Have you ever tried one of those plans where you do all of the cooking for a month in one or two days and then freeze it to use as you need it? I did that for awhile when our daughter was younger and it really does make the day-to-day cooking a lot easier. Healthy meals are already in the freezer in the right amount. All you have to do is pull out what you want and reheat it in the microwave. If those healthy meals aren’t prepared on those busy nights, you know most of us will default to the easy options which are rarely healthy or frugal.
Teaching Sunday School can be a lot like that. You have the best of intentions of putting a lot of effort into your class. You understand the vital role you are playing in the spiritual development and foundation of your students. You may even manage to put in that extra time each week for a few weeks. Then that week hits.
You know, the week when everything breaks down, the kids are sick and you are pretty sure you have the plague? You are lucky everyone has somewhat clean clothes and hasn’t died of starvation during the week. The idea of carving out the time to really study the lesson and prepare a meaningful, hands-on, memorable activity is laughable.
There is an easy solution. Take a page from those once-a-month cooks. Pick a day and clear your calendar. Gather your lessons. Look through them and make any changes in the activities you need to make. Create a list of all of the materials you need to make each lesson special. Spend time gathering all of those materials now during this special day. Do any prep work on the activities that is needed. Then grab some large zipper bags and put everything you need (in the correct amounts), including the lesson plan for each lesson in a separate marked bag.
On “good” weeks, you can grab that bag right after your current lesson ends and study for your next lesson. It won’t take as much time because everything is already gathered and ready to go. And on those “bad” weeks? Those bags will be a life saver for you and a guarantee class will still be incredibly educational for your students. Plus, if you ever need a substitute, just hand them the correct bag and they have everything they need.
It sounds a little crazy until you do it. Then you will find setting aside one entire day to make the entire quarter go more smoothly and be less stressful, makes it worthwhile. So grab your calendar and find that special work day now! You will be glad you did.