Don't be a Gonzo

When I was a kid I loved watching The Muppet Show. In many ways Beaker, Gonzo, Kermit, & Miss Piggy shaped my world-view.

I’ll confess that I can look at some of my SGLs through the lens of Muppet characters.  I know that sounds a little twisted. But just like personality profiling tools like Myers-Briggs, I think someone should come up with something based upon Muppet characters.  My MBTI pegs me as an ENFP but I’ve self-assessed my Muppet mix as “Kermit/Beaker/Fozzie”.

I’m not sure how much value or clarity that brings to the workplace, but I think it could offer hours of entertainment and conversation for a group of SGLs working together to make ministry happen every weekend.  If we’re honest, any one of us could sit down and peg the Statler and Waldorf’s of the team. (Remember… those were the old theater critics in the balcony.)

I’ve observed many SGLs in action and there are plenty of times when they emerge from the time spent with their few looking like Gonzo after another trumpet solo gone awry.  Panting, frustrated and ready to throw in the towel.

The truth is… no one wants to be a Gonzo.

As I have audience with SGLs, I’ve learned that these simple skills are the best ones I can impart that will help make their small group experience less like Animal in a drum solo and more like Kermit singing on a lily pad.

Be Interesting
Your few will listen with interest if you are interesting. Study the material ahead of time to think through how to make the lesson creative and interesting for your age group.

Smile, Laugh and Look
It’s good teaching technique to laugh and use voice inflections to retain interest among your few.  Make eye contact and smile when talking to your group.  Kids will listen when they sense that you care about them.

Tell Them What You Expect
It’s important to clearly tell your few what you expect from them. When they know what you expect, it makes more sense to them when you hold them accountable. Your few want to know where the boundaries lie… so set them.

Tell Them What They Can Expect
Kids love rewards. And what’s rewarded is repeated. Use a simple reward system so kids know what they can expect when they do what you expect. From hand stamps, to little stickers, to Starburst candies… there are a variety of simple ways you can motivate the kind of behavior you want from your few.

Four skills to exercise that equip you to lead your group and brings them back for more.  Don’t be a Gonzo.  Be you.

- See more at: http://leadsmall.org/elementary/dont-be-a-gonzo/#sthash.UeTkmYrz.dpuf

Discipline and Discipleship

Discipline and Discipleship 

“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

 • According to this verse, what are some possible sources of misbehavior in a classroom? 

• Why is patience a necessary response for any form of misbehavior? 

Discipline and discipleship—two closely related words. Both come from the same Greek word for “to learn.” So why do we see discipline as negative and discipleship as positive?

Maybe it’s because, in our culture, discipline has more to do with control than with learning. 

As a teacher, you deal with misbehavior. And you have an important choice when misbehavior arises: to control your classroom or to use the misbehavior as an opportunity for learning. Two very different goals. Control equals a quiet classroom (and frustrated students). Learning leads to discipleship.

So if the goal’s discipleship, it’s not enough to control a child.

Instead, equip.

God’s placed you here to help your children grow—emotionally and spiritually. It’s your important job to give kids the tools they need to learn. Here’s how:

• Check your emotions first. When a child misbehaves, it’s natural to react emotionally. After all, the child is acting against you.

But don’t use your emotions to react—that just makes things worse. Respond. Use your own emotions as a clue to understand the child’s emotions. A child who makes you angry probably wants control. A child who hurts you may have felt hurt by you or another adult.

• Check their emotions. Ask direct questions. “How are you feeling right now?” “What made you feel that way?” Ask for honesty.

• Be honest yourself. Tell the child how you feel—and how his or her behavior is affecting the class. Be direct, but be warm.

• Help the child find a better behavior. Talk about behavior that would have been more productive. Lay out some options, and let the child choose. Help kids see that one of the options isn’t the behavior you’re correcting.

• Reinforce changes. When you see children improve their behavior, point it out. They’ll be glad you noticed.

Take this training deeper as you think over these questions:

• What does discipline mean to you?

• What’s been the goal behind your classroom management up until now: control or maturity? Is it time to upgrade your goal? 

• What are some potential challenges you’ll face as you use misbehaviors as an opportunity to foster maturity? 

God, I struggle with this type of discipline challenge… 

God, please give me patience when… 

May God bless you and give you eternal patience. Thank you for coaching your children to maturity! 

Write down the last few discipline challenges you’ve faced in the classroom. Write down who was involved and what you felt as it was unfolding. Next, write down why you think the child or children misbehaved. What emotions seemed to motivate the misbehaving? 

How can you begin to teach these children how to pursue these goals in a positive manner?

Be a T.O.P. Teacher

Be a T.O.P. Teacher

Is there a verse that’s guided your life? Write it here. If you can’t think of just one verse for your life, choose a favorite passage.

• Why has this been a key verse in your life?

• How important is having a spiritual goal for yourself?

• What do you expect of yourself as a teacher?

Why do you serve in children’s ministry?

Why not sing in the choir? Or work as a parking lot attendant? Or simply fill a spot in a pew?

What is it about your role that captivates you to the extent that you’ll prepare lessons, endure a child’s temper tantrum, and miss “big church” on a regular basis?

Some serve out of guilt…or an inability to say “no” when asked.

But others serve in children’s ministry because they’re engergized by the challenge to create an environment that’s engaging, encouraging, and enriching. They love helping students discover how to love, honor, and cherish Jesus.

No matter how you’re serving, serve so you’re a “T.O.P.” teacher.

• Be Tremendous by trying something new each week. Set the bar high for creativity—as you stretch you’ll keep students engaged and enthused!

By the way, tremendous doesn’t mean perfect! Don’t set the bar too high. Know your limitations.

• Be relational with Others by intentionally getting to know students. Get on their level and enjoy a healthy relationship with kids!

• Be Persistent in your efforts! Never settle for being mediocre or average! You can make the hour students are in your class a remarkable hour—an amazing, God-infused, empowering time!

In a world of big people who seldom notice children, you stand out as remarkable because you’re a T.O.P. teacher! 

Take it deeper as you think over these questions:

• Who do you ask to make sure you’re reaching your goals?

• How are you a different person this year compared with last year?

• What will be the feature that will improve in your life NEXT year?

Lord, I need ___________ to draw closer to you as a person and as a teacher.

Spend some time filling in the blank in the following sentence with as many nouns as you can think up:

Thank you for striving for the T.O.P. Set the bar for yourself high. Children deserve for you to be the very best you can be. 

Write down the name of each child in your classroom. Beside each name write one goal that you have for that child to accomplish this year. Make sure it’s related to what you have control over or what you can influence in your classroom. It could be to share toys or sing at least once—a lofty goal if you have a group of fifth-grade boys!

It’s the SMALL stuff that can make the BIGGEST impact!!!

There’s an old saying that says, “don’t sweat the small stuff!”

I understand this is trying to communicate that we shouldn’t worry about the small things that happen in our lives, because by doing so, we make them bigger than they really are.

So many volunteers show up each week with this same mindset, that they ‘aren’t going to sweat the small stuff.’

The small stuff—the details—takes more time, work and effort than just showing up and serving my hour and then going home.

But, I think success can be found in the small stuff.

What if a volunteer took the extra time to sit with that little boy and asked him about the big game he played in the day before?

What if a volunteer greeted each family that came to the door, making sure to call them by name?

What if a volunteer took some time to write birthday cards to all the kids who were having birthdays this month?

What if a volunteer showed up at her ballet recital with a small bouquet of flowers?

What if the volunteer made sure that each baby’s diaper was changed and clean before the parents arrived to pick them up?

What if the volunteer showed up a little early to make sure everything was set before the first child showed up?

What if a volunteer went out of his way to help that mom get all of her children checked in, dropped off, and showed her the way to the service?

ALL of these things seem like very small things.  AND there are ministries that are doing a great job each week without doing any of these things.

But, imagine if small group leaders started making the small things BIG things.  Imagine the BIG impact on preschoolers and their families when those small things become regular things.

It’s the SMALL stuff that can make the BIGGEST impact!!!

It’s the clean room, the changed diaper, the card in the mail, the pat on the back after the game, and smile that is given that make a BIG impact in the life of a preschooler!

So, sweat the small stuff, because in reality, it’s the small stuff that’s BIG!!!