Oh that's brilliant. Sadly I don't think we had time enough for that approach. In truth she rarely had to wait more than a minute or two. And the entire class was just discussion, so she had a very "quality over quantity" attitude about it all. But it's certainly not for every teaching situation.
Although we heard on the grapevine that out of the three courses that were being run by the three churches in our town, all the kids thought that ours was far the most interesting! :) \o/ Important, too, when kids are supposed to be getting Confirmed . . . making an informed decision about joining the church and all that.
It's understandable though, that when children are small you teach them 'this is how it is' to give them a basic understanding. ("God is good, and he wants everyone to be good too.") I remember very distinctly when I was maybe five or six, I had a Sunday School class in which our teacher went through the Our Father line by line and explained to us what each one meant and why it was in there. I made a point of thanking her after class--it was the first and one of the few times when I ever felt that someone genuinely thought it was more important that I understand what was going on than that I go along with it.
But to jump from that to actual theology and philosophy is... quite something. Hopefully we at least gave them the right tools. Isn't that the basic point of education? To learn how to learn for yourself?
(I had a rather unusual upbringing when it comes to my faith. I'll tell you about it when I find some more spare time...) Please do :)
no subject
In truth she rarely had to wait more than a minute or two. And the entire class was just discussion, so she had a very "quality over quantity" attitude about it all. But it's certainly not for every teaching situation.
Although we heard on the grapevine that out of the three courses that were being run by the three churches in our town, all the kids thought that ours was far the most interesting! :)
\o/ Important, too, when kids are supposed to be getting Confirmed . . . making an informed decision about joining the church and all that.
It's understandable though, that when children are small you teach them 'this is how it is' to give them a basic understanding. ("God is good, and he wants everyone to be good too.")
I remember very distinctly when I was maybe five or six, I had a Sunday School class in which our teacher went through the Our Father line by line and explained to us what each one meant and why it was in there. I made a point of thanking her after class--it was the first and one of the few times when I ever felt that someone genuinely thought it was more important that I understand what was going on than that I go along with it.
But to jump from that to actual theology and philosophy is... quite something. Hopefully we at least gave them the right tools.
Isn't that the basic point of education? To learn how to learn for yourself?
(I had a rather unusual upbringing when it comes to my faith. I'll tell you about it when I find some more spare time...)
Please do :)