RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 23189, 11 February 1939, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[J3y Foit ward.] A NEW YEAR—A CONSECRATION. A new year of work in Christian education is beginning. Before us lie the untrodden paths. New opportunities and now privileges face us, as once again wc gather round us those boys and girls who. mean so much to the Master. Let ns consecrate ourselves anew to the task, with now resolution and faith. Fred Grey in an article entitled ‘ Consecration,’ gives the following resolutions which it would 'be well for us to copy

To forget the chagrin of failure, the irritations incident to growth and development, the pride of success and of standards outgrown; to forget the things that lie behind in favour of the things that Jio before. “The year is going ... let him go!” To challenge ourselves to the discovery of new powers; to welcome the effort necessary to go beyond our best; to accept our present achievements as tokens of divine favour and to stretch forward and dare the impossible ! To believe in an ideal, and recognise it to’ bo no less than the Kingdom of Christ; to pledge ourselves to make the task of religious education worthy of its high spiritual purposes and to be daily sustained by the vision which our faith makes real!

To rejoice in our high • calling, and to exalt the ministry of teaching; toseek no reward other than; the consciousness of a task, well done; to covet nothing but the trust, of childhood, the friendship and confidence of youth, and to pray for the daily coming of His Kingdom! In Him to forget all, and in Him to find all; in Him to discover daily strength and to reach unto His best for our life. Im Him to gain a true vision of the ultimate ideal, and through Him to consecrate all empowers to the purposes of His will for childhood'and youth. In Him to magnify our calling and gratefully praise Him for the honour of this responsibility. In Christ Jesus to stand upon the threshold of a new year with courage, “ forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, to press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling - of God in Christ Jesus.”

UNDERSTANDING GOD. It is a very important adventure for those who seek to help a child to a better understanding of God. It is also exceedingly difficult. Our own understanding- as teachers limited. Too often our teaching--consists merely in talking about God and in attempting to impose our own beliefs on those wc teach. It is essential that we learn how to help children to associate God with happy, experiences in the operation of: the universe and in human relations. Wo need to be conscious that understanding God is not merely a matter of the intellect, but also of the emotions. We shall be wise if we utilise the child’s natural response of awe and wonder to the world’s beauty. Me need to follow the suggestions and questions of the children. But, above all, the teaching in relation to God must come naturally, through the events of daily ; life, through some unusual Nature experience, through a community of world event, a tragedy of an heroic endeavour. The children must loam that there have been, and there still are, many different ideas of God, and that adults as well as children are still trying to understand God more fully. We must help the children to appreciate a little more their religious heritage and the contribution of people through the ages to our present-day understanding, as well as to promote a feeling of responsibility for our age to learn more. We must-help the boys and girls to interpret their own eyery-day experiences with God.' • GOOD ORDER !N SUNDAY SCHOOL. In a Sunday school I visited recently the order was disgraceful. Boys and girls talked to each other during the singing of the hymns, caps were thrown about while the superintendent prayed —and the result? The lesson may as well not have been taken, for practically no attention was paid to tho teachers. . , How different is the case in a school where ! good order prevails! In such a school- there is no end to the work that can .be done, and no limit to the joy to be derived from labouring in it. Yes, “ good order ” is a splendid tool in character building, and the teacher who is without it will meet with very little success. Good order throughout the school depends on every teacher, and particularly on the leader or superintendent.; But a keen teacher in a badly-ordered school should not despair and be caught in the general laxity; he should do what he can to see that one class, at any rate, is well ordered. There are, of course, born disciplinarians who have no difficulty whatever in obtaining and preserving order among children. But what of those not so gifted—the great majority of ordinary mortals? What can they do to possess this useful tool, which will make their work of teaching so much easier? If the teacher has made an effort to develop his or her personality on the right lines, a good start has been made. Hero are two points with regard to the teacher’s personality: 1. Never lose your temper. 2. Do not shout.

However, no matter how hard we try, we cannot all develop commanding personality. Yet there are many things we can do to secure good order in our classes. Like so many other important things, good order depends largely upon little things. For instance, the assembly can bo arranged so that the removal of hats, coats, etc., causes the minimum of disturbance; hymn ‘books, Bibles, blackboards, and materials can all be got ready beforehand, so that the school session will proceed without unnecessary interruption; cards can be marked previous to the meeting in a room set apart for the purpose. It can be arranged (if time is given to preparation) that no prayers are too long and that the children neither stand nor sit for periods likely to cause restlessness. Careful attention to these and such things will soon result in an improvement in the order of the school, and the time will come when the details of school and class management can be relegated to a system of mechanised routine. (The routine factor niust not be overworked, of course.) Looking ahead and anticipating possible difficulties will also help towards securing good order. Just one example: You have a model to exhibit next Sunday ; think now bow you will display it, so that standing on seats and pushing to the front will not occur. Discuss this with your fellow-teachers. How would you deal with offenders against the good order of a Sunday school? Suggest 12 points of routine which, if carried out, would help in the smooth working of your Sunday school department.