From: Nashira Williams
Hours Spent: 1 1/2 hr Sunday School
1 1/2 hr church service

This week:
Well another rambunctious student arrived at Sunday School this week giving the school teacher a run for her money. It seems as though the students are getting easily distracted as time progresses. I don't know if its due to the students who don't pay attention having an affect on the others. I see that more students are getting sick, but surprisingly some of them are getting more active and violent at times. They like to pinch and punch one another; very odd, but maybe not really. But they are definitely beginning to show their true colors and coming out of their shell more and more. I don't know if they held back because I was there and they were trying to get use to me.
In either case what was good is that the Mrs. Maddox allowed me to participate in the activities with the students. And when I wasn't apart of the activity they noticed. This week they learned about the blind man who was healed by Jesus' saliva. The scripture had to do with liftng the burden off of others so she used a backpack filled with cans to illustrate her point. She told the students to take a can and they placed it in the backpack and once it was full each student tried to carry the backpack. Of course young boys tried to show off a bit saying they would rather carry this heavy bag than be without it. Then took all the cans out and told them to carry it and compare to see which one was easier. In addition to talk apply the blind man example she had each student take a turn blind folded and try to find out which student they were touching. They had to touch their face, hair, and clothes. One student did very well, while some others just made a mockery of it, guessing before they really actually touched the student. Although I think the lesson was a good idea I don't think they are mature enough to understand this is how a blind man lives everyday. I think they need to understand the privilege of being able to see.

Questions
How does the teacher prepare a student teacher in a classroom so that students began to feel comfortable around him or her?
Is the Sunday school teaching lessons that the students aren't truly prepared for?
How do you really prepare a student for the lesson?

rachael's practicum report #6

From: Rachael mulder
Subject: Practicum Report #6
Time Spent This Week: 3 hours (1 ½ = service, 1 ½ = Sunday school)

Class this Week:
I did my practicum this week at Exit 59, which is my official practicum location. This week there were only 2 kids. Audrey was a year and a half. Linzie was 3 years old. The service was much shorter than normal, which was a great blessing! Instead of occupying the kids for over two hours, we were only there for an hour and a half. It was disappointing though to have such young kids. We were unsure of how we should structure the Sunday school time. So, we spent much of the time playing with toys, singing, and dancing around the room. Half way through we decided to tell a Bible story from one of the story books. There was a pop-up story book about Daniel in the lion’s den, and I decided to go with that one. Obviously, Audrey didn’t really understand or care about the story. She was too young. She did sit patiently with Kathleen and “listened” as much as a one year old can. Linzie seemed pretty impatient. As I read through the story I asked her questions. This helped her to pay attention and have a better understanding of what was going on. She was fascinated with the lions and loved making roaring sounds! In the end, I don’t know how successful the story time was, but I think for the age groups represented it went pretty well.
I do have some concerns with the lack of programming and emphasis placed on the children’s ministry at Exit 59. There is barely any structure, and it seems like whatever we want to do, we can. For example, there was no one to help out in nursery, which is why we had a baby in our Sunday school class. This is something that happens quite often, and honestly, it makes me sad. I can only hope that these children are getting adequate Bible teaching at home, because they are not really being supported at the church. Yet, it is a good experience for me because I have been able to “craft” a program, and I have the freedom to try out new things.

Questions this Week:
#1...What things can you do with young children to effectively teach them about the Bible?
#2...What are some craft ideas that younger kids can do? I would love to do more than simply coloring a coloring page.
#3...Should we request that nursery age children not be brought to us? It makes it really hard to effectively run a Sunday school when we have babies to take care of.

This week:
1 1/2 Sunday School
Service 1 1/2
Gospel Choir Practice 1 h/r

I was so thrilled this week because I was able to do more; I guess I'm at the second stage where the teacher does it and I do it as well. She allowed me to take attendance and to work the point system in which the kids receiving points for bring their bibles, being on time, bringing times, remembering the bible verse, having good behavior, and bringing a friends. So it was good to do something tangible although I did help before. She continues to explain to me where certain things are in the room just in case I need to get supplies in the future. I think the kids are starting get more comfortable with me, they seem to talk a bit more.

There are couple of things I noticed with the children. There are twins which I expect to hang out with one another quite often. But the sister seems to have more independence than her brother, which concerns me quite a bit. I think the brother especially should have more independence and began to play with the other boys instead of constantly playing with his sister. I also noticed that the children are growing faster nowadays them seem to be well aware of what's going in the world but they lack knowledge they should have at their age.

But in either case they lesson went well this week; again it went with the theme of love and being kind to one another. I was curious to know whether or not the students are actually being kind to one another. In either case I realized the students seem to get bored with the lesson plan. It seems as though its becoming a routine, which is helpful at times.

Questions:
As a helper how do we encourage change without stepping on the teacher's toes?
How do we encourage students to actually study and to apply what they learn?
Are Sunday School just giving bible verses as an activity or they really incorporating things to allow students to really get the idea?

Week 5

A. TIME SPENT THIS WEEK

2/17/08: 2 ½ hours for worship service in which I went and helped in children’s church, and Sunday school.

B. CLASS THIS WEEK

For class this week I was finally able to be in the classroom I was originally planning on being in – the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade class. Angel, my practicum supervisor is the teacher of this class also. We finally had 3 students who were in that age group, Chance, Sophie, and Courtney. My cousin, Kaitlyn, was also a visitor in the classroom and she too is a 4^th grader. At FUMC we are struggling with getting a big number of kids for Sunday school. We had four in this classroom and only one in another classroom which was for the youngest age group. There are two teachers for that class and they had been planning on doing a Jesus and Zacchaeus project for about a month but never had enough kids to do it with. Therefore, this Sunday to begin our class, we went and participated in the project. I felt like it was a neat project for kids of all ages (I was very intrigued by it!). The students all enjoyed it to and learned more about this Bible story.

After we did the project we headed back to the classroom for the lesson Angel had planned. She decided to show a NOOMA Kickball video to the kids. I was a little nervous about this because those videos are for the youth group, not really for younger kids, but they all grasped onto the point of the video. It went over very well. I was sitting beside Kaitlyn and at times she would look over at me and explain things a little further showing me that she had gotten the point of what Rob Bell was saying. Chance, Sophie, and Courtney also were able to answer Angel’s questions at the end. There were a few things we had to explain further, but I really felt like they got the point from the lesson. They learned that sometimes God may not answer our prayers right away because He knows what the best is for us and what is needed in our lives. This not only was a good lesson for these kids, but also for us adults that were in the room!

I thought the NOOMA video was a creative idea and even though this one worked well, I really feel like the videos are geared to older students. I think we could be selective though and share them with the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders too. It was evident that all the kids pulled from the video. Angel did a great job of asking questions, pointing out parts in the movie to really pay attention to, and it was short enough to keep their attention, which proved to me that they learned something!

C. QUESTIONS THIS WEEK

1. What are some ways that we can get more parents to let their children stay for Sunday school?

2. How do you feel about showing Rob Bell’s NOOMA videos to 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders?

3. What would be some great learning resources for this age group?

rachael's practicum report #5

From: Rachael mulder
Subject: Practicum Report #5
Time Spent This Week: 4 ¾ hours (2 ¼ hours = service, 2 ½ hours = Sunday School prep and class)
Class this Week:
I did my practicum this week at Exit 59, which is my official practicum location. The first time I did it at Exit, there was no structure and curriculum. So, this week I spent time before Sunday preparing a lesson and craft for the kids. Because of a shortage of helpers in nursery, I ended up being in charge of Sunday School all by myself. I had 4 kids: Tucker, Zion, Durane, and Claire. They ranged in age from 3-6. It was pretty crazy this week. We started out with play time, which included playdough and the slide. This kept the kids occupied while I prepared for the lesson. The lesson this week was the fall of Adam and Eve. So, I made a “tree” out of construction paper on the wall and put some “fruit” on the tree. This immediately caught their interest. When I gave the lesson, I first told them the story using the tree as a prop. Then, I asked them if they would like to act it out! They were way excited! So, we made paper chain snakes and I had them act out the story. They did a pretty good job, and I was surprised at how much they enjoyed acting it out. They even wanted to change roles and act it out again! So, the lesson and craft went really well. Tucker and Claire were really attentive during the story, and were excited to answer questions. It was encouraging to see them not only enjoy the Bible story, but be able to reproduce it.
However, there is one child who deliberately disobeys everything I say. If I say we are going to do craft he says “no” and whines. If I say that we are going to sit and listen to the Bible story, he sulks and cries. He is a great distraction to the other kids, especially his sister. I attempted to tell him that is was wrong to disobey, and that it made me and God sad. However, it didn’t seem to make any difference. I also tried to have him sit in “time out” for a while, which didn’t work well either. Basically, he is very disobedient and disruptive. I am curious as if to this is a problem at home, or if sulking at home allows him to get his own way. This was also a problem the first week I worked with these kids, but there were three of us to help out. I don’t know where to draw the line, and what my responsibility is in discipline. There is nothing established, and this issue takes away much of my joy in being with these kids.

Questions this Week:
#1: Is it appropriate for me to be alone with 4 children? I feel like that is asking for a serious problem, and I don’t want to put my future at risk.
#2:How do you approach the issue of discipline with children? The parents ask how they do, but I don’t feel as if I have the authority to say that their child is causing some serious problems? How can you confront this issue with the parents, making sure to be sensitive?
#3: The age group is so vast. I am finding it hard to incorporate a story, crafts, and activities that include everyone. Should I focus more on the older kids? Or do I move down to the younger one?
#4: How do you approach the leadership of the church when you see things that are seriously wrong with the system and structure?
#5: Should kids that are sick be allowed in Sunday School? Two kids were sick this week and it seems disprespectful to put someone in charge of your sick children, creating the possibility for them to get sick.

Week 3
worked with children 1 hr 1/2
Couldn't go to service because Gospel Choir had to sing at a church

This week I think I've seen more kids then I've ever seen and that was wonderful. A few children were out due to sickness but were eager to return to see their teacher and friends. One of the students I really like just returned. His name is Payton and he is a definite handful. He is always energetic and constantly needs something to do or something to say. But I think the teacher controls him well. I find that in class one of the distractions are the papers that she gives them to do an activity. Usually its on the front so I rarely see the children read the stories inside unless the need something to do while the teacher is talking and explaining the lesson plan.
In either case it seems as though the children are memorizing their verses a little better which is more than I can say because I already forgot. But that makes me think if a 20 year old college student can't remember what makes a toddler remember.

In either case the children learned about how God heals the lame. She presented the story of a man with a bad hand and how we believed God would heal him. This teacher has a niche for incorporating lesson plans into games. They are so simple but they are fun to the children. Again there are such applicable things that they can apply but Im not sure if they make that connection that these are things they should bring to the "outside world"

Week 4

A. TIME SPENT THIS WEEK:
2/9/08: 2 Hours: working on and finishing newsletter for the Kids
2/10/08: 2 ½ Hours: worship service and Sunday school

B. CLASS THIS WEEK:
This week, I was once again back in the 1st through 3rd grade classroom with Lauren, Drew, and a visitor, Michael. Joyce was also teaching the class again. This week seemed to be a lot better because it wasn’t just Lauren and Drew, but Michael also joined us. Michael and Drew are both in the 3rd grade and Lauren is in the 1st grade. The lesson was on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Joyce asked the class if that knew what a parable was and Drew stated, “It is a pair of bulls that get married.” This was funny, but it ended up being the children’s conversation most of the class and it was hard to get them to focus on their lessons. The first time I was in this classroom, Drew and Lauren were pretty good students, this time however, they both were being a bit distractive and it was hard to get them to pay attention to the lesson.
Over all, I believe Joyce did a great job with the lesson. I liked the way she asked the questions at the beginning of the story so the kids would know what to look for when she asked them again at the end. This was very effective, as Drew and Michael we able to answer the questions correctly! I also observed that when they read the story, Joyce has the kids each get a Bible and follow along. I believe that by seeing the words laid out on the page and by listening to the story, they are able to retain what is being told in a better, clearer way. Joyce also did a great job of grabbing the students attention when they got distracted, was firm (but not overbearing or scary) when she needed them to do something and they wouldn’t do it, and was very well prepared with many activities to reinforce what they had learned from the story. When she would want their attention to would place her hand on their hand, or some gentle touch like that and get on their level. When I left the class, it was so obvious that they learned how to love their neighbors, like what was being taught in class.

C. QUESTIONS THIS WEEK:
1. What are some other ways that a teacher can be firm, but not scary or overbearing when trying to get the student’s to do what they have been asked?
2. How can you make visitors feel more welcome in the class, especially when the class always has the same people attend and there is a very small number?
3. Joyce rearranged the room a bit and it seemed to interest the students. Do you think it is a good idea to rearrange the setting of the room on a normal basis (like every other month or something)? Do you think that this can cause a distraction?

# 2

February 8, 2008
Practicum #2
Last Sunday the students learned about being kind to one another, they seemed to embrace this lesson very well. I am amazedw tih how knowledgable thse young children are. But I can't say its 90% from the teacher but I b elieve a lot of it is coming from the home. But the teacher does a great job with incorporating the lesson into activities. She makes it simple for the students to grasp but sometimes challenging enough for the students to grasp. The lesson was about serving one another. And she had the students decorate a plate without putting their names on it. Then they brought their plate to the circle where they do their lesson plans. She would pick a child and whisper a person's name in their ear and they would ask that child, "what would you like"And they wouldanser if they wanted peanut butter or cheese crackers and the child would serve someone. I was absolutely pleased with this lesson plan. And she also talked about the paralyzed man and his freinds who tried to get to Jesus. The kids were very familiar with it , so familiar I think at times it can be boring. Something interesting I noticed is that everyone seems to have a best friend in Sunday School but sometimes the feelings arent mutual. I think they strive to have someone they can connect with .

practicum report #4

Substitution Assignment: I was unable to do my regular assignment this week due to the fact that I have a commitment to help out in camping ministry on several weekends this semester. This is a ministry that is very important to me as I hope to do it full time in the future. This weekend I was a counselor for 8 girls in 5th and 6th grade, so I was not able to leave and go to my home church for a formal Sunday School Teaching session. I believe that I should get some credit for this experience because I was able to observe an effective teacher/communicator for that age group, as well as personally lead my girls in breakout/discussion time.

Report by: rachael mulder
Subject: Practicum Report #4
Time Spent This Week: 5 hours (teaching sessions=3 & breakout/discussion groups = 2)

Class This Week: During the retreat there were four sessions. Each session began with prayer, worship, skits, and then led into the teaching/message. Louis Ford was the teacher. He was a past counselor who is now a youth pastor. He did an amazing job teaching and communicating with the kids. His main topic was total commitment to Christ, which involved getting rid of distractions so that we can better hear God. The kids loved him. He brought in props to aid in his teaching, and connected with the kids on a personal level. The kids were excited to go to session, which is awesome for that age group. Louis also used visual aids to help the kids grasp the concept of removing distractions. He had the kids bring their Bibles, paper and pen to every session, and encouraged them to copy down what he drew in a personal way. It was so awesome to look around the room and see 150 kids who were attentive to what Louis was saying, and who were writing down ideas and circling key things in their Bibles. What was even cooler was that the kids remembered the things Louis said, and were responsive by answering questions and adding input during the sessions.
Which leads me to the second part of my experience: leading the breakout groups. After the session, I was in charge of leading my girls in a small group session. The first session was a little rough. The girls didn’t know each other very well, and were unwilling to open up. The questions were pretty personal, and involved the girls being willing to admit areas in their lives where there were distractions. So, the first session was pretty surface level. The girls hesitantly opened up a little, but not much. I did most of the talking, and referred to Scripture and the message. I could not get any of them to pray though. The second and third sessions went so much better. The girls began to open up and share more personal things. They were really excited about what Louis had to say, and how they could apply that to their lives. They also began to look at resources in their Bible, and wanted to share them with the group. They got really excited when they found information on Elijah (the main person preached about) or things dealing with distraction. Yet, I still could not get them to pray at the beginning or the end. The last session was much shorter, and we outlined everything we talked about that weekend. They had great ideas for practical ways they could be take what they learned home. They were more comfortable with each other, and I actually had two girls that volunteered to pray!

Questions this Week:
- What are some fun activities you can use to break the ice within a small group?
- How do you effectively deal with students who bring up ideas that have nothing to do with the topic at hand?
- What are some ways to encourage students to be open to praying in public? How can you practice that, or lead students to that point?

Week Three

A. TIME SPENT THIS WEEK
1/27/08: 45 minutes: working on posters for puppet ministry
1/27/08: 1 hour: Meeting with Angel
2/2/08: 1 hour: working on points system project
2/3/08: 2 ½ hours: church service and Sunday school

B. CLASS THIS WEEK
This week I was back at Marion First United Methodist. This Sunday I went into the young adult classroom and observed. It was very interesting to me because the way this class was sat up was just like the way the class was sat up at my home church, but a bit more organized. By this I mean they read through a chapter (if they can make it during the hour) and discuss what has been read very hard core. Instead of reading through the chapter as a whole, they break it up by four verses at a time and read, reflect, and discuss. I think this is a great way to help those attending learn. It is not like most other Sunday school classes, because there is no set curriculum where the main teacher is teaching. Mike, the youth pastor, leads the class, but it is very open for others to discuss, ask, and answer different questions. I believe that those attending the class learned a lot more by being able to speak up, and not being afraid of what they may say sounding ridiculous or totally off topic. It was very evident to me that the students in the classroom truly were learning and we able to take away a lot about patience and prayer from discussing chapter 8 in Romans.
Mike leads this class and his wife, Ambry is right by his side. Also attending the class were Jamie, Millie, Bethany, Courtney, Karen, Dave, Ben, Abigail, and another Dave. With it being a young adult class there was college age students in the room along with adults who are in their early thirties. Even though there is a wide age difference in this class, I did not see or feel a sense of intimidation. Everyone spoke up, even those that were attending this class and church for the first time spoke up. Each statement was accepted and discussed. They closed the class by praying and I really just felt like we all walked away from the class a little bit closer to God.
This young adult class has been doing a book study on the book of Romans since October, I do believe, and it is now February and they are only in chapter 8. I think that is ironic, but I believe it is amazing to see how slow they are taking it and how much they are learning and growing. It was very evident in the classroom.

C. QUESTIONS THIS WEEK
1. Is there really any problem with this class being so wide spread in the age group? They seem to be getting along just fine and it is very evident that each person in the class welcomes and cares for everyone else.
2. How do you feel about wives and husbands teaching alongside one another? I really like the idea of it and it was very neat to see, but I am just wondering other people’s opinions.
3. Do you see anything wrong with taking a book study of a certain book of the Bible slowly? They seem to be pulling a lot from it and they really don’t mean for it to take that long.