Observations and Experiences on Teaching:
1. It’s when what is said is coming from the heart that it makes an
impact. People can have all sorts of
head knowledge about a topic, and can try to convey that knowledge to others,
but if they haven’t experienced it and it’s not a sincere and heartfelt
compulsion, it often falls on deaf ears.
It’s hard to focus on an intellectual discourse, but when a person is
making an impassioned plea and trying to impart to you something that they see
as incredibly valuable, it sticks!
I suppose that’s the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Sincere and impassioned wisdom is more
palatable and obtainable than intellectual conceptions and memorized facts. So the counsel for would-be teachers is, make sure that what you are teaching is REAL to you and not just memorized information. If it's not yet real, you probably shouldn't be teaching on it.
2. The point of teaching is to easily convey what you’ve learned to others,
in order that they can grasp it and apply it.
Which means that you must speak in easy to understand ways. A lot of time you find that scholarly-types
tend to use large words that most people have no idea the meaning of! That is counter-productive to teaching. The goal is not to show your intellect, but
to “feed” the sheep! And that means that
you must make it palatable. You must
take large and weighty concepts and unpack them in ways that everyone can
understand.
3. Avoid emotion! Both in yourself
and in others. The moment a person is
emotional disturbed, it virtually becomes impossible to think critically. The emotions cause a person to become
defensive, and instead of being open and pliable to dialogue and new thoughts,
they simply start defending their position. (Proverbs 18:19)
So, when you sense yourself getting emotional, you must step back. And when you sense someone else getting
emotional, you must use wisdom and discernment to calm the situation, redirect
the conversation, or pause the conversation. (Pro. 20:3; Pro. 17:14; Pro. 26:21; etc.)
4. Along with emotion, avoid those who have no interest in learning. A person whose goal is to mock, scoff, or
argue, will only wear you out as you try to persuade them (Titus 3:9). We are told to go from the presence of a
“fool” when we perceive that they don’t have wisdom (Pro. 14:7). In other words, if they have no interest in
learning but to only “prove” their own point (Pro. 18:2), you cannot reason with them. We are not to strive, but to remain gentle
and peaceable and yielding. (2nd Tim 2:23-25)
5. We must be aware of the possibility of our own error, ignorance, or
blindness. And so we must remain humble
and teachable ourselves (1st Peter 5:5). We must be on
guard against offense and defense, and instead consider objectively what is
said. We must be willing to sincerely
consider and test opposing views. We
ought not to fear. If what we hold to is
true, it will stand. And if it is wrong,
we ought to be rid of it anyways.
