For today’s Teach Feast, it will help if everyone can see the questions at times, so share this QR code for this page, or direct them to the address.
Starter
What’s the range of how you feel about going to work on different days? Put it on a scale of 1-10 and share your lowest and highest if you feel comfortable.
1= I’m not sure I’m actually going to leave the house today
10 = I want to get everyone excited about our job today – I’m so keen!
Going Deeper
Split into pairs and do one of the below each, or tackle it all together.
1. We may not always want to head into lectures or go to school because work isn’t always easy or comfortable. However we most often fulfil our obligations and give work a good go.
‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.’ (Gen 2:15)
What do you see at uni or school that shows it is good to work?
2. Work began in perfect Eden but, just like the rest of creation, sin brought distortion, curse and bad attitudes into play. We humans learnt the ease of being lazy, even if we know it doesn’t lead to good things in the end.
‘Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labour.’ (Pro 12:24)
Where do you see evidence of this verse being true in your workplace and community?
3. Work doesn’t always produce what we hope it will, either in results or our satisfaction. It simply isn’t always wonderful. But it is worth learning the benefits of perseverance, diligence and using what we have in our hands and minds for good. And this is part of what we’re teaching children in schools.
‘A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.’ (Pro 13:4)
Have you found this happening in your own life? What might it look like to be diligent and satisfied?
Given how we adults feel about and sometimes approach work, it’s not hard to see why we encounter challenges from our students in this area. Additionally, the post-pandemic culture, amongst other shifts, has given rise to an alarming absenteeism and widespread disengagement which is particularly tricky to tackle at the moment.
So what do we do as teachers? How do help ourselves and our children?
While we aren’t God in the classroom, we are in authority and we can set a gospel atmosphere. God is distinctive in the way he responds to us, even when we're wandering off in the wrong direction.
Reflect
Ask for each of these verses to be read out.
- ‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.’ Eph 2:4-5
- ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully outs it on his shoulders and goes home?’ Luke 15:4-6
- 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?' Matthew 7:3
What difference could this make to how we approach the students who are apathetic in our lessons?
Is there anything you are reminded about in your relationship with God?
Share what you'd like to pray about in response to today and any other prayer points. Then pray.
Going Further
If you’d like to listen or read further, this website with a podcast embedded is a great place to start:
https://truthforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/keep-giving-apathetic-students/