Howdy Families- yes, it's true, we are registering children and youth for next year's program during the month of May. Why so early? Well, knowing how many children are going to be in each class REALLY helps us plan how many teachers, what curricula to use and what rooms to use. For instance, if we find out that 13 Kindergarten children want to attend next fall, I'll need to arrange a bigger space for all those happy moving bodies! Or if I see that there will be a class of 4 children, I might choose to combine it with another group, and use a wider age span curriculum.
Registration forms help keep our children safe. There is room for very important allergy and special needs information on the form. Please let us know of any allergies your child has. Sometimes we serve snack as part of a class, and our teachers need to have a record of possible allergies.
This year, we are trying an electronic registration to save paper. You should have gotten an email from me with attached forms this week. If not, let me know.
The other part of registration time is VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS. Woo-hoo!
When we all pitch in, our program is stronger and everyone has a better experience. Every parent is asked to volunteer in the program. We safety check each volunteer.
In this post, I am going to focus on teaching in Religious Education classes. Our 5 classes will have 20 teachers next year! Let me cover some of the FAQ's of teaching:
Q: Do I have to teach all year?
A: Nope. We arrange teaching teams for each class. The team decides together a schedule that works for all. Some teachers like to cover a season or on a particular subject of interest, some like to spread their Sundays out over the year.
Q: I don't know much about Unitarian Universalism, how can I lead a class?
A: That's one of the great thing about teaching a class, you get to learn more about our faith along with the children and youth. Many past teachers have told me that they were glad to discover more about our religion through teaching.
Q: Would I miss Amy's sermon?
A: While it is true that our teachers are not in the Sanctuary during the service on Sundays that they teach, we have good news! Amy has been loading audio files of her sermons onto the Channing website!
Q: I come to Channing to worship, isn't teaching just more work?
A: No doubt about it, teaching a class takes some time and planning to be successful. Teaching also is a spiritual practice that deepens our faith. That's not just a pretty phrase either! Our children and youth challenge us to think about our OWN faith development, much like the services in the Sanctuary. Classes work on social justice projects, share joys and concerns, build community, and sing together. RE class teaching fills your spiritual and creative "well". We are working to strengthen our teacher training and development to make each teacher's experience fulfilling and energizing.
Q: Would I have to teach my own kids?
A: We want you to be in a group that suits you. Maybe you have teenagers and you miss the Preschool age of arts and crafts and new perspectives ? Maybe you have a toddler and you want to delve into deep conversations about ethics with the youth? Let's talk- there are all kinds of possibilities...
Those are the most frequently asked questions of teaching at Channing. If you have any other questions, give me a call or stop by the RE Table after service in Parish Hall!
next post: Teaching Assistants and other Volunteer Opportunities!
