The Truth About Sunday School Teachers

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When I was little, I thought my Sunday School teachers were the coolest people in the world. I looked up to them and wanted to be just like them when I grew up. Now that I've been teaching Sunday School on and off for a while now, I've realized something.

Sunday School teachers are dorks. And I mean that in, seriously, the best way possible.

Dorky Sunday School teachers are the best kind of teachers. They get the lesson out there, but they aren't afraid to act a little silly. To be a Sunday School teacher, you have to love kids. That right there makes you awesome. But to truly teach kids, you have to be engaged. And the best way to do that is to be a crazy sometimes. Being a little crazy makes you even more awesome. True story.

In everyday life, things like dancing around, making up songs, and coloring just aren't cool. (unless you're homeschooled, but that's a whole other story)

It's also a big part of working at a summer camp or any other environment where you have an influence on others, especially kids. When you push your need to 'fit in' aside, and focus on helping the kids to not only learn, but have fun, you actually start to have fun, too. Shouting, literally shouting, praise to Jesus is amazing, but it can seem intimidating before you do it. Especially if you're a quiet person or a natural introvert like I am.

'This is soo weird'

 'How am I going to make friends/impress that boy/fit in when I'm red in the face and screaming?'

But you know what? When you focus on making learning about God fun instead of boring (because even though it doesn't always seem like it, God can be fun), something cool happens. Kids (and teenagers, and adults, and seniors, and anyone you meet) get a light in their eye, a smile on their face, and they start to enjoy putting their energy into God instead of themselves.

These things are also true at school, whether you're a teacher or a student. At work. At parties. Just hanging out with your friends or chatting with someone on Facebook. When you don't worry about fitting into a mold and instead focus on showing God's love through your words and your actions, people start to notice you. They may think you're weird, but more often than not, they'll wonder what makes you different and they'll want to get to know you better.

Now, I know you've likely heard this before, the whole 'don't conform to the world' speech. But you've heard it so many times because it's really true, and it's really hard. It's really hard to not think of yourself first. It's hard to put other people's problems before your own, especially when you're already having a hard day. It's hard, but it's worth it.

I'm pretty sure that my class already thinks that I'm a dork, especially considering that 50% of my class is related to me. I hope my students realize that it's okay to be goofy sometimes. It's okay to have energy and be excited about praising Jesus. It's okay to not be one of the cool kids.