Stop! Drop!...and Think!

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways” (Proverbs 14:8a).

• Why do you think it’s wise to give thought to your lessons when they’re over?

• How does reflection impact your future teaching?

Most days after class, you probably don’t even want to clean up. You’d rather rush home and move on with your life. Or maybe you need to scurry out of the room to pick up your own kids. Or you’re in a hurry to get lunch out of the oven.

And that’s OK. But it’s important to take a few minutes—maybe while lunch is cooking or you’re getting ready for bed that night—to reflect. Think about your lesson. What went well? What could have gone much, much better?

Not taking the time for reflection will make you a stagnant teacher—and your lessons redundant. If you don’t evaluate your experiences, you end up reliving them again and again without ever growing or changing.

Ask yourself some questions:

• How did the class go?

• Do you feel positive or negative leaving your class? Why? 

• What do you think the kids really took away from the class?

• How do you feel the kids responded to the activities? What was their favorite? Least favorite?

• Did kids give you any glimpses into how they’re going to apply this lesson to their lives? If so, what were they? 

Once you’ve answered those questions, take it a step further. Consider the implications your answers to those questions have on your classes in the future.

If you feel kids loved the obstacle course game, how can you use that knowledge as you design games in the future?

If you don’t think kids understood the main point, how can you be sure they do in the future?

If you didn’t see kids applying the lesson to their lives, how can you use more life-application opportunities in your lessons?

Reflection matters. A few minutes of think time will make you a master teacher and change kids’ lives in new ways. So after class this week, stop, drop, and think about the experience you just had in your classroom! You’ll become a better teacher if you do.

Take this training deeper as you think over these questions:

• What’s the worst class you’ve ever taught? The best?

• Why do you feel that way about each of those classes? 

• How can you avoid the things that made the worst one the worst? How can you duplicate the things that made the best one the best?

I felt this way about my class last week…

God, please help me take the time this week to evaluate my class. Make me aware of the good and the bad in my class, and help me use that knowledge as I develop lessons in the future. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Make a list of reflection questions to ponder after your next class.