Training before Teaching...

Many of you (especially those in my playgroup) have heard me mutter this phrase:

"How can I sit them down to teach them about Christ if I can't get them to sit down?"

Well, here is an article that better articulates this principle... finally someone was able to put it into words. Thanks, Cristina for the link (and another blog I "must" follow.)

Excerpt:

“Training must come before teaching. [Teaching] is impossible unless the children cooperate. And they don’t cooperate unless they are disciplined from their earliest days. This discipline lays the groundwork for teaching.”

Gateway for Knowledge
by Carolyn Mahaney

... we went to see “The Miracle Worker.” Most likely, you are familiar with the plot. It’s the story of Annie Sullivan’s struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate. Initially Annie found it extremely difficult to teach Helen due to her wild and violent behavior.

But then Annie had a revelatory moment. All of a sudden she realized: "Obedience is the gateway for knowledge to enter the mind." She understood that she needed to first teach Helen to obey before she could teach her knowledge.

At this point in the play I couldn’t help but think of my daughters, Nicole and Kristin. That’s what they are doing. They are attempting to train and discipline four little boys to obey so they can impart knowledge. And not just any knowledge, but the most important knowledge of all—the message of the gospel.

So to all moms with little children I desire to encourage you today. I want to cheer you on in your efforts to discipline and train your children to obey. It’s hard, exhausting work, I know. Just watching my daughters makes me tired.

But, it’s worth it - because an obedient child is a receptive child. And with a receptive child you can teach them the good news, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Now that’s a goal worth striving for, don’t you agree?

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22.6

To read the full post, click here: Training Before Teaching.

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And on a lighter note: I have made significant progress with Jack even in the past two days as I have concentrated so much on this particular behavior. Despite the two-minute warning on the playground, Jack was not ready to leave six of his closest friends when it was time to go. He pouted, but got in the car uncharacteristically quickly when he heard the NEW key phrase, "Mommy has given you an instruction." So, that was good.

When we got into the car:

Mommy: "Jack, thank you so much for getting in the car so quickly. I know you were disappointed that it was time to leave, but you chose to obey Mommy."
Jack: "We NEVER get to play long enough."
M: "I know how you feel. I wish I could stay and talk with Ms. Julie and Ms. Cara for hours and hours too, but we all have to get home for naps and dinner. I appreciate you helping us stick with the agenda."
{ a minute or so passes...}
J: "Well, after Kindergarten is over, I decided to get a job as a guard."
M: "That's interesting. What kind of guard?"
J: "A night-time playground guard."
M: "Ooh, you'd be good at that."
J: "I will play all night long on the playground all by myself with no sunscream."
M: "Sounds like a great plan."
J: "I told you I was going to like Kindergarten."