UU Congregation of Columbus, Indiana

Religious Education Teaching Guide

 

          At least one week before you are scheduled to teach, you should read through the curriculum and prepare any materials you will need for your class.  Please take a few moments to read through this list of suggestions and review the names and faces of the children in your group. Please note any medical or other concerns parents have indicated on the registration sheets.

 

          Immediately before your class begins is a good time to get familiar with the classroom and set out the materials you will need for your lesson.  The sitter, if she is not otherwise occupied with babies, can be asked to help in your class room, but she will usually not be available.   It is up to you to arrange for assistance if your lesson plan includes activities requiring more than one adult.

 

          The preschool and younger primary rooms are not totally soundproof. Please be sensitive to the adjacent classes when you are playing music or making noise.

 

          When the children leave the service, please gather for a moment outside the sanctuary to be sure any visiting children know which class to attend, then enter the classroom together.

 

          Please make sure things are cleaned up and stored away at the end of class.  The children can help you with this.

 

          After class, please stay in the room long enough for young children to connect with their parents. Be available to discuss with parents what the children did that day, especially try to connect with the parents of visitors and relatively new members.

 

          There is a first aid kit stored in the sink cabinet in the younger primary room should you need it. Please be sure to discuss any injury with the child’s parent or guardian and with Amie Smith or your group leader.

 

          Each room is equipped with basic supplies. The younger primary room sink cabinet drawers have things like hole punches, nametags, staplers, permanent markers and other things we don’t make accessible to the children. Art materials are on the open shelves, and curricula and curricula support materials are in the closed cabinet in the younger primary RE room.

 

          Some classes are small and attendance can be unpredictable. If possible, adapt the lesson to the children who are there. If there is only one child, you might choose to let them join another RE group, play a game, do chores, or play on the playground.  The child must be supervised until the service is over and they are reunited with a parent or guardian.  There are a few balls stored in the sink cabinet in the lower primary room, books on the shelf, and a few games.

 

          You do not have to tolerate disruptive behavior. In each classroom is a posted reminder of how we treat each other at church. If a disruption occurs, draw the child’s attention to these rules and discuss why they are helpful.  If the behavior continues, send the child back into the service to their parents. The children have been told that they will be sent to their parents if they cannot cooperate. 

 

          Please let the group leader know how your class went, including any concerns you may have or suggestions for improvement.  If a visiting child participates in your classroom, please give their name to Amie Smith and your group leader, so that we may greet the child and parents. Please inform Amie Smith and your group leader if you encounter any problems.

 

          Thank you for teaching these wonderful kids!  Your contribution is very much appreciated!

 

 

Amie Smith 812-350-9232 , Children’s RE Chair Person