RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22504, 23 February 1935, Page 4

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

By Amplius,

TEACHER-FRIEND. Jesus said to his class of men, “ I have called you friends.” As He enrolled them in His group He and they became warm friends, because Jesus made friends easily. The crystal clear goodness of his character attracted men and the genuineness of it held them to Him. This friendliness was one of Jesus’ characteristics as a teacher. He was honestly and sincerely interested in people, and this expressed itself in an open, understandable type of friendliness. It opened the way for teaching. It created responsive minds and hearts. It convinced of an unselfish attitude toward the learner. It made the class loyal, eager, attentive, and open-minded. The successful Sunday school teacher needs this same friendly spirit which Jesus had. He . must be winsome, approachable, and solicitous for the good of others. His attitude must silently say, “ I am in the midst of you as one who serves.” As a true friend he must draw friends and his magnetic personality must hold them. TLe teacher who is too much an individual, who keeps at a distance from- his '‘class members, who does not believe in the sacred cause of friendship and who does not realise that man is useless until he is a real friend, will not succeed. Friendship costs 1 If means anxiety and self-sacri-fice, it means spiritual pain and heartaches; it means adding others’ burdens to one’s own soul. But if friendship costs, it also pays. It nourishes the soul of the teacher, and keeps it warm and sane and sound;within. It releases the soul and makes it solicitous for companion souls. It opens the door of the heart. OTAGO SCHOOL. We are in receipt of the 1035 calendar of the Otago Schopl of Religious Education, which will open its thirteenth session shortly.' The school offers facilities for teacher and leadership training for local' church workers, and the courses covered are both comprehensive and vital. . The weekly evening is divided into three periods —biblical, departmental, and general. The lecturers include Dr S. P. Hunter, who takes as his subject “The Wisdoqi Literature”; the Rev. R. G. M’Dowall, “ Old Testament History and, Religion Mr A. L. Haddon, “Life and Teaching of Jesus.” Besides the cradle roll, beginners, intermediate and departmental courses, three new' subjects have been added, camps and conferences,. church history and poster making, ail being led by well-known teachers and leaders.

Miss Salmond, principal, Presbyterian Women’s '\aining Institute, lectures on “Principles and-Methods of Missionary Education,” while story telling, through the week activities for both children and young people, history, theory and practice of pageajitry complete a very full and varied programme of work. The speaker at the opening meeting will'be Dean Cruickshank, and all Sunday school teachers and Bible class leaders and senior members should make a point of seeing and studying the calendar as a preliminary to enrolling as students of the “ 0.5.R.E.” Our copy comes from the ' honorary secretary, C/o P.O. Box 117, Dunedin, from whom all information and further particulars can he obtained. HOW TO SECURE TEACHERS. Does your school need some new teachers? A few of the larger and better organised schools are in the happy position of being able to supply their own teacher needs through their own training classes, hut such eases are not frequent; so that some suggestions as to methods of securing teachers which have proved successful in other schools and may be new to you should bo helpful. They will be treated in the order oi their proven efficiency. Probably every superintendent whose heart is in his work has thought some time or other that appeals from the pulpit should bring him the teachers he , needs. One has heard this tried in various ways—an appeal by the minister, an explanation of the need by the superintendent himself, or a special sermon dealing with the situation —and yet these have not seemed, to be productive cf worth-while results, A variant of this plan was tried, bringing an almost immediate result. In the introduetpry part of the morning service—it was in l. fair-sized city church —at a signal from the minister three boys of about 12 or 13 years stepped up briskly to a position before the pews, and the spokesman made a neat little speech like this:

“We three fellows are members of the Live Wire class. There are 10 more like us. Our teacher moved away five weeks ago, and since then we haven’t had any. We want a real good man' who likes fiiiij and we’ll give him a.s good a time as he gives us. We raised 43 dollars for , missions last year, and we’ll do better , this year if we get the right man. Is there anybody here that will corns in with us? ”

The direct human appeal in that invitation' is evident. It apparently went right to the heart of a bright young man who needed just the steadying influence that class, will give him. This sort of thing might be varied in several ways, but the human interest and directness of the call must be preserved to ensure effectiveness.

Probably 80 per cent of our teachers are secured by personal appeal on the part of the superintendent or the minister. One man who uses this method with marked success widens out its application somewhat by using a business follow-up system. First’ be writes a suggestive letter pointing out the personal advantages to be gained from teaching, and asking that the matter be considered. A week later a personal call is made. If the direct appeal then is not successful, another scries of letters goes out, with possibly another call by the associate superintendent or the leader of the department.the prospective teacher would be utilised in. When the prospect, sees that the school officials are really in earnest about wanting him, it puts him immediately in a much more receptive frame of mind and makes his acceptance much more probable. An,associate superintendent who also believes in applying business methods to his Sunday school work, and is a salesman by profession, m’akes a specialty of showing his stock-in-trade, or what is known in the advertising world as “ selling ” his case to the prospective teacher, before making his active appeal. His favourite plan is to invite the person he wants to the school specially for one day, and having got him that far, he places him, ostensibly for the day only, with the class for which he has him in mind, which of course is in charge temporarily with another teacher. He reports that in seven cases out of ten the hour’s association with the boys or girls, with a knowledge of their midweek activities and the contact with their youthful brightness, seems to open up the way for a successful appeal a little later. The method which the writer has seen give almost 100 p°.* cent, results depends, first, on a careful selection of the prospect, whose devotion and ability must of course be without question, and, secondly, an ultra persistency on the part of the pupils of the class in question rather than of the superintendent ( officers. An actual illustiation will Lest present its operation: In a recent case, a leader of the senior boys in a well-organised school was anxious to secure a certain man ho knew'well for a large class of teen-age boys. Personal appeal seemed to have so influence. But a week after the un-1

successful call three boys comprising the class executive called at the gentleman’s house. When this brought no result, tht whole class, 18 in all, called three or four days later. Following this, the executive made their plea to the pros* pect’s wife and secured her aid. Two more weeks, with at least two calls a week from one member or a party from that class, brought an unconditional capitulation, and to-day, not only is that class prospering, but the teacher is devoted to his work.

After all, however, the most ultimately successful and satisfactory method for all concerned, is that of training, the young men and women ap they go up through the senior classes to expect and look forward eagerly to taking hold of classes in the junior departments when the time comes. Dozens of schools are working this plan with the utmost satisfaction. It has the advantage, not only of furnishing a supply of teachers, but also of providing a solution for that problem which has been a worrysome one in most schools—what to do with the young men and women when they seem to lose interest in their classes. Get even a 20-year-old boy or girl interested. in a class of youngsters of the same sex half his or her age, and there will not be any question as to their wanting to stay on in Sunday school. —Edward Moore, Canada.