Week after week, lesson after lesson.  They prepare, they decorate, they laminate. They give their time to teach you and your children.  They don’t do it to receive a paycheck.  In fact, they often spend money out of their own pocket to buy supplies and treats.  They don’t do it to get recognition or pats on the back, but rather they are often taken for granted and go unnoticed.

So why put hours into a job that costs you money and is sometimes undervalued?  It is rather simple.  It is because they love God, they love you and your children, and they want to help you and your children go to heaven.  Pretty noble reasons, I’d say.  So what can you give your Bible class teacher in return for all the work that is done in teaching?

I’ve heard it said that you can “kill someone with kindness”.  Well let’s not kill our teachers, (after all there might not be enough subs to go around), but let’s give them a good shock!  Here’s a few ways that might work:

1) Be on time so that they can start class on time.  I think this is especially true for the Sunday morning classes.  As a children’s Bible class teacher, I’ve seen many classes not start until 5, 10, or even 15 minutes after they should be because there are no students there.  Things can happen, but routinely coming in late is just rude.  The teacher who has gotten there early has her time wasted.  It tells the teacher that their class isn’t terribly important.

2) Come to class prepared.  Do you and your child have a Bible in hand?  You wouldn’t send your child to school without their books, so don’t send them to class without their book/Bible   Was there an assignment from the week before?  Did the teacher ask you to look up something the previous week that would be discussed in the upcoming week?  Make sure you have given some thought to the class ahead of time.  Your teacher certainly has.

3) Be prepared to participate and ask questions in the class.  This goes hand in hand with coming to class prepared, but it takes it a step further.  Do your own study during the week so that you have something to contribute to the discussion.

4) Was memory work assigned?  In our congregation, there is an expectation of memory work to be learned in the children’s classes.  Did you help your child learn it during the week?  Are they keeping up with the skills that they are expected to know and even exceeding them?

5)  Show your teacher that you appreciate them.  A simple thank you will work.  Parents, when is the last time you said thank you to your child’s Bible class teacher for all that they do?  Have your child make a card or write a note of appreciation to their teacher.  It will mean the world to them!

Let’s see if we can take some of these suggestions and give a good shock to our teachers in the weeks ahead.  If you time it right, they may just be in such shock that they volunteer for another year of teaching! 🙂