Teacher's FAQ

The goal of the program is to prepare young people, ages 5-12, to transition into “big church” by the time they complete the 3-year program.

Yes! This main memory verses in this program are not difficult and intentionally set to be achievable.  The memory verses average 20 words or less. This provides a lower bar of entry for students who are not accustomed to memorization work.

There are three particular areas of concern if a child is not succeeding in memorization. 

1. The Teacher’s Concern

The Teacher should be committed to providing plenty of time to learn, review, and practice the memory verses. If a teacher is not providing enough classroom time, with effective memorization techniques, then the church as a whole is placed at a disadvantage. The next generation is going to rise and fall on Scripture – it cannot be replaced, but needs to be placed as a priority.

2. The Parent

Mrs. Shirley, a legendary teacher, revealed that it is often the church leader’s children who are the weak spots of the classroom. If a student is not memorizing, it is likely that their is an issue of commitment at the parental level. This is a matter that you do not want to fight as a teacher.

Remember, honey, not vinegar, catches the fly. So be sweet, positive, and encouraging.

Avoid letting the parent know that you know there is a weakness in the parenting.

3. The Child

Finally, assuming the children are considered to be within the intended developmental range of the program, there might be some resistance to learning or sharing among the child. To address this. You can use simple reward systems, such as stars or stickers, to reinforce positive behavior and physically create tangible symbols of the spiritual success achieved through memorizing Bible verses.

Note: While the main memorization program is for children within normal developmental ranges, be sensitive and supportive of parents who have children with special needs. 

To answer this question we need to first realize that different cultures will approach this differently.

As part of this program, the protocol is to return the child to the main worship service to sit with there parents if they are unable to participate and behave in the classroom.

To prevent disruptive behavior, the teacher should follow the classroom sequence, which includes a time dedicated for sharing classroom rules. Also, attendance star charts in the student manual  require good behavior for an attendance start to be rewarded.

Each lesson follows a repetitive sequence to instill foundations for good behavior in church, respect for the Bible, and prayer.

The idea behind the sequence is closely tied to the underlying principle behind the curricula, which is that the lessons are delivered as accurately retold Bible Stories, using the method of “orality”. So, the actual story might only be 5 minutes of the whole classroom time, but the supporting activities in the sequence reinforce and support the Bible story time. Remember, The overriding discipleship goal is not entertainment, but godly education. 

In conclusion, teachers are provided a very important step-by-step guide for leading the class, from beginning to end. While it is the backbone of the classroom structure, t is flexible and adaptable according to the needs and desires of the local church.