Teach Your Children

• Knowledge and expertise of their subject, of the course they teach and what it takes for students to achieve great results in assignments and exams
• Compassion for and empathy with students – an understanding of what they know, their challenges, and how they can overcome obstacles to learning
• Friendliness and a sense of humour
• Enthusiasm

I can think of examples of teachers that I disliked. I was once hit with a stick for getting confused when attempting to recite the Roman Catholic versions of the 9th and 10th commandments – “thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife” and “thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods” 😀. The teacher was fine otherwise, but it would make you dread going to school. There was no corporal punishment at second level, but they still had ways of terrorizing you. And things were better at third level, but some lecturers were better than others.

Nowadays, I learn online just as a hobby. My current favourites on Udemy are Stephane Maarek and Angela Yu. With frequent sales, courses are often available for as little as 9.99 Euro.

In terms of learning about the Bible, my favourites over the years have been David Pawson, Graham Harrison, RT Kendall, and Wayne Grudem. Their views differ from one another, and I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but I find them quite engaging, and I’ve probably spent more time listening to them than anyone else. Great teachers motivate you to investigate for yourself. You don’t necessarily need to agree with everything they say, unless we are talking about teaching that comes directly from the Bible, which is authoritative.

And of course, the Bible itself is amazing. Think of who Jesus is and how he was able to explain everything at our level. He didn’t necessarily use his divine power in everything he did. I would think that as a carpenter, he had to learn like the rest of us. So, while his teaching has divine authority, I would think that he needed to think and plan out his teaching. And so much of it is quoted today, even among atheists. He sometimes puzzle people, but that in itself can be an excellent teaching technique.

And the Apostle Paul and other New Testament writers followed his example. And they all had a real love for their students, unlike so many in the centuries that followed. Consider what the Apostle Paul says in the following verses. He is contrasting his team with so many other teachers who remained aloof, talked down to people, and charged high fees for their services.

 1 Thess 2:6-9
We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. ⁷ Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, ⁸ so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. ⁹ Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

In every area, I am thankful for all the teachers who had knowledge and expertise, showed compassion and empathy, were friendly and humourous and were truly enthusiastic about their subjects and their students.

And of course, as students, we need to show the same qualities and enthusiasm for learning and for teaching each other. When I was training to be a teacher, I remember being told to encourage students to teach each other. And we did a lot of that in college. You also see that encouraged in the New Testament:

Colossians 3:16
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit…”