Children
"Give it to me!” Caitlin screeches yanking on the plastic leg of a baby doll.
"No! It’s mine!” Emma hollers back tightening her grip on the defenseless doll’s other leg. Both girls arrayed in frilly Sunday dresses are now waging an all out tug of war in the middle of the church’s three-year old room.
The teacher, Mrs. Sweeney, politely excuses herself from her conversation with a parent who is in the doorway and walks calmly toward the scene. "I can see two girls wanting to play with one doll." She gently remarks bending down to face both girls at eye level. Putting her hand to her head and furrowing her eyebrows in an exaggerated expression of confusion she wonders out loud. "Hmm. Let me think. Can two girls play with one doll at the same time?" Both girls stop tugging long enough to look at Mrs. Sweeney. Caitlin slowly shakes her head.
"They can't?" Mrs. Sweeney asks looking shocked. "What are we going to do then?"
“Maybe we could share.” Emma offers shyly.
"That's a wonderful idea!" Mrs. Sweeney exclaims. "Did you know that God likes it when we share? He tells us in the Bible that if someone asks us for our coat we should give it to him. That means we should share with our friends.”
The girls are quiet for a minute. "You can have the first turn.” Emma says a smile slowly spreading across her face.
“Thanks! How ‘bout I tuck her into the crib and we both sing her to sleep?” Caitlin asks swaying with excitement. The girls skip off together in search of the baby bed.
Mrs. Sweeney walks back to the parent waiting at the door and smiles as the sweet sound of the little girls singing fills the air and peace once again prevails (at least for the moment) in her classroom.
This scenario is an example of a teacher taking advantage of a situation happening in her class to teach a lesson on sharing. This is called a teachable moment. MSN Encarta Dictionary defines a teachable moment as, "a time at which a person, especially a child, is likely to be particularly disposed to learning something or particularly responsive to being taught or made aware of something". These moments happen all the time and when we grasp them, they become a powerful tool to reach the hearts and minds of our children. Observe the children in your classroom or your own children at home and one thing will become clear, a child's world exists in the present moment. When we step into that moment and teach from what is happening around them, we have a better chance at make a lasting impression. Here are some ways to make an everyday moment into a teachable one.
Be in the here and now
Physical presence is vital for our children but mental and emotional presence is like a valuable treasure. Commit to being focused on the children that are in your care. Don’t let thoughts, tasks, or other adults distract you from what is happening right in front of your eyes.
Pray!
In order to fully commit to being focused on the children, you must do as it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NKJV). Pray that God would allow His Spirit to keep your thoughts and actions centered on the children He has placed in your hands.
Remain Calm
Note that Mrs. Sweeney did not allow the argument happening in her classroom to cause her to get upset. She remained polite, calm and in control. This helped the children to disengage from their emotions and focus on what she was saying. Here are some ways to keep your cool during some of your more heated teachable moments.
· Before getting involved take a deep breath and count to ten.
· Keep the tone and volume of your voice soft and low.
· State the facts plainly using phrases such as “I see” or “It looks like”.
· Get down on the child’s level and make eye contact.
· Don’t take things personally. Remember how much mercy and grace your Heavenly Father gives out to you and extend the same limitless amount towards the children.
Stay Alert
The old adage “I have eyes in the back of my head” rings true for anyone desiring to take advantage of a teachable moment. No matter what the task at hand might be, whether you are working with children, talking with a parent, or preparing for a lesson; you must remain aware of what is happening around you. Here are some tips to keep you on the ball.
· Glance around the room frequently and make a mental note of what each child is doing.
· Walk around the room several times, stopping to watch the activity and conversations that are occurring.
· As you observe the children ask yourself these questions. ”Do they need my help? Can I extend their learning? Is there an important spiritual, moral, or academic lesson to be learned?”
4 Types of Teachable Moments
If you stay alert and focused on the children, it won’t take long for you to see that there are countless teachable moments occurring in various ways all the time. Here are just four of the many types of teachable moments that you might find in your own classroom.
1. A Disagreeable Moment: Any time you see children in an argument you can know for sure that you have a great teachable moment in your hands. Remember to use the tips on staying calm during these moments as they are often emotionally charged!
2. A Playful Moment: These usually occur during a free playtime and generally require you to ask questions about a child’s play. For example by asking a child how many blocks he thinks he has used in building his block tower and then having him count, you can teach a quick lesson on estimating and counting that he is likely to remember.
3. An Eyewitness Moment: This is a subtle moment that simply requires pointing something out to a child. An example of this would be walking by a child painting and remarking that she has mixed yellow and red to make orange. This ensures that the child realizes what she has done.
4. An Overheard Moment: Ever notice that children pick up most on the very things we don’t mean for them to hear? You can use that to your advantage in this type of teachable moment. Whenever you are involved in a task pretend to think out loud. For example, if you are wiping up a spill on the floor you might say something like, “I better wipe up this spill before someone slips. I am glad I was using careful walking feet so I didn’t fall in the water.” The next time a child spills something they are sure to remember the words of wisdom they “overheard” from you.
Reaping the Rewards
It may seem tedious at first but as you continue seeking out teachable moments, it will soon become a part of your everyday teaching style. It will set the tone for a classroom that finds learning to be an exciting adventure occurring all around them. The children will blossom and grow into active learners and in time you will likely see them teaching each other everything from conflict resolution to the Ten Commandments. Best of all, as you lay your head on your pillow at night, you can rest easy knowing that you made the most out of the gift God has given you to teach His precious little ones.
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