Something about Teachers' Meetings
The teachers' meeting is not so much to get facts as to vivify and
arrange them. The leader does not teach the lesson unless he teaches
how to teach the lesson. This is a place for comparison.
The meeting is perhaps less to make plans for the teachers than to
stimulate them to make good plans for themselves. The gathering is not
to listen to a lecture. You cannot make teachers, except by the
Socratic method. A teachers' meeting is not a Bible class.
The ideal teachers' meeting focuses on the work of each the helpfulness
and skill of all. The leader, then, must put into the meeting every
one's peculiar talent, and must draw out from the meeting for every
one's peculiar need. And do not--as so many teachers' meetings do--let
the teachers for the older classes run away with the evening.
The right kind of teachers' meeting keeps itself up and keeps up the
teachers. It "draws," because it is attractive. The only way to build
up an attendance is to build up the interest of the meeting to be
attended. Nevertheless, attention to a few bits of detail will greatly
assist in building up the attendance. Have a constitution, a full set
of officers, and stated business meetings. Make the teachers feel that
they "belong." Many a teachers' meeting goes to pieces for lack of
something to tie to. Cultivate the feeling of responsibility. Insist
on rotation in office. Give every teacher possible some regular duty,
if only to pass the hymn-books. Once a year at least let the teachers'
meeting have a field day. Get up its finest programme, with a special
view to interesting the entire church in Sunday-school work. Then
invite the entire church to hear it. Such an open meeting should come
just before the beginning of a new line of study.
The teachers' meeting, in many small places, will be a union meeting,
of all the evangelical churches, and sometimes of neighboring churches
in cities. What finer close to a year's harmonious work than for all
the teachers of this union meeting to sit down to dinner together at a
genuine love-feast!
Attendance is in many cases increased by providing a variety of
leaders. The brightest of men becomes wearisome ere long; his methods
grow familiar. The heart of the teachers' meeting is the programme
committee, ever pumping in fresh blood. Arrange with neighboring towns
for the loan or exchange of helpful leaders.
There is a certain gain in a uniform programme for the hour, so that
historical explanations, difficult exegesis, blackboard work, plans
for the little folks, lesson analysis, and so on, may be taken up in a
uniform order each evening. This will insure against the omission of
any line of work.
Let one teacher--a new one for each quarter--be appointed to present
within ten or fifteen minutes an outline of work for the younger
classes. If this teacher cannot draw, an assistant should be appointed
who can. The remainder of the time, after these regular exercises are
over, will be at the disposal of the leader of the evening, who will
treat the lesson in general. Some such combination of permanent with
changing leadership will be found exceedingly helpful and attractive.
Who should lead the teachers' meeting? Teachers. Not exhorters; not
conversational monopolists; not lecturers; not the most learned doctor
of divinity who is not also a teacher. None of these, but teachers.
The obscure layman, if he knows how to ask wise questions. No one for
compliment, no one for custom, but every one for practical utility,
for learning how to teach.
See that the meeting begins on time, whether the leader is ready or not,
and even if no audience is present. There will be an improvement next
time. Promptness begets promptness. And let the meeting close on time,
though in the midst of the most interesting discussion. All the better
to leave a little interest as a nest-egg. Open with prayer. Some
teachers' meetings also open with singing. One verse is better than two.
It is useful to read the lesson text in the meeting, provided the
reading is made to teach something. The manner should be varied. Let the
leader request the teachers to take up the reading whenever he stops,
and let him stop at eccentric places, to hold attention. Let the
teachers read each verse in the King James Version, the leader
responding with the Revision. In a passage where description or
narrative alternates with speeches, let the leader read the speeches
only, the audience inserting the narrative. Divide the lesson into
sections that will analyze the thought or the story, and read these
sections alternately, the leader prefacing each with a suggestive title.
Divide the teachers into two portions,--right and left, front and
back,--and let them read antiphonally. Let the leader read the entire
lesson, injecting crisp comments carefully prepared beforehand, these
comments being all in one line--exegetical, historical, explanatory of
customs or of phrases. Let the leader prepare a set of questions, one to
be answered by each verse, and to serve as an introduction to it as the
teachers read. In studying the Gospels, whenever the lesson would be
made clearer by it, read, instead of the regular text, the same passage
as a monotessaron gives it, combined with all that is found in the other
Gospels. Such ancient books as "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" or
"The Apocryphal Gospel of St. Peter" may often furnish a suggestive
extract to add to this opening reading.
The work of the teachers' meeting will largely be cut out for it at
the outset, if the leader knows his business. Announce your programme,
if you want help in carrying it out. What wonder the meeting runs off
the leader's track, when the track is invisible to all but the leader!
"First," says the experienced teacher, "we'll form a scheme for our
guidance in study; second, we'll go over the story of the lesson in a
preliminary survey; third, we'll take up the words, phrases, customs,
and circumstances that need explanation; fourth, we'll discuss the
best way of teaching the lesson to the younger scholars; finally,
we'll bring out points for the older members of the school."
Many meetings fray out at the end. Nothing is finished, or at best
there are only a few hasty answers to the stereotyped question, "Now
what do you consider the chief teachings of this lesson?" If it has
not been made evident before the meeting was half through what are the
chief teachings of that lesson, it surely will not be made evident by
this hurried question, whose answers are punctuated by the donning of
overcoats. If the leader began with a good outline, now is the time to
clinch the discussions of the evening by repeating the outline,
enlarged and modified as those discussions may have required. Then let
the evening be closed reverently with a few words of earnest prayer.
As to the general conduct of the meeting, probably the matter most
necessary to be urged is the use of direct, brisk, suggestive
questions, addressed, not to empty space, but to particular teachers.
A question spread over a roomful is about as efficient as a bullet
would be if fired flat enough to cover ten men. Don't be afraid to use
proper names. Questions addressed to a crowd put a premium on
forwardness. Call no one by name who is really too bashful to reply,
but teachers ought to pass by that stage of timidity.
A second common mistake is to run the teachers' meeting on the low
plane of mere facts, history, biography, when it should be all aglow
with the spiritual life. If the teachers' meeting does not touch the
teachers' consciences, hardly will those teachers touch the
consciences of their scholars. Let the leader ask at every turn this
question in effect: "What need of your scholars' lives will this truth
fit?" And he should not rest satisfied until the truth is applied in
turn to the diverse needs of three classes--the little folks, the
young folks, and the old folks.
The leader must put himself in the place of all kinds of teachers, and
discern their needs. He must head off unseemly and prolonged
discussions; he must have sprightliness to keep the meeting taut; he
must have zeal to keep the meeting warm; he must have consecration to
keep the meeting spiritual.
But the best of leaders may be thwarted by poor following. To be led
in a teachers' meeting is an art almost as difficult as to lead. A
skilful follower in a teachers' meeting will answer questions briefly.
He will not commit the impertinence of giving ten times as much as is
asked for from him, thus stealing from the meeting the sprightliness
of nine questions and answers, even when all he says is to the point.
He will make suggestive answers rather than exhaustive ones. His eager
note-book and intelligent listening will be as encouraging as a
continuous round of applause. In short, he will be anxious to do
anything for the success of the meeting, even to the extent of sitting
silent for fifteen minutes. And all leaders will bless him.