One of the issues that can stall the effectiveness of any ministry trying to educate children is classroom management. If volunteers cannot successfully manage the behaviors of their students, learning is very unlikely to happen during the classes they teach. While training, observation and feedback are key components of classroom management, you can do something that will make it easier for students and teachers alike.
The key is having three to four basic rules that are posted and enforced throughout the ministry – in every class and at every event. They should be simple so that the meaning is clear and students know exactly what is expected of them. It’s great if students can help craft the rules, but at times this generates more rules than students and volunteers can effectively manage.
Once the three or four rules are decided upon, make posters and hang them in every classroom, ministry area and even dedicated restrooms. Go over them with your volunteers with definitions of what key words like “quiet” mean in your ministry environments. Have the volunteers agree to enforce them consistently – if exceptions are made the rules will soon cease to be followed by anyone. Give them a list of acceptable consequences for disobedience and whether or not you allow warnings and how many.
Then go over them with your students. This can be done by you with the entire group or by volunteers in each class. Explain what each rule means and what it “looks” like to obey or disobey the rule. Also go over consequences if rules are broken. If your ministry has had major issues with disruptive behaviors in the past, you may want students to sign behavior contracts. Send a copy of the rules and consequences home to parents so they are fully informed.
Students may need regular reminders for several sessions in classes where behavior has been out of control. Consider monitoring all of the classes and providing needed back up for volunteers who appear to be struggling with enforcement.
Classroom rules may seem harsh in a Bible class environment, but they help students feel safe because they know what to expect. Chaos is unsettling to students – even if they would never admit it. Having a class where behaviors are managed doesn’t mean you can hear a pin drop or that fun learning can’t happen. It means that when a teacher is trying to teach students the environment is calm enough that students can hear, process and remember what was said.
