God knows and will reward your faithfulness to Him (Col.3:23-24).
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