If you are running any nonprofit or children’s program, it is imperative you run background checks on everyone.
I have heard too many stories where children were abused because everyone assumed a volunteer was trustworthy. When it comes to a child’s safety, never assume!
Cartoon of two adults and baby with a scarecrow. A man says about the scarecrow, “He doesn’t interact with the kids much. But he’s always available and on time.”
I can usually tell when someone doesn’t feel comfortable in a classroom. They don’t look much different from the scarecrow in my cartoon. They’re stiff, standing tall among all the kids. They do dress better than a scarecrow, however. They also have a more worried look than the scarecrow in this picture.
I have a hard enough time finding parking in a strange city. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to find a decent parking spot on the next planet.
Standardized tests have become the bane of school teachers for a good reason. It’s difficult being creative when you are hammering your students with facts and figures for the next critical test.
Thankfully, standardized tests haven’t come to children’s ministry. Now there is a need for scripture memorization and biblical literacy. However, we must balance the need for knowledge with the need for creative storytelling. Children’s ministry workers need to remember when we tell a story creatively, it can bring the lesson to life.
We are all wired to tell and hear stories. After all, Jesus taught in parables as he also taught the scriptures.
As I look my old cartoon, I’m wondering what Bible story would involve sword swallowing. I’m not encouraging any student or teacher to take up sword swallowing. I’ll leave that up the professionals like Mrs. Jones. All the same, if you had the opportunity to use a sword swallower, which Bible story would you think could fit the bill?
Cartoon of a happy teacher and student. The teacher says, “This is a great story. You should copyright it.”
It breaks my heart when I hear about an author who almost didn’t take up his craft because an English teacher once told her that she was a terrible writer. But it is inspiring to hear of those who heard that discouragement, yet overcame it and are authors today.
It is a shame when discouragement comes out of our mouths. I am as guilty as anyone else of spewing criticism to others. Unfortunately, it is too easy to do that in this world.
But a complement goes a long way. My fourth grade teacher encouraged me to consider drawing when complemented my part in a poster. I didn’t think of myself as an artist until that moment.
Be sure to give a sincere complement to a child when you have a chance. You never know how it will change his life.
