Several weeks ago, we had a new person teaching our Sunday school class. He said something to the effect of being a bit nervous knowing he would be teaching a class where there were 2 people who knew more about the Bible than he did. (Now, I’m pretty sure one of those 2 was Chief Charging Battery, and the other could have been me, though I didn’t really try to assume that.)The class is small and informal, so I thought I would try to put him at ease by borrowing a phrase I’ve heard someone else use, and I said, We don’t bite.His response caught me off guard. He said, YOU do! He didn’t put his shovel down either; he went on to say he prayed for Chief Charging Battery all the time.
Wow! You guys must be trouble with a capital t.
Well, it’s just me apparently who is trouble. The teacher was praying for my husband because he felt sorry for him for having to deal with me, apparently. A few weeks before that, my husband had taught the class (which is exceedingly rare). He realized near the end that he hadn’t left much time for discussion. He apologized, and I said I would talk to him later. I was sort of being tongue-in-cheek about the fact that I would have time to discuss anything I wanted to say later by virtue of the fact that we live together. Well, the guy who later told me I bite thought I was threatening to scold my husband later, I guess. He came up to me between Sunday school and worship service and implored me not to be too hard on my husband. I was laughing at the guy because he had totally misunderstood me, but I did get a bit discouraged about when he labeled a biter. It kind of makes me want to skip Sunday school at times.
Ouch, Bonnie! That hurts…but perhaps you could focus on the fact that he knows you know the Bible. Hopefully you’ll keep going to SS and he’ll realize he doesn’t know you well enough to make such judgments. I can’t believe he said that in public! Really out of place in SS. Hugs and bless his heart..________________More of Him…less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name
Maybe he meant it as a joke, but he was nervous and uptight, so it didn’t come off as a joke________________
….Or maybe you can focus on this young man’s perception of you and evaluate how you look to others. Bonnie, I really don’t know you but I have to admit, you do bite. I am truly impressed with your wealth of knowledge but at times you come across as a know it all and if what is being discussed does not line up with your opinion, it’s wrong. Don’t skip the Sunday School class, help the young man and work to help the others study the scripture for themselves. This way they will get to the point to where God reveals himself to them through his Word.
SO you bite.Is that a negative?At least he knows not to come to the front of the class without studying thoroughly________________
Wayne, believe it or not, I have been quite introspective about this. This happened several weeks ago, so I’ve had time to process. I’m putting it out here probably to get a little feedback as well. By the way, I didn’t say the guy was young.What I’ve taken into account is that the guy doesn’t seem to know me well, and he quite obviously misinterpreted what I said about speaking to my husband later. I don’t know what the other people in the class think of me really and truly, but I do know the other guy who alternates teaching will comment that he appreciates my perspective and the lady who previously taught the class seemed to think my hobby horse was keeping scripture in context (and I am big on that, but I’m not one dimensional). There is also another substitute teacher who seems to enjoy my input (and gets my sense of humor).The other thing I think is that it is possible he is projecting onto me feelings he has had toward someone in the past whom I remind him of. The other thing is perhaps is his personality type or his views of whether women should speak out.
I guess as long as I heed Paul’s admonition to not inhale, I’ll be okay.(Galatians 5:15)
Bonnie,I remember when my pastor/father in law began training me for the pastorate. He put me in situations that made my skin crawl. I remember the day he put me in the Sr. adult class to teach!!!! I knew I was going to be teaching people who had been reading the Bible longer than I had been alive. I remember thinking why would I be teaching them. I taught the class and for some reason the topic of worry came up and I simply read what the commentary said about worry and Oh Boy!!! that did it. A lady I knew very well started questioning me and telling me, I didn’t understand scripture very well and that it’s hard for people her age to not worry……….. I really had no response other than this is what scripture says.
Thanks. I appreciate the thought that maybe he will get to know me better over time, and I really am trying to be patient about that. We did happen to unexpectedly meet at a venue outside of church a few weeks ago, and I had a chance to chat briefly with his wife and say hello to him and the other members of our church who were with him.
I’m glad you were able to see him outside of church. Perhaps he will get to know you a bit better.And I agree with the comment that you probably intimidate him with your knowledge. I am that way with a few people myself when I am teaching my class (adult SS). I don’t have a problem with discussion in my class, but I think it’s rude to tell me I’m wrong about something in front of the class. My husband has done this on more than one occasion and I finally had to ask him to do this outside of the class. If you disagree, that’s fine, but don’t tell me I’m wrong in front of everybody. That’s embarrassing. If you feel I am completely wrong, let’s discuss that after class. And if I am wrong and feel it needs correcting with the class, I am more than willing to do that________________More of Him…less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name
Maybe a teacher/leader should know how to take ‘help/correction’ but they are human, and humans don’t accept it too well. Personal example: I am a ‘generalizer’ as a rule and my wife is SPECIFIC! If I am telling some sea-story and say ‘Last October we were in Kansas.’ Sherry will automatically say, ‘It was September!’ . I can say, I was 26 when I joined the Navy She automatically will say, You were 27. She is always right, but if I don’t watch it, I will get my hackles up because it is not important to me at the time.. She doesn’t mean to ‘CORRECT ME’, it is just that her mentality requires specifics. So those are not scriptural ‘corrections’ but raise the same emotions. (methinks)But then I do think when he really gets to know you he will respect you, shucks I did, but that has been long distance! LOLLove you lady and I do respect your knowledge and ability to stand toe to toe with some thinkers here on this Forum. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
Well, I guess I have gone both ways–mentioning something on the spot or mentioning it later.One time another student said the Bible said, Neither a borrower nor lender be. The teacher didn’t correct him at the time. After class, I challenged the man to find the reference (because I was pretty sure that wasn’t in the Bible). Turns out it was Shakespeare! To the teacher that kept saying Revelations, I told him on the spot he needed to drop the s. I also challenged that teacher on generational curses in the class. I think I said, It’s not scriptural. This was after he had already carried on about how when we accept Jesus, the DNA in our blood is literally, physically changed. I did address the topic of generational curses a little further after class when a lady asked me what I had been going to say. She said that in front of the teacher so we could discuss it together.
Husbands and wives usually know each other well enough to know if the other will accept this kind of help. I am a detail person too, but if I interrupted my hubby many times in a row like this in public, he would probably stop talking & tell me to tell the story myself. LO________________More of Him…less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name
Well….I think it’s rude to correct a teacher in front of the class. If you have a concern, address it after class. If there’s a pattern of error, speak to the pastor, or volunteer to teach it yourself. If you are correcting someone for saying Revelations, I think you have to accept the troublemaker label. Sure it’s incorrect. But is it important enough to make an issue, on the spot, as you said. C’mon. Overlook it and go on. Could it be possible that you just enjoy pointing out the mistakes________________
You do not come across to me as a know-it-all. Maybe that’s because I am already confident that I know it all .I would think that the real issue is that the fellow is a bit insecure. Also, it might be that it is hard to handle corrections, etc. (which follows from the first sentence). I had a guy in a Sunday School class one time. He was truly a smart guy, but he did come across as pontificating all the time (as in I know something you don’t know). I wasn’t even the teacher, and I tended to cringe when he would speak. I learned from that that UNLESS it is virtually NECESSARY to stop and correct a person, I can wait (except on Actscelerate, where it MUST be done immediately!). Also, I learned (from my dad) to structure correction as a question (Do you think that this verse has any impact on our take on the matter?)…or as a bit self-deprecating (Well, I don’t know what they don’t call it Revelations–after all, there are a number of revelations in there, right?). You get the idea.
Bonnie,The smaller the class, and the more long-time attenders, the more likely I am to
Well, the Revelations thing was sort of funny, actually, and I think that guy took that part in good humor. He referenced it at a later lesson with a grin, actually. He is over 50, has been in the church for years, and, no, just telling him that at the outset of the lesson in a very small class setting that is open for pupil participation was not being a troublemaker. (And that particular guy is one who