This Bible Is Presented to Given by Date Occasion Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. PROVERBS 22:6
T EACHING H ISTORY School / Institution Location Dates Grade(s) / Course(s) Taught School / Institution Location Dates Grade(s) / Course(s) Taught School / Institution Location Dates Grade(s) / Course(s) Taught School / Institution Location Dates Grade(s) / Course(s) Taught
S TUDENTS T AND OTHERS W HO WHO H AV E T OUCHED M Y L IFE Name Why this person is special Name Why this person is special Name Why this person is special Name Why this person is special Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. PHILIPPIANS 2:4
T EACHER S E P RAYER R God grant me wisdom, creativity, and love. With wisdom, I may look to the future and see the effect That my teaching will have on these children, And thus adapt my methods To fit the needs of each one. With creativity, I can prepare new and interesting projects That challenge my students And expand their minds To set higher goals and dream loftier dreams. With love, I can praise my students for jobs well done And encourage them to get up And go on when they fail. Lord, reveal yourself through me. Amen. AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Teacher s Bible 18-page black ink content Thirty Devotions for Teachers 1. Seasoning Students Read Matthew 5:13 Teaching students is like seasoning food. We experiment with students to see how they learn and what the best method for instruction is. When one strategy doesn t work well, we switch to another. Sometimes students have a difficult time meeting the goals we have set for them, and we have to take time to allow them to simmer in the pot while we reflect on the best technique to use. Once we add that personal touch to our teaching, our students will follow us every time, making learning fun for all involved. Lord, guide my plans for each lesson I prepare and serve. Amen. Angela M. Bailey 2. Clothed in Love Read Colossians 3:14 Through the years I have discovered while each child is unique, all children are basically the same. They all need and want to be loved. No matter how bad, smart, slow, good, sassy, or obedient children are, they all want one thing: love. The Bible says there is nothing above love. Again and again in Scripture we see love in action, redeeming individuals and situations. Parents send us their children, and it s up to us to love them while they are with us. Lord, help me clothe myself in love today and every day. Amen. Angela M. Bailey 3. Complaining about Change Read Exodus 16:3 Change is inevitable in the field of education. Curricula change, assessments change, students change, expectations change everything changes. We have to be willing to embrace change if we want to continue growing as educators. When curricula change, there are reasons. When assessments change, there are reasons. Instead of worrying about the fact of change, let s consider how we can truly affect the lives of children with each change that comes. Instead of complaining about it, let s consider the positive effects this change can bring to our students and our schools. Heavenly Lord, help me to accept and embrace the changes that come, to accept the task you have given me, and to wait for your direction. Amen. Angela M. Bailey 4. Working for God Read Ephesians 6:7 In teaching, as in any job, we need to continually realize that we are working first and foremost for God. Every lesson we teach and every skill we present should be done in a way that pleases and honors God. It s easy to lose sight of who is really in charge. We think we re working for the system, but we re not. We re working for God. Once we get this revelation, we will be more enthusiastic about our positions and our shared purpose. Administrators and colleagues will begin to notice when we change our outlook. Most important, God will notice! Lord, help me eliminate stress and worry by remembering that I work for you. Amen. Angela M. Bailey
Teacher s Bible 18-page black ink content Thirty Ways to Renew Your Soul and Spirit 1. Take a book you loved as a child outside or to a comfortable, cozy spot indoors and spend some time letting its meaning and associations come to you once again. 2. Spend some time lying on a hammock or a blanket and looking up at the trees. 3. Take a leisurely, warm bath with candles or incense if you like. Pay attention to the qualities and gifts of water and its place in our lives. 4. Sit in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and imagine all the tension in your body flowing like sand out through your fingers and toes. After awhile (if you haven t fallen asleep), open your eyes and let your gaze linger on the familiar objects around you. 5. Call someone you haven t been in touch with for a while. 6. Go for a walk or bike ride or drive. If you have a destination in mind, fine. If not, go where your feet or wheels take you. 7. Go to church and worship with other believers. 8. Go with a child on an outing to the park or some other place where you can lie back and watch the cloud formations overhead. Tell each other what you see in those clouds. 9. Pray. Experiment with different ways of praying pray a Scripture verse; choose a key word (Lord, Peace, Love) and say it over and over; use the ACTS model of prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication); practice breath prayer (say or think the first part of a short verse as you inhale, the second part as you exhale). 10. Close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply, and think of a favorite image or place the ocean, a candle, a face. Remain in the presence of that image for several minutes. Open your eyes and return to the present when you are relaxed and at peace. 11. Borrow or buy a simple toy you enjoyed playing with as a child a book of paper dolls, a set of magnets, a kite or paper airplane and play with it. You might want a child to share this with you or do it by yourself! 12. Take a notebook and pen and write down whatever comes to mind: rambling thoughts, phrases, the things you are worried about. Release your thoughts and worries to God in prayer. 13. Get together with friends or family and share stories and laughter. 14. Listen to some favorite music and if it makes you want to dance, dance! 15. After dark, go outside and listen to the sounds of night. 16. Eat a nutritious meal with someone you love. Eat slowly, savoring each bite. Enjoy the food and conversation. 17. Watch children at play. Observe and enjoy their spontaneity. 18. Plant a small herb garden (outside or in planters) or do some other gardening. (Adding plants to your classroom can help to create a calming, peaceful environment.) 19. Catch up with some reading or writing in a journal, letters, or e-mails to friends. 20. Get some travel magazines or brochures and think about where you d like to go. Imagine the travel, what you might see, and the new friends you might make. Look up one or two of the most significant spots on the Internet. Then decide that (usually) armchair travel is the best kind a lot less tiring and expensive (but once in a while, go!). 21. Sing with a recording or a cappella or whistle a favorite tune. 22. Light a fire in the fireplace and curl up with a book or loved one and enjoy the fire. 23. Look through old photo albums. Call one of the people whose picture you see and tell him or her what you re doing. I was just looking through some old photo albums. Remember that time when we...
Teacher s Bible 18-page black ink content To Be a Good Example Thank you, O Lord, for the opportunities you place before me each day. And thank you for the students I teach. Guide me in all that I do, so that I may set an example by doing what is right and good. Amen. Adapted from A Moment with God for Teachers (Dimensions for Living: 1998). Prayers for Sunday School Teachers For Sunday School Teachers of Children or Youth God, who gave us the gift of life, thank you for these children and youth who come each week to learn more about you. Sometimes they don t listen very well. Sometimes they are loud. Sometimes it is difficult for me to relate to them. But underneath their busy lives, they yearn for an anchor. They need a teacher who will be here for them every week, ready to listen, to comfort, to encourage, to teach, to witness, and to serve. Help me see beneath surface behavior and outward appearances and into their hearts. Let my teaching be as showers on new grass, giving life to the seeds of faith that have been planted with such loving care by parents and others. Amen. For the Children or Youth in My Class God, there are so many students in my class, and each of them has needs only you can understand. Teach me how to pray for each one. Some save seats for their friends, while others sit alone. Some are quiet and never say a word, while others never stop talking. Help me each day of the week to focus on just a few of these students and to lift them and their families up in prayer so that when we gather together again next time, we will become a family of faith. Amen. Wanting to See God at Work Lord, I often feel as though I am sowing seeds on rocky ground and nothing is taking root. I want my words and your words to fall on fertile soil and be nourished by our faith community. I want to see my students draw close to you and walk in the way of your son, Jesus Christ. Help me be patient. Give me the strength to keep on planting seeds of your love in their lives, praying that even if they depart from your ways for a time, they will return to you later in their lives. Keep me steady, and let me live my life as an example for them to follow. Amen. Coping with a Difficult Child Lord, this child walks into my room and is so full of energy. He talks during the Bible story, destroys other children s art projects, and refuses to participate in group activities. He is in constant need of redirection. Help me be patient as I talk with him. Give me understanding and insight into his behavior. Counsel me as I talk with him and his parents, and help us be vessels of your love as we teach him new ways to express his feelings. Even if we never understand why, help me love him unconditionally, as you do. Amen. Adapted from Sarah McGinley, A Moment with God for Sunday School Teachers (Dimensions for Living, 2000).
Teacher s Bible MP002 10/28/2008 10:00 AM Bible Verses for Teachers Job 12:13 With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding. Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth. Matthew 5:14, 16 You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 25:40 Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Mark 10:14 Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 17:2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. John 15:12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love. Galatians 6:9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Ephesians 4:29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.