| Blessings and Challenges
Like most things in life, small Sunday Schools are characterized by a combination of strengths and weaknesses. At the MNO Synod’s “Spicing Up Your Small Sunday School” workshop, we asked small Sunday School leaders to identify what they considered to be the blessings and the challenges in their own small Sunday school settings.
The following lists were compiled on the basis of their responses, and may be helpful to your own reflection and planning.
Blessings of the Small Sunday School
- Teachers can make close, personal connections with children.
- Teachers can build on the close relationships they’ve made with the children and tailor curricula to the specific needs, learning styles, and dynamics of their group.
- Children of various ages can connect with each other and enjoy lasting, “intergenerational” friendships.
- Teachers are more likely to work closely together with one another, building good working relationships and friendships.
- Teachers can more easily “fill in” for one another when necessary.
- Group activities can be easier to supervise.
- Lessons can be pursued to a greater depth.
- Crafts can be more involved, intricate and rewarding with a closer supervisor-to-student ratio.
Food for thought:
Does the list above reflect the blessings of your own small Sunday School?
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What are some additional blessings that you have experienced?
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Challenges
- (Unpredictable) fluctuation of attendance affects lesson planning and group dynamics.
- Available resources/curricula are often designed for a larger Sunday School setting.
- Lots of creativity is required to adapt lessons to a smaller, multi-age setting.
- Teacher recruitment is often difficult (specific challenges included: overextended schedules, volunteer burnout, “red-tape” issues like criminal background checks, etc.).
- A smaller group of teachers can be problematic for scheduling and arranging for substitutes.
- Sunday School budgets are often restrictive.
- Certain activities can be limited with a small group of children (e.g., Christmas Program).
- Imbalance in boy/girl ratio or age ratio can negatively affect group dynamics.
Food for thought:
Does the list above reflect the challenges in your own small Sunday School? What are some additional challenges that you have experienced? Can you think of how you might overcome these challenges?
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