A Great Reminder about Bible School

[NOTE: The following article was originally printed in the Messenger, a publication of the Memorial Parkway church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. The title is “How Parents Can Assist the Bible School Teacher.” I do not know who the author is. I used it this week for my segment of our local bulletin, and wanted to share it here as well. If you have a love for making the Bible School the best it can be, this article is a great one to file away.]

The spiritual development of our youth is a primary goal of our education program. Most agree that a knowledge of God’s Word and a living example of what is taught are essential elements of the teaching process.

There is still one other ingredient that is vital to the child’s effective learning, and that is the full cooperation of parents. The influence of the home cannot be underestimated in contributing to the spiritual development of the child. There are a number of ways that parents can assist with their child’s learning experience:

• By Being Supportive of the Child’s Teacher. Maximum learning takes place when there is a unified effort by both teacher and parents. Parents help by being regular in Bible School themselves. Effort will be required at times to help the child to be regular. Some family plans may have to be changed or adjusted with this in mind. Outside assignments may be made and parents may be called upon to assist the child with lesson preparation.
• By Practicing Discipline at Home. Problems in behavior may very well develop in the classroom. Discipline there will be very difficult if there is no discipline at home. The child cannot behave one way at home and then be expected to take on a different behavior pattern at Bible School. A united effort by teacher and parents will likely lead to the resolution of any behavioral problems.
• By Establishing Respect for Authority. Parents who start instilling proper respect for authority at a tender age are contributing greatly toward their child’s spiritual education. The child should never hear and unkind or disrespectful comment regarding his/her teacher.
• By Expressing Appreciation for the Teacher’s Efforts. Parents should be grateful for those teachers who take seriously the education of their children. It is good for parents to express this appreciation to the teacher and for the child to hear it.

Proper education of our youth is a joint partnership of parents and Bible School teacher. When both work in harmony toward this common objective, great results can be expected.