If the midst of teachers' meeting, new teacher Carolyn announced, "The gifts survey recently completed by our church family showed that I have no gifts for teaching!" We laughed at her admission. I asked why she had agreed to teach. "I don't know. I just love the Lord and I enjoy children." I don't know anything about the gift survey she had taken. I do know that Carolyn's love for God and her deep understanding of children made her a perfect prospect for teacher.

A month later I checked on Carolyn. She was exuberant about her class of young children. They were fun. They were a high point of her week. She could not stop beaming and bragging about "her" children.

As we talked, she noted that the teachers' meeting had helped her to "relax and to be open to the faith experiences of the children."

You, like Carolyn, can have the skills in teaching to relax and celebrate the joy of our faith.

Another new teacher, Jenny, suggested this key to her enjoyment of teaching, "Call the children by name and plan a lot of meaningful activities. If children have fun, then everyone will learn more and will want to come back."

You can open yourself to the excitement that comes from joyful teaching and creatively sharing your faith in age-level-appropriate ways. Let's look at the possibilities to assist you as you prepare for a very special journey in faith through the eyes of children.

Take Time to Identify Prospective Children

Search Known Lists

You may have been given a list of children's names. Sometimes this is complete. Sometimes, even in smaller churches, it is not. Children may have been dropped from your list for a variety of reasons. There are some ways to make sure you are reaching all your potential class members:

• update previous lists you can find
• look for children's ministries dropouts
• reach out to visitors
• follow up on special-event par-ticipants (like Easter Egg Hunts, VBS, Trunk-or-Treats)
• reach out to the children who may be connected to your church through grandparents, neighbors, or friends
• create a new listing with parents' names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses

Reach Out and Introduce Yourself

Send post cards and colorful notes, and make phone calls, to introduce yourself to the parents and children.

Children enjoy personal attention. Even if you've known the child for many years, this is a new relationship of teaching and learning together. And if you don't a know the child, this is a great way to begin. Make sure you get to know the parents first.

Jesus met people where they were. When he helped persons feel comfortable, they were drawn closer to God. Your introductions communicate hospitality.

Personalize Your Room

Create a welcoming atmosphere in your room. Use each child's name on a bulletin board. Put names on doors, walls, ceiling mobiles, or banners. Easy-to-do ideas include:

• paper name balloons with curling ribbon strings
• member pictures glued on apples on a tree
• graffiti-style names on a classroom banner
• paper name bricks on a wall outside your room

For nonreaders, a color-coded or thematic welcoming door or entry display might help children find appropriate meeting areas. Each age level might agree on an identifying color or simple symbol. For example, children might be encouraged to "look for the red door," "come to the sheep grazing on a green hill," or "find the door with purple grapes."

Pray for Your Class

As individuals and as a group, begin to pray before your first meeting. If you have a large class, group the children and pray for three or four each week.

Take Time to Explore Your Resouces

User-friendly resources invite you to grow in your personal faith as you guide others. Psychologists have said we retain 95% of lessons taught. You are about to embark on a major adventure in learning together with the children you teach. To make better use of your resources, try the following.

• Discover the overall focus of the unit. Look at the goals for each week. Make notes as you read through the material of activities you might use, stories you remember, and supplies you might need.
• Reflect on the needs and gifts of your class (and yourself) as you read through suggested lesson ideas. Remember to personalize each lesson.
• Choose activities and discussion starters that will encourage both individual and group growth.

Biblical background for teachers and concise activity directions with readily accessible materials will allow you time to concentrate on building relationships.

Christianity is not a cut-and-paste activity for the refrigerator door. It is a relationship! Allow activities to become personal reflections of the participants and part of the learning process, not simply a "cookie cutter craft."

Take Time for Age-Level Needs

Reflect for a Moment

• Identify the age you will teach and remember when you were that age.
• What did you enjoy doing by yourself and with friends?
• Who were the signifcant persons in your life? What do you remember about each?

The children in your class may be a lot like you were as a child. They may have similar likes and dislikes. As concerned adults, we at times "miniaturize" Chrisitianity, challenging children to be like adults. We impose our adult perspective on children rather than allowing them to experience God's love with the awe and wonder of childhood experiences. With Jesus' model of teaching, you will be teaching children first; content second!

Take Time to Discover Your Space

Visit the Space

Look at your space as a "first-time visitor" might. What do you notice? Is it clean? Is it neat? Does it look like a space where a child would come in joyfully? Discover what things need to be taken care of before the children arrive, considering the following:

• Is this a safe place for children?
• Is this an appropriate place for children?
• Do I have what I need to be able to teach?
• Can the parents and children find the space?

Imagine the Children in the Space

How will they move in the room? Is there so much furniture that they might fall over it? Is the room arranged so that they can find what they need? Is the bulletin board or wall displays low enough for them to see? In what ways, if any, do you feel you might want to change the basic area arrangement?

If you share sapce, consult with others utilizing the same space to determine the best arrangement for all the children who use the room. While most resources will probably be eagerly shared by all groups, some areas may need to be specified.

• Color-coded fabric shelf "curtains" might help separate one group's supplies from another
• Reversible signs can be made and flipped for multiuse spaces
• Floor space can be identified for sitting, rather than having too many chairs

Prepare Your Area in the Space

• Refresh bulletin boards or wall displays
• Clean out and clear out out-of-date resources
• Gather basic supplies in an accessible spot
• Organize each weeks lesson in numbered file folders (make an index of lesson numbers and corresponding dates, then your folders can be reused for your next unit or quarter)

If you take time now to prepare, you'll save time later, and enjoy the children and teaching more. Have a great year!