Back To School - Days of Preparation

Summer is wrapping up and the school year has begun. The weather has been so great during June, July and August. I have been running and reading but my blogging has been put on hold during the warm days of summer.

This is the beginning of the second week of school for the students, but I have been reflecting on all the hard work of preparation that it takes to get ready for an academic year. As the Academic Dean, I think I am just as busy during the summer as I am during the school year. From the end of August to the end of May I am focused on the execution of the program, the putting out of major forest fires, collaboration with school administrators, evaluation of new initiatives, discernment of the spiritual tone of the system, and dialog with the various stakeholders of the institution. But during the summer, I am absorbed with planning for the upcoming new school calendar. From interviewing new teachers to professional development to teacher orientation many hours were spent in collaboration with HR and principals in selecting and in-servicing the faculty for 2012-13. 

I had the privilege of interviewing over 30 individuals this summer and met with some incredibly gifted people. God sent us some special men and women to be examples for our students. It was so encouraging to hear the testimonies of the candidates and how God was directing them into the teaching ministry. The people who sat across the table from me had spent years preparing for this opportunity - some had years of experience before coming to my school - some were looking for that first experience in a classroom of their own - and all were filled with excitement and enthusiasm for sharing their discipline with the next generation.

I came to the conclusion that nothing builds confidence like preparation. The more one studies the content of the subject to be taught, the more one feels ready to dialog and discuss the issues presented by the course of study (confidence regarding the material). The more one thinks through the flow of the classroom and the pedagogy to match one's academic goals, the more professional the lesson can unfold (confidence in the presentation). The more the teacher commits the lesson to the Lord in prayer, the more spirit-lead the teacher will be and the more transformational the class can be in the life of the student (confidence in the Lord). Cognitive, emotional, and spiritual plans are all important keys to effective instruction.

Time spent in preparation pays such great dividends in proclamation. The impact of one's instruction is in direct correlation to the depth of one's preparation. There is both a science to teaching and an art to teaching - both sides of the teaching coin need time devoted to preparation. Presentation without preparation lacks power....it might be entertaining....it might be filled with funny stories....it might even be animated, but it will rarely be purposive.... it will rarely provide direction and guidance for life....it will rarely be of substance... and it will rarely be transformational.

Lord, help me to prepare - help me to be ready - help me to spend time with You - help me mine for gold; discover wisdom and truth; walk the path of adventure; take the deep dive into the waters of knowledge. Help me be ready to give an answer that points my hearers toward You.