Discipline in the Classroom...what does that look like?

Great Article from the General Board of Discipleship...
Discipline in the Classroom

God is a God of Peace
There are certain times of the year that questions arise around discipline, and the start of a new school year is one of them. Summer vacation is over, and promotion Sunday is drawing near. This is a wonderful time to consider what discipline means in Christian community. Many times we look at this word as the definition of punishment, but as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to the discipline of love and peace.

What do love and peace look like on Sunday morning when parents drop their children off for Sunday school, or during weekday children’s ministry programs? In loving one another, we provide children with an emotionally and physically safe, intellectually stimulating, and nurturing environment. As peacemakers, we help children understand how to engage in a world, that is not always loving, in the way that Christ exemplified for us. This goes beyond rules and law to the covenant we share in Christ.

In Christian community, it is necessary to covenant together. We promise to love one another, but the accountability piece in love may get lost when leaders feel helpless to lead in a way that is true to who we are called to be as Christians. We hold a responsibility to our children to set boundaries that allow them to grow and learn in a healthy environment. More than a few times, children’s leaders have expressed frustration over - let’s just say it - bad behavior. Remember that every week for at least 35 hours, children are expected to follow rules in classrooms all over the world, and for the most part they do. Children understand boundaries, and they understand what is expected of them.

Faithful formation of our children is not easy. It takes careful planning, communication with parents and children, intentional relationship building, patience, a sense of humor, and a commitment to the call to make disciples. Most of all, it takes living into the Christian command of love of God and neighbor.


Equipped to create peace in the classroom!
A few ideas from Melanie


There are some strategies that we can use to encourage and support a healthy environment for children in the nursery, preschool, Sunday school and in other areas of ministry with children.

Create a covenant with the children at the beginning of the year. Even preschoolers understand boundaries.

Post the covenant in the room, and revisit it often. Set aside time during the year to update it based on children’s growth.

Parents share in the responsibility to prepare their children to participate with others in a way that stays within the covenant. Make sure that parents understand the expectations, and encourage them to remind their children of these expectations before church activities.

Remain calm in all situations. If needed, take a few deep breaths. Deep breaths can be quite calming.

Children are made to test boundaries, so our response the first time a boundary is crossed will set the tone for most children.

Speak positively, and encourage cooperation.

Remember that you are the adult responsible for the formation of the children while they are in your care, so check your behavior also. Children know who we are by our actions, and our words.

Melanie Gordon is Director of Ministry with Children at the General Board of Discipleship and a member of the South Carolina Annual Conference.

KiDS COR Volunteer Information 2010-2011

Below are a list of helpful documents if you are volunteering or considering a volunteer position in KiDS COR during the 2011-2012 school year.


KiDS COR Volunteer Covenant

KiDS COR Nursery Volunteer Covenant

KiDS COR Volunteer Policies

Resurrection Policy Statement

Working With Minors Application

Youth Working With Minors Application

Why Serve In KiDS COR?

Want to know why it is so important to invest in the lives of Children?



Check out the video below.



Many thanks to Ron Fugate for putting this together!

Thank You Sunday School Guides!!

As the school year winds down we want to thank all our guides for leading our classrooms during the school year. We are inviting all our kids to write a thank-you note for their guide and bring it with them the next time they come to KiDS COR. Click here to find a listing of all our elementary guides. Click Here to find a listing of all our Early Childhood guides.

Summer Volunteers Needed!!!

Summer is just around the corner...and we want to give our regular Sunday school guides some time off to rest and get ready for the fall but in order to do that we need parents, grandparants, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. to join Kids Cor this summer. We are looking for those who can commit from 1-4 times during the summer.

Our elementary classrooms are having a contest to see who can fill up their sign-up sheets first. Winner gets a sandy candy party! Check out the contest video below! Thanks to Ron Fugate for putting this together! If you are interested in helping out this summer email Stacy Furey @ stacy.furey@cor.org

BE INSPIRED!!!

Recently all our Weekend Leaders got together for some inspiration! Check out the highlights below!!



Inspired? Want to join KiDS COR and make a difference on the weekends?? Then contact Stacy Furey (stacy.furey@cor.org) for more info!

KiDS COR Illness Policy

With Cold & Flu season arriving early please check out our KiDS COR illness policy.

KIDS COR ILLNESS POLICY

A Position Of Honor

Hey KiDS COR leaders check out this link to a great article!! It has some very practical tips that will helps us as leaders get the most out of each lesson we teach!

After reading the article would you either leave a general comment about the article or answer one of the following questions? It would be great some feedback and discussion for all to read!

What would a perfect day of teaching look like?
If you were a child in your group, what would you expect from your teacher?


A Position of Honor



Happy Reading!