The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Religion
The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.
Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Sunday schools
6. The class should be consulted, as far as possible, respecting the
subject of study. The teacher should lose no opportunity to evince his
respect for their opinions. His difficult questions should be asked
generally of the class, while the personal questions should be easy
and adapted. He should receive all their answers with an abounding
charity and confidence, and make the most of the feeblest responses. A
tart reply to a single remark will ofttimes seal the lips and hearts
of a whole class. They love confidence, and become afraid to trust a
teacher with their stammering, half-uttered, imperfect answers,
particularly if he appears more anxious to be smart and witty than to
do them good and honor them. Let the lessons be systematic and
complete. The teacher should aim to draw out the thoughts of his
pupils in an easy way, instead of pouring in his own. "_Thoughts_, not
words," should be the class-motto, and none can appreciate them better
than young people. Let the illustrations be well-chosen and
appropriate. If you strike an important practical question during the
lesson, do not leave it until satisfactorily investigated, whether the
lesson is covered or not. Let every mind be calm and unembarrassed, so
that it will work well; much depends upon the class, as well as upon
the capacity of the teacher. "A few pebbles, a piece of leather, and a
cord, are in some hands, a more formidable weapon than the sword of a
giant, although it be strong as a weaver's beam and keen as a blade of
Damascus steel."
7. These young people should be especially induced to look into their
own hearts, and study their own mental and moral mechanism. Lead them
often to converse about themselves. It has been truly said, that "it
is a law of human nature, that man is interested in nothing so much as
about himself." Whatever relates to his own personal experience always
claims his especial regard. Many quite fail as teachers, as well as
preachers, because they are so impersonal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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