Have you ever been in a teaching funk? You know what I’m talking about. Your ideas seem tired. You’re not as engaged as you know you can be. You don’t feel as effective as you have in the past. Most teachers have been there. I’m pretty sure I’m in one now!
I love teaching God’s Word, and I’m fortunate enough to be the primary teacher in our junior high ministry. I don’t want to be in a funk. I want to be as effective as possible because I feel the burden of teaching God’s Word to students. God’s Word is serious, life-changing stuff. And I know, as a teacher, I’ll be held accountable for what I teach. Instead of running from this truth, I want to be motivated by it. I’m sure you feel the same way.
But as I said, I’m in a bit of a rut. So I’ve been thinking about ways to get out of it. Here are a few of my thoughts.
1. Admit You’re Struggling
If you’re struggling, talk to someone about it. Talk to your supervisor, other pastors in town or people you network with. Don’t sit around and stress over it. Reach out to others who can encourage you and offer help.
2. Make Time to Be Alone With God
You can’t keep pouring out if you’re not being filled up. You have to make time to spend with God. If you’re not with God, then you can’t know God. If you don’t know Him, you can’t teach others about Him. You can fake it for a while, but you’ll eventually fall flat.
3. Focus on Your Content
Do you have a content problem? Are you using curriculum that requires so much tweaking it’s wearing you out? Are you writing your own content and suffering from a little writer’s block? Whatever the case, if your content is stale, your teaching will suffer. Evaluate your material. Maybe you need a break. Or a change.
4. Commit to Prayer and Fasting
When was the last time you did this? Make consistent, focused prayer a priority. Connect with God and listen to what He has to say to you as a teacher, and as His son or daughter. Take a day to fast, focusing all your energy on one thing: connecting with Jesus. You’ll be surprised how this will help kick-start your passion for teaching God’s Word.
5. Read a Book
Someone suggested I read a book on teaching. Not a bad idea. I haven’t read anything new in a while. I’m going to get a new book this week to learn from a different voice. Maybe you could too!