High School Boys learn about the gift of TEACHING

On Sunday, the High School boy’s classroom was quiet, only containing two students and one leader. Sometimes these small groups are the best kind because discussion can be deep and students get that one on one attention. It is also good because each student gets the opportunity to share, and feels as though what they are saying is important because it is not drowned out by others.

The topic tonight was Building Up the Church (gift of teaching and the gift of pastoring). Before I go any further, I just want to mention how awesome it is to see the commitment some of the student’s show by coming to ILA every week. It is very rare when you don’t see TJ or VaDoll in their High School Boy’s classroom.

These boys along with Mr. Ty (volunteer classroom leader) went over many questions concerning teaching. Questions like, “Who is a teacher who has taught you a new skill?” VaDoll shared that a man named Shawn Stewart taught him how to play drums. If you know VaDoll, you know that drums are something he is very passionate about. TJ shared about a teacher who taught him a skill to use in math to better understand it. Another question was, “Who has taught you something about life?” TJ shared that he was taught to not take anything for granted, and VaDoll shared that he was taught by his mother to not talk to strangers when he was young. When asked, “Who taught you about faith in Jesus?” VaDoll shared that Mr. Todd (6-8th grade boy’s classroom teacher) taught him that if you always believe in Jesus and believe he is with you, you will be saved.

The boys went on to talk about verses in Matthew and Mark, which talk about Jesus humbling himself to teach by not taking credit for his knowledge, but also teaching with authority so that people may listen. They also talked about Jesus teaching with compassion. The boys brainstormed how they might teach with compassion and TJ shared that you would need to teach with compassion to someone who has treated you bad. VaDoll pointed out that Jesus spoke from his heart and that he cared about these people he was teaching. Next week the boys will continue their discussion on the gifts of teaching and the gift of pastoring.

Later in the evening, I had the chance to grab TJ and VaDoll. I was hoping they would share with me what they had learned earlier that evening in class during their Bible study. They were both eager to share with me what they had learned. I asked them to share with me what they had learned and how they were going to use what they learned in their own lives. VaDoll shared, “I learned about the gift of teaching and how I can be a great influence on others, like helping them to build their confidence. If I were to teach I would teach someone drumming to carry on the legacy of drumming.” TJ shared this, “I learned how to separate teaching with authority and teaching with compassion. I would like to volunteer to teach younger children things that I enjoy like math and football.”