New Teachers,
Take Heart!

By Carrie Elgin

Hi! I'm Teacher Carrie. Every Sunday morning, I am greeted by the precious, eager four-year-olds in my class--my rewards for hanging in there when I was ready to quit after just one Sunday!

In no way was I prepared for my first day as a teacher. It was Promotion Sunday, and I was not expecting the chaos that was created when the little ones were directed to their new classes. There were tears and anger, children clinging to parents, and a lot of noise! The lesson I had painstakingly planned went by the wayside as I sat in my miniature chair, stunned and overwhelmed.

By the end of the longest half hour of my life, I was ready to quit. The only thing that brought me back again was the one-year commitment that I had made.

I did a lot of praying during the next week. The next Sunday morning, I asked God to help me with my little class, and as I was teaching, I was suddenly aware of God's help and direction. God always comes through just in time!

After the rough start, the rest of the year seemed a breeze. Oh, there were a few stressful moments, such as children hitting each other, or the time I brought snacks that no one liked. Yuck! Boxes of raisins! But they were minor bumps in the road.

As the time has quickly flown by, I have experienced many special and sometimes amusing moments in Sunday school. I just melt when one of the children says, “I love you, Teacher Carrie.” Once, after a review, everyone in the department was sweetly and sincerely singing, “Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, come into my heart Lord Jesus.” As we were finishing the song, one darling little boy looked up at me and asked matter-of-factly, “Is He in yet?”

Sometimes I wondered what or how much the younger children learn from the lessons, but in a specific case, I was thrilled to find that one boy grasped this simple truth: When you give something to God, He will bless you back. I was giving the lesson review on, “The Five Loaves and Two Fishes,” and I asked one student to be the little boy who shared his lunch with Jesus. When the review was over and we returned to our bench to sit down, he looked up at me and said in amazement, “I gave Jesus my lunch, and He gave me one back!” We can never out-give God.

This August, I will be wrapping up my fourth year as a Sunday school teacher. I began the adventure with a one-year commitment, but with blessings like these, I am in for the long run. I love this job!