The two questions which put student’s opinions into perspective

I’ve previously written about the best piece of teaching advice I’ve received. To sum up, it is the remember… your students are just teenagers. No random fifteen year old should be able to seriously affect your worldview or sense of self worth.

Over the last few years in the classroom, I’ve developed a series of mental tests which remind me of the truth that my original supervising teacher imparted to me.

Do your student choose their own bedsheets?

Two years ago (or even currently) does the student before you buy their own underwear?

Frankly, if the answer to these two questions is a negative, allow this to place their opinion into an appropriate perspective.

If someone doesn’t have the agency, ability or maturity to choose what they sleep on or the patterns on their undergarments, then their words should hold little weight.

Why?

Because they are being said by children.

And no one who’s mum makes their bed or purchases their undies should be able to genuinely rock your emotional regulatory gyroscope.

The prayer you never need to pray

“God, I pray that you will with us.”

You just wasted your breath.

By His very nature, God is everywhere.

Including your bible study.

Including your church service.

Including your “community building” activity.

God doesn’t require a formal invitation.

Instead, we should pray that we BE AWARE of Gods presence.

We should pray that we act like we are in Gods presence.

We should pray that our conversations are seasoned by an awareness of Gods presence.

We should pray that we worship in light of Gods presence.

But, we don’t need to invite God in. He is not a vampire.

When are we satisfied with spiritual literacy?

I’ve just started reading a book about reading.

To quote my youngest, when she spotted the book next to my bed, “that sounds boring.”

Honestly, it may well end up being a dull slog.

Hopefully, the book will, at least, help me be able to teach advanced literacy somewhat better to my senior classes.

Currently, the book is making the good point about the way we teach literacy in schools.

In general, we’re satisfied by year 6. Maybe year 8.

When our students are younger, we heavily focus on literacy. We have to, they are still learning language.

But, our focus on literacy quickly drops away in high school. Due to the sheer amount of content that our subjects need to plough through, literacy becomes incidental.

Really, the only time high schools are forced to focus on literacy in the upper grades is to have their students meet the minimum standards required in order to complete year 12.

Minimum. Standards.

This is around the literacy level of a decent year 8 or 9.

The book I’m reading makes the point that this is around the age/level that we cease teaching intentional literacy.

How to read. 

How to skim. 

How to note-take. 

How to form an argument.

Grammar.

All of these tend to stagnate in junior high.

I wonder if a similar thing happens in our churches.

We intentionally teach them about the faith while they are children and teens.

Then, we start to drop this focus.

We start to settle for the minimum standard (like the ones I posted about in my last post).

We don’t really hold our congregations to an adult level of understanding.

Because we are saved by grace, not by our ability to pass a theological exam, we allow our adults to stagnate in their understanding.

No one is expected to genuinely wrestle with the concept of the trinity or the early heresies of the church.

No one is expected to be aware of the spread of the faith and the obstacles the early church had to overcome.

No one is expected to wrestle with the difficult passages of the bible unless they are touched on via the pulpit.

Are our churches, like it could be argued that our schools, only producing underdeveloped “products” because we don’t expect them to reach beyond the minimum standard?

What is the minimal amount you should know?

Within Islam, the minimal amount that you need to know is the Shahada - Allah is God and Muhammad is His Prophet.

Within Buddhism, the minimal amount you should know are the Three Jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha - an example to follow, a way to live and a community to belong to.

What is the minimal message of Christianity?

John 3:16?

Jesus loves you?

I think it should be a little deeper than these.

I think, if someone can understand the following points, then they have a good grasp on the basics of following Jesus.

God made everything.

God knows and loves what He has made.

This includes humanity, including you.

God desires a relationship with people, including you.

Jesus is God in the flesh/incarnate.

Jesus reveals what God is like.

Through His actions on the cross, Jesus made a relationship of friendship possible between God and humanity, including you.

We are, ultimately, saved by grace - based only on what God has done - through faith - trusting in God alone.

The overflow stays with them

In all my subjects I teach a lot of details.

Far too many for any student to be able to remember.

Fortunately, the majority of things I want my students to be able to recall are the concepts of my subjects. 

This is what really matters.

I’d they understand the overarching principals behind the facts, then they will be in a better position to be able to accurately explain what my subject is about and be able to apply these concepts to other subjects and areas in their life.

But, in reality, over time most of what I teach will be lost.

I don’t expect my students to be able to recall the seven ways which you’ll die in trench warfare, the seven reasons for World War 2 or the six deviations on the understanding of the humanity of Jesus.

The same is true in a church setting.

No one remembers the details of every sermon they hear. 

No one is expected to be able to recount every aspect of a bible study.

The things you remember - in both the classroom and church - are the extras.

The overflows of who you are as a teacher or a minister are the things which travel with people far beyond the months/years they physically spend with you.

Your character.

Your enthusiasm.

Your care.

These are the things which really matter.

This is what makes someone look back at you fondly.

These will be the traits of every one of your favourite teachers and ministers.

These will make an impact on the rest of their lives.

The details within a lesson or sermon will fade quickly, but the overflow of you - the way they were welcomed, or included, or supported, or inspired - this can last decades after you have gone.

Overloading the start

Tomorrow, for the first time this year, I’ll actually stand before students and teach.

Needless to say, I’ve had a lot to prepare.

Now, as usual, I over-prepare and bog myself down in details which could easily be overlooked.

While my to-do list has been substantial, I’ve been given ample time to get ready.

But, this is not how our academic year began.

Like every year, it kicked off with a meeting.

A lengthy meeting.

A meeting with A LOT of details.

Sure, some (maybe even many) of them were vital to hear in person.

But, if I were a new teacher - be it straight out of university or just at a new school - it would feeling overwhelming.

Names.

Dates.

Acronyms.

Procedures.

Students.

Curriculums.

Assessments.

Concerns.

Day one would have been an mass of information overload.

Frankly, I’m glad that the start of my teaching journey didn’t include a full-time teaching load.

A massive workload, underlined with a flood of fresh information, would have made me feel even more uncertain about day one than I was otherwise.

Why it’s good that I’d never run a creative ministry

I have a lot of talents.

Arguably, humility isn’t one of them.

But, I’m far from a jack-of-all-trades.

This is why you need others.

They have talents you don’t posses.

They have passions you don’t have.

They have visions you don’t share.

Every so often, one of the churches I used to be the youth minister of will pop back into my eyesight, usually on social media.

One of my old patches is now running a creative space for teens.

I would never have run such an event, nevertheless one which runs weekly during school term.

I can’t imagine being associated with an event which “encourages young people to explore their creativity and share their talents with others.”

This sounds like a very noble cause. 

This could be a very God-honouring ministry.

It’s just not one that I would share a passion for.

And that’s perfectly fine.

In fact, it’s a strong reminder of the diversity within the Kingdom of God.

It’s a good thing that, not only I wouldn’t run such a ministry, but that others would.

And I hope it’s a wild success.

For, people would be drawn into this ministry which mine may never have reached.

This is why we don’t have one homogeneous church.

This is why the body of Christ is not a millipede.

This why it is a positive thing that one ministry agent doesn’t stick around for decades.

If that were the case for me, there would not be (in all likelihood) a creative ministry for teens in this church.

Should parents fell bad about skipping church during the school holidays?

I’ve usually skipped church with my kids during the school holidays.

When I worked for a church, I usually expected the same.

So, should a parent feel guilty about their school-holiday endured absence?

Not according to the Tiny Bible Bit which I just wrote…

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

If you have a family with younger children, then there’s a decent chance that it’s been a few weeks since you’ve attended church.

It’s understandable.

Many churches shut down their Sunday morning children’s ministry activities while the school holidays are on (as they are in Australia, and will be for the rest of the month).

So, should churches fell like they are spiritually neglecting the youngest members of their flock?

Deuteronomy 6 doesn’t think so.

Why? 

Because the primary spiritual direction a child should receive (ideally) is within the home.

The parents should be living out their faith in front of their children.

The parents should be sharing the stories of faith with their children.

The parents, just through the regular processes of the day, should be intersecting life and spirituality often.

Of course, the children’s ministry of a church should play a significant role in helping nurture the fledgling spirituality of a child, but Deuteronomy 6 stresses that this should stretch far beyond a few hours on a Sunday.

Am I a better theologian as a teacher or as a youth minister?

You would think that the answer was simple… I was a better theologian while in vocational ministry.

I’m not completely convinced.

Sure, while I gave plenty of talks and sermons while in ministry, there was only a certain depth or detail which these could effectively delve into.

Very few people wish to hear a sermon on the six alternative theories on the humanity/divinity of Christ.

Even fewer teenagers want to hear that talk.

Yet, in my studies of religion course, I teach a lesson on this exact point.

I’m fact, for the year 11’s they do a Christianity unit which includes the deep theological issues such as the incarnation, God’s revelation and the trinity.

Over the course of the year, I touch on suffering, creation, death, judgement, salvation, church leadership, denominational formations and a whole lot more.

For my year 12’s, I’ll be delving into the subject of the Reformation, baptism and sexual ethics.

Of course, this neglects the numerous non-Christian topics which I’ll be covering!

I would never cover this much ground in a congregational setting.

It would be unreasonable to ask as much.

While, pastorally, my load in the school context is minimal (which must be taken into account), the sheer amount of theology I need to digest and ask for my students to interact with - year after year - surely results in me needing to be a sharper theologian in the secular context.

Interesting is not the aim of the pulpit

Hopefully, when I come away from hearing a sermon, I don’t have either of the following reactions…

That was interesting.

That was clever.

Neither of these should be my lingering reaction.

Why?

Because I shouldn’t, primarily, be academically impressed by what was shared from the pulpit on a Sunday.

Of course, everything should hold up to academic scrutiny, but I shouldn’t feel like I’ve just heard an impressive university lecture.

A sermon should encourage.

A sermon should convict.

A sermon should be faithful to the biblical text.

Most of all, a sermon should point someone towards Jesus.

What it need not be is an intellectual spectacle or an intriguing thought experiment.

Education & Faith share the same analogy

Both are like fire.

Both need a spark to be ignited.

Both light up the world around you.

Both need to remain fed to keep going.

Both can provide comfort.

Both can spread.

Both can be abused.

Both can transform.

Both can be snuffed out.

As either a teacher or a minister, it is your role to ignite, illuminate, stoke, and protect the flame of the young person in front of you.

2024 Best of…

2024 was a fairly significant year for me as I taught Studies of Religion in senior school for the first time, developing the course from scratch, having a means to professionally wrestle with theology with teenagers in almost a decade.

My most read blog post of the year was You only get a small dancing window, followed by Teaching Losers.

Aside from these, the other blogging highlights were…

Transferring Skills from the Old Gig

Your Feelings about being a Theologian don’t change the Truth

Am I a more Successful Teacher or a Youth Minister?

Am I a Bigger Failure as a Teacher or a Youth Minister?

Do I look like a Flat-Earther to my Workmates?

The Growth Progression

Should we want to Double-Speed our faith?

Who are the Secret Heroes of your Profession?

Do I Miss Youth Ministry?

Teaching isn’t meant to be a Secret

The Cost of having a Parent-less Ministry to Kids on a Sunday Morning

The Difference between being Interested, Involved and Invested in a Ministry

The Matrix of Volunteering Obligations 

Why we Deal with the Symptoms and not the Root Cause

The Best way to AI your Content

According to ChatGPT, my blog is about: 

“Ramblings on the Way" is a blog authored by Graham Baldock, where he shares reflections on faith, ministry, education, and personal growth. The blog often features articles, theological musings, and commentary on contemporary issues through a Christian lens. Topics include Bible teachings, youth ministry insights, church activities, and practical discussions on balancing spiritual and professional life.

The blog also includes projects such as "Tiny Bible Bits," which are concise video reflections on Bible passages aimed at making scripture more approachable. It serves as a platform for exploring everyday challenges and spiritual questions, appealing to a niche audience interested in deepening their faith and understanding.

And may be found useful:

The usefulness of the blog "Ramblings on the Way" by Graham Baldock depends on the interests and needs of its readers. It is particularly helpful for individuals seeking:

1. Faith-based Reflections: The blog provides theological insights and practical applications of biblical teachings, which can be valuable for those looking to deepen their understanding of Christianity.

2. Youth Ministry Guidance: Baldock shares his experiences and advice from his work in youth ministry, making it a resource for others in similar roles.

3. Educational Perspectives: His reflections on teaching and education provide relatable content for educators, especially those balancing faith with professional responsibilities.

4. Bite-sized Bible Teachings: Projects like "Tiny Bible Bits" make scripture accessible and engaging for readers looking for quick, thought-provoking spiritual content.

While it may not appeal to everyone, "Ramblings on the Way" is a thoughtful and focused resource for its niche audience.

You can read the posts above and work out if AI knows what it’s talking about…

The best ways to AI your content

AI is a highway to laziness.

This post is not about using AI instead of your brain or resourcefulness.

But, AI can play an important (but truthfully not vital) role in both the classroom and the pulpit.

Of course, AI won’t be able to differentiate any automatically generated content to your specific context.

It won’t know your class.

It won’t know your teens.

It won’t know your congregation.

It won’t know their issues.

It won’t know their personalities.

It won’t know their histories.

But, AI can help a few areas.

Outline.

Edit.

Tighten.

Titles.

Demographic angles.

AI can provide a potential structure to your sermon or lesson, which you then use as a launching pad and insert all your own personalised content.

AI can absolutely improve your content by editing the grammar and - if prompted to NOT CHANGE THE MEANING IN ANY WAY - can help tighten your content by anywhere up to a third.

Better yet, if you prompt AI to explain why it made the changes that it did, you can control the edits which you leave in and which you ignore.

Once you have your content, you can ask AI to generate a few titles for your lesson or sermon. While these may be the ones you use, at worst, they will provide you with an indication of how your content would be interpreted. Perhaps, this will give you a heads-up if your content is difficult to follow clearly.

Finally, you can prompt AI with different demographics and ask how the topic may apply to them, potentially opening up relevant avenues for you to explore on your own.

Importantly, nothing above tells you to just punch in a prompt and hit print.

You still need to do work.

You still need to craft the content.

The process of creating is as important as the final product.

But, AI can helpfully nudge you in a direction or show you how your content can be improved.

The indicator that you’re not a Young Adult anymore

As a married guy in my 40’s, with two kids, I’m a significant distance away from being a young adult.

I’m certainly outside the scope of the young adult ministry demographic.

But my wife, a decade younger than I, was still on the edges of this demo when she started attending our current church.

Thus, I'm still loosely attached to the young adult chatter at my church.

I hear about updates.

I read about events.

I get notified about some things of the things in and around the evening service.

None really apply to me.

And, as I hear, read and get notified, I’m constantly reminded why.

I’m too tired.

I’m too busy.

I’m too… swamped in adulting.

I’m not a uni student on holidays.

I’m not a late-night reveller after the evening service.

I’m not a casual-hangout type person.

In fact, most of the activities they have in place are… unappealing.

Because I’ve got to get up in the morning.

I’ve got bills to pay.

I’ve got a mountain of work to do.

But I didn’t really when I was a twenty-something. Or even before I had kids.

As a young adult, staying at church until after midnight was appealing.

Now, it’s one of the last things I’d want to do on a Sunday night.

A marker that you’re no longer a young adult is that the things which attract and appeal to young adults are… anything but.

Is there a way to avoid inevitably having hundreds of sick days?

Currently, I have enough sick days accrued to have a day off every week for the entire school year of 2025.

And I’m only nearing the end of my third year of full-time teaching.

I know of work colleagues who have squirrelled away more than 200 sick days - the equivalent of a full academic year.

In a matter of months I will be allotted another 15 sick days. And then another the following year. And then another. And then… amass around 300 more sick days (if I stay in the public education sector) until I retire.

Of course, all these sick days are set aside in case I’m ill. And the pandemic has reminded us all that, even if you’re sick to the extent that you’d previous “power through,” now, it’s wise to stay home.

Nonetheless, I’ve only had six sick days in the last three years.

But, on average, I’ve had around 20 days (or partial days) off each year.

Between cross country, athletics and swimming carnivals, the orientation day activities I’m involved in, peer support training, end of year festivities, excursions and camps, I’m away from my classes fairly often.

So, what happens, if I took an additional dozen days above when I’m already - incidentally- out of the classroom?

In reality, I’d be out nearly the equivalent of one day per week.

More so, if I want to start knocking off the acquired sick days I’ve already built up, I’d definitely be absent regularly.

Would this be responsible?

Would this be setting a good example?

You could argue, that it is.

My work/life balance would be much better.

I’d be far better prepared.

I’d be able to strategically take time away from the classroom, at especially busy times.

But, it would come at a significant cost to my classes - especially my senior classes.

If one of my students was missing a day per week, this would be cause for a welfare concern.

So, what should I do?

Hope for a nasty dose of chronic fatigue?

Be prepared to be struck down with a nasty illness?

Of course, I’d rather not need to use my sick days legitimately.

But, racking up hundreds of sick days doesn’t seem like a wise option either…

Why we deal with the symptoms and not the root cause

Do we tend to deal with the symptom or the root cause?

Often, our systems will want to patch over the visible reactions to a dilemma.

Without the nuance of a relationship or an intimate knowledge of a situation, we tend to lean towards the surface responses, not the deeper causes behind them.

For example, we run training events about racism and discrimination, not a lack of empathy or understanding.

We run courses on managing anger, not addressing a sense of fear or a feeling of lacking control.

We may touch on the issue of our group/ministry/church not growing, but overlook the root cause of us being unwelcoming or not inviting others.

Ultimately, talking about the symptoms is easier.

But, wrestling with the root cause takes time and honestly.

Unfortunately, most institutions aren’t prepared to commit the time or provide the space to deal with the root cause behind the symptoms bubbling to the surface.

The Ministry OF Children

I’ve seen and done a lot of ministry FOR children.

Sunday mornings.

School scripture.

Special events.

Holiday clubs.

Camps.

But, the church must never lose sight of the ministry OF children.

For, the church gains an immense amount from the ministry of the children in their midst.

Simple faith.

Innocence.

Enthusiasm.

Wonder.

Play.

Acceptance.

Freedom.

Dancing.

Enjoyment.

Jesus tells us in Mark 10:15 that we must accept the Kingdom like a child.

Surely the ministry OF children is showing us how.

The matrix of volunteering obligations

No matter if it is in a church or another context, there is a flow of responsibility which comes to volunteering.

At the start, the volunteer is under no obligation.

They can choose to step up or not. 

They alone decide to put up their hand and offer help.

It’s their choice.

In return, the one who is approached by the volunteer is under no obligation to accept the offer of help.

They weigh up the need and the acceptability of the volunteer and make a measured decision about the next step.

They can accept.

They can decline (hopefully gently and graciously).

They can restrict (they can place some boundaries upon the persons’ involvement).

But, there is no obligation that the offer from a volunteer must be accepted.

The only obligation they are under is that they respond.

Timely.

With a justification for the decision they make.

And then, the obligation is for the volunteer to accept the outcome.

Hopefully, even if they are disappointed by the decision, they can accept the outcome with maturity (and in a church context, Christlikeness).

This is the chain of obligations when it comes to volunteering.

I am not obligated to volunteer.

They are not obligation to accept.

I am obligated the accept the decision.

The advantage of students seeing the face of their teacher during an exam

As we reach the middle of the school term, all of my classes will have in-class examinations leading up to the creation of school reports.

As I gazed upon my students enduring an examination, it occurred to me that those in my presence had an advantage over those sitting the exam externally.

The reason is simple.

My students can see me.

Sometimes, students will intently look at me, urgently hoping that the response they’re seeking will emerge.

As such, the students in my presence have the opportunity to look at me and, potentially, have a memory triggered of me providing the answer their mind is desperately searching for.

They may be able to imagine the actions I did to help explain the concept.

They may be able to imagine my voice imparting the information they require.

Those who are outside of my presence will be denied these possibilities.

Of course, this is ironic, since those who are doing the exam externally is usually due to additional support structures which are designed to help them perform better in the exam.

The difference between being Interested, Involved and Invested in a ministry

Everyone doesn’t need to be involved in a ministry of a church in exactly the same way.

Obviously.

Everyone doesn’t have the same skills.

Everyone doesn’t have the same availability.

The Body of Christ is not designed to be a millipede.

Everybody needs not be an identical leg.

Nonetheless, there are different depths to the involvement one can have in a ministry.

Interested.

Involved.

Invested.

No matter if the ministry is one which focuses on youth a Friday, the primary worship services on a Sunday or another midweek activity, there will be some distinguishing factors which determine the amount your willing to be involved.

The first way is time.

The sheer amount of time one spends attached to a ministry activity will help gauge the depth of their commitment.

If you’re interested, you’ll have a genuine interest, but you may never - or rarely ever - physically attend the activity.

If you’re involved, then you’ll have a genuine involvement, resulting in your regular physical attendance.

But, if you’re invested, you’ll be there nearly always.

The second determiner will be what you have on the line.

If your interested, you’re skin-in-game will be the church mission. You will pray for the ministry because it is an activity of the church. It is an activity that your congregation supports. It involves people who you know of.

If you’re involved, your skin-in-game will be the ministry itself. You will volunteer. You will go on a roster. You will be prepared to be hands on. You will develop relationships. Your depth of involvement will be because this is (or your hoping that it will) make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

If your invested, you’re skin-in-game will be a name and a face. This ministry will directly involve someone you care about. Your kid. Your friend. Your parent. You will be invested in the direct outcome of the ministry personally. You will volunteer because you intimately want to see the difference the ministry will make. 

As your depth-level of participation deepens, then you’ll find that you also have two consequences.

First of all, you’ll find greater satisfaction in the victories of the ministry.

But, you will also be close enough to the ministry that you can get burnt by the failings.