Spring brings with it a sense of hope and a fresh start. Spring may also bring a list in your mind of things you want to do during the coming months of warmth and sunshine. Have you ever stopped and thought of what you want for the students in your Sunday School class?
I’m not talking about things like “I need to cut out those sheets before Sunday” or “I guess I better look at my lesson”. What I am talking about are the goals that will help focus your teaching, activities and students interactions.
We suggest you make S.M.A.R.T. goals for your class. Goals that are (S)pecific and (M)easurable. As Christians, we know God supplies the A.R.T. to the process. Only God can determine what is achievable, realistic and the timing of it. Don’t be afraid to make goals. We aren’t talking about building bigger barns, but rather dreaming godly dreams. Frankly, God’s goals are usually much bigger than we would ever dare to make anyway!
So a non-S.M.A.R.T. goal would be something like, “I want my students to love their neighbors” or “become Christians at some point in their lives”. S.M.A.R.T. goals might be “One student will ask to study baptism in more depth this semester” or “This week students will be able to state the biblical principle behind the parable of the Good Samaritan and participate in an activity to show them ways to live out that principle in their lives.”
While we acknowledge God has a plan and is in control, we need to stay focused on the good works He has for us to do. S.M.A.R.T. goals will help you keep focused on what is really important while you are with your students. So if you are talking about baseball with a student before class and you hear a student to the side say something about wishing someone would teach her more about baptism….you remember your primary focus and don’t let the baptism comment go past without offering to have that study.
So take a little time and create two or three S.M.A.R.T. goals for your class. If you have the time, try and do it for each class period. Teach One Reach One Bible lessons each have learning objectives and guiding questions. You can even choose to use these at as ideas for the beginning of your S.M.A.R.T. goals. Try goal setting for a few months and see if you don’t begin feeling more focused in your efforts and even a change in your students.