One of the thrills of being at a school where your church kids attend, is getting to see them almost every day. They wave and smile. I wave. I give hugs. They call me Pastor Al, and their friends give them strange looks. Their little brains are thinking, “I thought that was Mr. Lawson.” My church kids then get to explain who I am and why they call me Pastor Al instead of Mr. Lawson. I don’t interfere, I think it’s kind of cool that they get to talk about church to their friends.
One of my church kids invited me to eat lunch with him. He cleared it with the teacher and we made our plans to eat together on Wednesday. We met in the cafeteria line and he pointed to the table where his class was setting. I told him to save me a seat, and after I gathered my lunch I went to sit with him. He saved me a seat alright. Right on the crack of two benches. Right in the one spot where two tables come together and there are more table legs than the average dining room set. I looked at that spot and thought, if I ever get down there, I may never get back up. Not only was the leg area crowded, the table seemed shorter than normal. But probably just right for a fourth grader. The children saw my advance to the table and parted like the Red Sea. With the extra space, I was able to get seated next to my friend, balanced between the ends of two benches.
There was soft music playing in the background as I unpacked and organized my lunch. I began to make small talk with my friend and the other children sitting around me. But as I talked, no one would speak to me. They looked at me, but would not answer my questions or continue my efforts to engage in conversation. Am I that out of touch that I cannot even carry on a conversation with a fourth grader? I am bombing out here! I felt like a rock sinking fast in a deep lake. Finally, I turned to my friend and asked quietly, “Why is everyone so quiet?” My friend whispered, “You can’t talk when the music is playing.” OooKaaay I thought. Now I get it. And about that time the music stopped and everyone began to talk at once. The volume of the cafeteria rose quickly, and all the new friends sitting around me became instant chatter-boxes.
Conversations were flying. I’m learning new names, hearing about their pets, what they like to eat or not eat, and what their plans were for recess. Typical fourth grade talk. Then the music began again, and room went quiet. “What happened?” I blurted out in my normal loud voice. “What did we do?” I asked, assuming we had committed some great offense. “Nothing,” they whispered. “The music is controlled by Dr. B. He monitors us in his office. When we get too loud, he turns on the music.” Now Dr. B is fantastic principal and highly respected by his staff. I’ve met the man and I can’t imagine him even taking the time to monitor lunch. Typical fourth grade fantasy. But the music was on and we all got silent and ate our lunch.
When the music stopped, we talked some more and debated the theories behind the coming and going of the music. We had a pear eating contest to see who could eat the closest to the core without actually eating it. Too soon lunch ended. My visit ended. We all dumped our trash and lined up to leave. Realizing I did not have to walk in line with my new friends, I waved goodbye, broke ranks and walked back to my class. What had started out as an awkward experience, ended well, once I knew the rules.
Application: By spending time in their world, even though it was just lunch today, I learned how their lunch world worked. I learned the rules of lunch. The next time I eat with them, I’ll understand them better. It won’t be awkward and maybe my relationships will go a little deeper. I wonder how much my church teachers know the world our children live in. Now some of my teachers are currently parenting, they understand their children's world. But many of my teachers finished parenting a long time ago, and like me, need a refresher course on kid culture. For in order to share faith, in a relevant, real way, we have to know the rules, the rules of culture, family, thought and relationship that our children live in each and every day.
Thanks for reading
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Week 2.0 The Thrill of Victory ….
March 19 ….and the Agony of Defeat
Monday was a great morning. My fifth grade student and I really clicked during Math. Now granted, he was asleep when I came into the room. But I walked over, rubbed his back and quietly said, “Wake Up. I don’t know what we are doing and I need your help.” He woke up. We worked on Least Common Multiples. I got it. He got it. We were three problems ahead of the rest of the class. He even went to the board to write the problem for the class. We clicked. My Mentor and I gave each other a “high five” on the way to our next class. The thrill of victory!
It was going to be a great week.
I could not wait to see this student tomorrow. But wait I must, for I found out later in the day that my prize student had been suspended! Now how does that happen! I know you can’t tolerate a student that mouths off to the teacher and then tries it again on the principal, but how did my good student lose ground so fast? I’m still trying to figure it out. He came back later in the week and the rest of the week was just ok….the agony of defeat.
I know I can talk, but it’s becoming apparent in Daily Oral Language that I don’t understand anything I’m saying. If I ever knew what a digraph is, or a blend, or a vowel team, or glued sounds or welded words, I don’t remember. It sounds like English, but it feels like a foreign language. I’ve got a lot to learn about language and reading! (Lesson plans are due in two weeks!!)
Tuesday was St Patrick’s Day and I was smart enough to remember to wear my green! Everyone was celebrating from green hair, green t-shirts, to green tattoos (washable of course). Kids just love holidays! But the greatest celebration was in Kindergarten. They actually began celebrating the week before with Leprechaun words, art projects, rainbows and lima beans painted gold. They evened sorted cupfuls of Lucky Charms cereal in the name of math! My kind of class!
But I am a giant in the Kindergarten room. I constantly have to evade signage and art that hangs from the ceiling. Though I guess it has to be low enough for Kinders to read and see it, it still smacks me in the face. And to assist a Kinder, I have to get down on my knees, which exposes my number 12 feet to Kindergarten traffic lanes. One poor girl tripped and fell over my feet. I didn’t see her coming and she didn’t see me. Boy did I feel bad, and there was nothing “I” could do to comfort her. I try to look both ways before I kneel down, but I’m wondering if they make those flashing sole tennis shoes in size 12?
Applications:
What about the children that do not attend Sunday School or church every Sunday? My fifth grader missed a day of school this week. He’s missed seven days this year because of suspension. Many children do not attend Sunday School or church every Sunday, and most of the time it’s not their fault. Do we just accept it, or are we working to learn their story? Is there something we can do to improve their attendance?
When we talk to children, or tell a Bible story, do we speak in the language of a child? Do we listen to what they have to say? Do we answer their questions in words they can understand? Do we get down on their level, both physically and spiritually?
Children naturally trust their teachers. Now we know that Leprechaun’s don’t really exist. But they existed this week to those Kindergarteners, especially when the Leprechaun tossed the room during lunch! This speaks to their ability to trust, and trust hard. This was the kind of trust Jesus was talking about in the Gospels: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Monday was a great morning. My fifth grade student and I really clicked during Math. Now granted, he was asleep when I came into the room. But I walked over, rubbed his back and quietly said, “Wake Up. I don’t know what we are doing and I need your help.” He woke up. We worked on Least Common Multiples. I got it. He got it. We were three problems ahead of the rest of the class. He even went to the board to write the problem for the class. We clicked. My Mentor and I gave each other a “high five” on the way to our next class. The thrill of victory!
It was going to be a great week.
I could not wait to see this student tomorrow. But wait I must, for I found out later in the day that my prize student had been suspended! Now how does that happen! I know you can’t tolerate a student that mouths off to the teacher and then tries it again on the principal, but how did my good student lose ground so fast? I’m still trying to figure it out. He came back later in the week and the rest of the week was just ok….the agony of defeat.
I know I can talk, but it’s becoming apparent in Daily Oral Language that I don’t understand anything I’m saying. If I ever knew what a digraph is, or a blend, or a vowel team, or glued sounds or welded words, I don’t remember. It sounds like English, but it feels like a foreign language. I’ve got a lot to learn about language and reading! (Lesson plans are due in two weeks!!)
Tuesday was St Patrick’s Day and I was smart enough to remember to wear my green! Everyone was celebrating from green hair, green t-shirts, to green tattoos (washable of course). Kids just love holidays! But the greatest celebration was in Kindergarten. They actually began celebrating the week before with Leprechaun words, art projects, rainbows and lima beans painted gold. They evened sorted cupfuls of Lucky Charms cereal in the name of math! My kind of class!
But I am a giant in the Kindergarten room. I constantly have to evade signage and art that hangs from the ceiling. Though I guess it has to be low enough for Kinders to read and see it, it still smacks me in the face. And to assist a Kinder, I have to get down on my knees, which exposes my number 12 feet to Kindergarten traffic lanes. One poor girl tripped and fell over my feet. I didn’t see her coming and she didn’t see me. Boy did I feel bad, and there was nothing “I” could do to comfort her. I try to look both ways before I kneel down, but I’m wondering if they make those flashing sole tennis shoes in size 12?
Applications:
What about the children that do not attend Sunday School or church every Sunday? My fifth grader missed a day of school this week. He’s missed seven days this year because of suspension. Many children do not attend Sunday School or church every Sunday, and most of the time it’s not their fault. Do we just accept it, or are we working to learn their story? Is there something we can do to improve their attendance?
When we talk to children, or tell a Bible story, do we speak in the language of a child? Do we listen to what they have to say? Do we answer their questions in words they can understand? Do we get down on their level, both physically and spiritually?
Children naturally trust their teachers. Now we know that Leprechaun’s don’t really exist. But they existed this week to those Kindergarteners, especially when the Leprechaun tossed the room during lunch! This speaks to their ability to trust, and trust hard. This was the kind of trust Jesus was talking about in the Gospels: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
March 13 - Fun Friday!
On Friday’s, my Mentor Teacher does a motivational thing called Fun Friday. Now most of our students have BIP’s (Behavior Intervention Plans) that measure their behavior on a daily basis. When the goal points have been earned, Fun Friday kicks in. Fun Friday is small block of time when a kid gets to do what he does best, play. And they love Fun Friday. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes board games, and always Legos.
What these young ones don’t realize is that Fun Friday is my Mentor’s sly way of teaching social skills. While they play, they still have to work on taking turns, sharing, asking nicely, and generally being polite and conversational with each other.
I spent my first Fun Friday playing Connect Four with one of my boys. It’s a simple game, but the concept of dropping four checkers in a row was a hard concept to grasp. Fortunately for him, I knew how to play the game, and how to manipulate it so he won more games than I did. The smile on his face was priceless. He beat the teacher!!
Now the big kids are too cool for Fun Friday. Instead they come to Friendship Groups. A Friendship Group is a small enclave of students who participate in a club like group. They do creative Power Point projects, read cool books, make puppets and write puppets scripts. And like their younger counterparts, they work on taking turns, sharing, asking nicely, and generally being polite and conversational to each other. My Mentor Teacher is so-o-o smart.
Now this Fun Friday thing was a blessing to me, because Friday is a really hard day. You see, for as long as I can remember, Friday has been my day off. And getting up to go to school on Friday was really hard. (Yeah, I know, you are not sympathetic at all) My challenge now is to get to school on time each Friday and earn enough behavior points so I can challenge another student to a game of Connect Four.
Application: When do we schedule time for our church kids to just play? Children are at their best when they are playing. The church word for Play could be Fellowship, a time when we get together to eat and enjoy each other’s company. We get to know each other better, which equips us to care for each other later. It’s not much different for children. Our children live in different neighborhoods and communities. They attend at least seven different elementary schools. The only time many of them get to see their church friends is at church! When do they get to play with their most important friends? Is there value in planning some events for children, just for fun? I think so…
What these young ones don’t realize is that Fun Friday is my Mentor’s sly way of teaching social skills. While they play, they still have to work on taking turns, sharing, asking nicely, and generally being polite and conversational with each other.
I spent my first Fun Friday playing Connect Four with one of my boys. It’s a simple game, but the concept of dropping four checkers in a row was a hard concept to grasp. Fortunately for him, I knew how to play the game, and how to manipulate it so he won more games than I did. The smile on his face was priceless. He beat the teacher!!
Now the big kids are too cool for Fun Friday. Instead they come to Friendship Groups. A Friendship Group is a small enclave of students who participate in a club like group. They do creative Power Point projects, read cool books, make puppets and write puppets scripts. And like their younger counterparts, they work on taking turns, sharing, asking nicely, and generally being polite and conversational to each other. My Mentor Teacher is so-o-o smart.
Now this Fun Friday thing was a blessing to me, because Friday is a really hard day. You see, for as long as I can remember, Friday has been my day off. And getting up to go to school on Friday was really hard. (Yeah, I know, you are not sympathetic at all) My challenge now is to get to school on time each Friday and earn enough behavior points so I can challenge another student to a game of Connect Four.
Application: When do we schedule time for our church kids to just play? Children are at their best when they are playing. The church word for Play could be Fellowship, a time when we get together to eat and enjoy each other’s company. We get to know each other better, which equips us to care for each other later. It’s not much different for children. Our children live in different neighborhoods and communities. They attend at least seven different elementary schools. The only time many of them get to see their church friends is at church! When do they get to play with their most important friends? Is there value in planning some events for children, just for fun? I think so…
Monday, March 16, 2009
Week 1.0 - Awakenings and Reminders
March 9 – Monday, Monday!
I did not start this blog until the beginning of Week 2, so I am playing “catch up” on this blogging idea. I am doing my internship in Special Education at the Carolina Springs Elementary school. It was no surprise that my Principal and Mentor Teacher are outstanding. I have received an encouraging welcome.
The hardest part of the first day, I must confess, was getting started early. Though I claim to be a morning person, arriving at school before 7:00 am seemed unreasonable. Daylight savings time had just sprung forward, and it is dark at 7:00 am! There is just something wrong about going to school in the dark! But my whining ceased when I pulled up to the school at 6:50 am and saw three school buses sitting in the bus lane. The day of an elementary student begins very, very early. When did these children wake up and get dressed? Did they get enough sleep? Did they eat breakfast? What time did the bus come? The answer: before 6:50, since these poor souls cannot get off the bus until 7:00 am! No wonder more than half the school arrives by car, who wants to get up that early?
Now I certainly know that electronics are standard tools in today’s classroom, but I was overwhelmed with the volume! This is not my first public school teaching experience. I first taught in 1977, fifth grade. The sum of electronics that were available to me was a cassette player, and a record player. In the library were filmstrip and movie projectors that had to be shared by all classes. In my small special education resource room we have three computers, printers, scanner, phones, voicemail, email, internet, a SMART board (appropriately named, for at this point this white board is smarter than I am), listening centers, and an ELMO projector (I always thought Elmo was a fun red puppet from Sesame Street, but apparently he made good on his investments!). Wow, what a ton of resources! Our class must be really special, and then I got the building tour…Every classroom had the same equipment and more computers! I wonder what would happen to teaching when the power fails, I did not see any chalk….
The first days are days of observation. Just follow the teacher, watch and ask questions later. Working with a resource teacher is busy. Our schedule changes every 30 to 40 minutes, with a different set of children, with different needs, teaching a different subject. This week I tried to learn the schedule and the names of our students. Some have learning disabilities, some mild mental disabilities, and many have behavior issues. I’ll figure those out as I get to know the children better. I saw diverse classes, the brightest and the saddest of faces. I can’t wait to learn their stories.
Some Applications: One of my personal goals is to learn about the daily lives of the elementary children we attempt to minister to at church each week. Here are my first thoughts:
The school day begins very early. How does church programming contribute to a good school week?
The children live and learn in a very electronic age. What is the role of electronics at church? Is there a place for a computer in the Sunday School class?
Every child is a story. Every child is shaped by family and outside forces. How well do we know our children at church? How well do we know their families? Are we working hard enough to build the kind of friendship and relationship that gives us natural opportunities to share our faith?
Thanks for reading. I can’t wait to see how God is going to use these next ten weeks.
For the Children,
AL
Prelude to the Internship
Reprint of The Living Water, March 2009. The Newsletter of Lake Murray Baptist Church.
From Pastor Al Lawson:
In 1982, while in the midst of my seminary education, Kristin was born. Kristin slept all the time, which I thought was wonderful, given the fact that I was working two part-time jobs and going to seminary full-time. But Elaine knew, as mothers do, that something was wrong. After two years of chasing “medical rabbits”, we were told that Kristin was developmentally delayed. (Actually we were told that Kristin had mental retardation, a perfectly legitimate medical term, but today socially unacceptable)
Thus we began a life journey that we did not plan to make. As hopes and dreams dissipated, the blue print for raising this child could not be found. What we did find were occasions when our own faith experiences were challenged, stretched, and reorganized. We found opportunities to minister to a remnant of God’s creation that was not even in our thoughts. And over these 27 years, a passion for special education has developed. Each church that I have served as a full-time staff member has either begun or grew a special education ministry. Elaine and I have had the privilege to write numerous articles and Sunday School materials for LifeWay Christian Resources. (The Spring 2009 Access materials is my latest publication.)
In 2005, before I came to Lake Murray Baptist, I began a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Over the last four years I have been chipping away at the course requirements. One class remains. The Personnel Committee and Pastoral Leadership have approved a Part-Time Sabbatical for me to complete a required internship in an elementary school in order to finish my Masters Degree.
During these 10 weeks, I expect to gain valuable insight into the daily world of the elementary children we seek to minister to each week. In many ways I expect these days to be a refresher course in the social and educational world of children. I expect to observe trends and behaviors that will enhance our ministry to children in the years ahead. In addition, I expect to gain new insights into the special needs world, which will help us minister to these families more effectively. During these 10 weeks, though you will see me a little less around the office during the day, I will still be available, and present on Sundays and Wednesday nights.
All of this to say “Thank You”. Thank you to a church that is willing to accept persons with special needs into church life. Thank you to a church that provides educational space and resources to develop a special education ministry. Thank you to a church that elects a Personnel Committee that values the education and development of their staff. Thank you to the Personnel Committee for approving this Part-Time Sabbatical experience. Thank you to my Pastor and staff for your support and encouragement.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and the leadership of our Children’s Ministry.
For the Children,
Al Lawson
Associate Pastor for Children
From Pastor Al Lawson:
In 1982, while in the midst of my seminary education, Kristin was born. Kristin slept all the time, which I thought was wonderful, given the fact that I was working two part-time jobs and going to seminary full-time. But Elaine knew, as mothers do, that something was wrong. After two years of chasing “medical rabbits”, we were told that Kristin was developmentally delayed. (Actually we were told that Kristin had mental retardation, a perfectly legitimate medical term, but today socially unacceptable)
Thus we began a life journey that we did not plan to make. As hopes and dreams dissipated, the blue print for raising this child could not be found. What we did find were occasions when our own faith experiences were challenged, stretched, and reorganized. We found opportunities to minister to a remnant of God’s creation that was not even in our thoughts. And over these 27 years, a passion for special education has developed. Each church that I have served as a full-time staff member has either begun or grew a special education ministry. Elaine and I have had the privilege to write numerous articles and Sunday School materials for LifeWay Christian Resources. (The Spring 2009 Access materials is my latest publication.)
In 2005, before I came to Lake Murray Baptist, I began a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Over the last four years I have been chipping away at the course requirements. One class remains. The Personnel Committee and Pastoral Leadership have approved a Part-Time Sabbatical for me to complete a required internship in an elementary school in order to finish my Masters Degree.
During these 10 weeks, I expect to gain valuable insight into the daily world of the elementary children we seek to minister to each week. In many ways I expect these days to be a refresher course in the social and educational world of children. I expect to observe trends and behaviors that will enhance our ministry to children in the years ahead. In addition, I expect to gain new insights into the special needs world, which will help us minister to these families more effectively. During these 10 weeks, though you will see me a little less around the office during the day, I will still be available, and present on Sundays and Wednesday nights.
All of this to say “Thank You”. Thank you to a church that is willing to accept persons with special needs into church life. Thank you to a church that provides educational space and resources to develop a special education ministry. Thank you to a church that elects a Personnel Committee that values the education and development of their staff. Thank you to the Personnel Committee for approving this Part-Time Sabbatical experience. Thank you to my Pastor and staff for your support and encouragement.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and the leadership of our Children’s Ministry.
For the Children,
Al Lawson
Associate Pastor for Children
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