i have no teaching
or education training or experience. at all. but i do know that this past month
contained a whole ton of test taking for tennessean students.
the teachers don't
have papers in front of them, but i bet they feel like they're being tested,
too.
that moment for us
Cubbies teachers happened last wednesday when the leader waltzed in and handed
out construction paper telling all our adorable 4 year olds to draw a picture
of their favorite thing about AWANA. i was
sitting on the floor overseeing an intense game of "frogs and alligators
(some kids pretend to be frogs and either jump around on the carpet
square-lillypads or just run around while the "alligators" wave their
arms and run around chasing the frogs with no respect to the lillypads
whatsoever. it's a favorite.) i decided to stay on the floor and offer a
meager smile for whatever was about to come out their mouths or on their
papers. the leader went around, looking
at the pictures and asking what on earth they had drawn (that's kinda the only
way to know what it is). one kid said "ceiling
lights." another: snack. a third
had drawn his family. i looked at the
other teacher and she looked at me.
seriously? a whole school year
spent so they could learn… about snack time and ceiling tiles.
after coloring we
two got them corralled up and sitting for Carpet Time one last time and asked
them again what they had learned. a
couple more silly answers, a plea or two for a bathroom run, the
always-available Sunday School Answer for Everything:
"Jesus!!!".
Hannah said
something about Jesus riding on a donkey.
all the boys knew the Bible verse that went with that ("Hosanna,
blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!") and with a bit of
prompting Michael, Eli, Isaac, Caiden, Lucas, Hannah and Faith were able to
piece together the story they loved so much a month or two ago. Jack was trying
to undo my watch and pull strings from the carpet square and taking his shoes
off.
i looked Jack square
in the face: "Jack, tell me something you learned about God or Jesus here
at AWANA."
Jack: "uuummm,
He died."
that's our Jack for
ya.
Me: "no way!!
what happened after that?"
Jack: "He rose
again!!!"
Game time next,
which was always followed by our game leaders asking our kids what the Cubbies'
motto is. they love this part especially
when the teachers play deaf and they have to yell it even louder. to hear so much noise come from such tiny
bodies is amazing in itself. equally
amazing is the truth they are shouting out though probably only a half a
smidgen of it has sunk into their minds.
"Jesus loves me!!" is the barely restrained answer each week
concluding game time.
AWANA's last
official meeting was last week, and afterwards Ms Sherrie and i looked and
smiled at each other.
8-10 four years olds
spend an entire school year learning:
1.
Jesus rode a donkey.
2.
Jesus died.
3.
Jesus rose again.
4.
Jesus loves them.
if you can make a
better list of things that every 4 year old on earth needs to know, then you
can call AWANA a complete waste of time.
i am completely
satisfied. knowing the majority of my
friends still take naps and think all Bibles come with google-eyed cartoon
pictures doesn't upset me at all. those
little tykes easily made AWANA the best 90 minutes of my week. i think i'd get some looks if i told anyone
else in the building that, but whatever.
i think this past
year was nothing short of a smashing success.
