Episcopal Diocese of Albany - Christian Education

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The Seven Laws of Teaching: Part Two

by Deacon Laurie Garramone-Rohr, Christian Ed Coordinator
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This is the second rule of "Seven Laws of Teaching" compiled by John Milton Gregory in a book by the same name which was first published in 1884. The wording is a little dated, but still very rich, so I will present them in their original wording and break them down into practical chunks for application. John M. Gregory was raised in Sand Lake, NY, in the late 1800's. Some seminary students are still required to study these laws today.

Rule Two: A Learner is one who attends with interest to the lesson.

In other words, the more interested students are, the more they learn.

This rule implies responsibilities on the part of both the student and the teacher. A student has to decide to 'attend', or pay attention, and a teacher has to somehow generate interest in a subject. From my years of teaching, I'd say this is pretty accurate.

One difficulty we face is that the role of student is not really a choice; it's usually enforced. I know that my two sons, both of whom love school, do not really choose to go to school every morning. They simply have to go. They know that I would make them go, that the school would notice their absence, and that they would miss work which would be difficult to make up if they weren't there, but they aren't really choosing to be students.

Additionally, Sunday School gets a bad reputation simply because it has the words "Sunday" and "School" stuck together. For many kids, Sunday is supposed to be a day off, so why should they have to go to school? And lots of Sunday School programs seem way too much like school in the 1950's to be engaging. How would you like a "Vacation School" day in the middle of a trip, complete with worksheets and fill-in-the blank questions? That's how it feels to kids sometimes. You can learn a lot about a vacation place by going to hands-on museums, gathering shells at the beach or doing research on the computer, but that isn't as restrictive as structured class time, is it? People can learn a lot from mission trips, skits and retreats, too, and it doesn't feel like school, which can be a good thing.

We can help learners choose to participate in several ways:

Convenience: Make it easy for people to attend. A good Sunday school time is between services on Sunday mornings, if you have more than one service. Also, try to offer both children's and adult programming at the same time, and offer child care for the very young. Sure, parents can socialize with a cup of coffee during that time, but why not take the cup of coffee right into Bible study? Free people up so that they can feel comfortable participating while their children are being cared for elsewhere; it may be the only time they get to study God's word all week. Be creative, too. While visiting Ballston Spa one day, I saw a sign for a Marriage Enrichment class being offered by Christ Episcopal Church at the coffee shop I was sitting in! Lots of people who might not want to come to church will come to a coffee shop and will feel less threatened. Someone else suggested holding an Alpha course at a local Fire Department or Salvation Army.
Active participation: Invite both adults and children to attend, and provide time for discussion. People like to process information, and they learn far more when they are able to both listen and contribute. Also, try to get some of the established members to attend. I know that I was really distracted during a Bible study once by a conversation that some of the Vestry members were having just outside the door. When I looked around, most of the people in the room were newer people. Shouldn't Bible study be a priority for everyone?
Relevance: Teach according to the needs of the students. If you don't know, ask them. Our Youth Pastor at Calvary, Holly Schubert, gave the middle school students several choices for topics and let them vote. She was surprised at their choices and said she would not have picked those topics if she had done the choosing on her own. (Quick note: when I just asked my middle school-aged son what he studied in Sunday school this year, he was able to tell me four topics immediately-the information stuck because it was relevant and interesting.) This also applies to adults: money, marriage and parenting are relevant topics and people are interested in guidance and in understanding the scriptural values related to them.
Empowerment: What is someone going to take from a program that will change their lives? Can a teenager understand how to stay sexually pure in a sexually charged culture? Is someone stronger, more knowledgeable or more understanding? I remember hearing a woman say after a Bible study that she felt God was telling her not to watch soap operas any more; her life changed. Jesus Christ changes and saves lives-how are people taking that message home and applying it?

In the New Testament letter of James, he directs us to "Be doers of the Word and not merely hearers," (1:22). By making Christian Ed convenient, by incorporating action, relevance and empowerment, we stand a good chance of seeing not just more people coming to our programs, we stand a chance of seeing more of them in Heaven, and that's the real goal, isn't it?

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