"Come Catch Some Keepers"
Shana Windham / ga01142007
 

I just thought I would share our latest teacher improvement meeting. This one had better attendance than my last one which I was happy and grateful for. We had the meeting on a Friday night and invited the spouses to attend since this is a common "date night". We had an organized potluck dinner first and then went into the program. With clean up the meeting lasted from 7pm to 9pm. My husband loves to fish and so I planned a fish fry dinner and he had a great excuse to go fishing because he needed to provide the fish. Our theme was "Come Catch Some Keepers" and the invitations had a fish theme to them. We sent around a sign up sheet for sides and those who didn't sign up got a call from our secretary to see if they were coming and what they could bring. From 7-7:30 we ate and socialized.  At 7:30 we started the meeting and they could keep eating if they wanted to. Our focus for the evening was about sharing time presentations. This is an area that the teachers had indicated on the surveys that they wanted help with. First we started with the idea that was share on this group about the cake analogy that comes from TNGC (Teaching: No Greater Call). Then I had one of the teachers share one of her favorite sharing time lessons that she has seen done. She couldn't remember one but she asked her daughters and one brought out a handout from one of my sharing times and why she liked it. (that sure made me feel good that all that work does touch some children) Then I taught what a class presentation for sharing time should be and my opinion as to why we have them. I shared ideas of how to get the children involved in preparation and presentation, especially the different abilities between junior and senior primary and how the teacher's role might be different in the process depending on the children's age. I share reasons and my testimony about the integrated music time and the inspiration behind it. I used some of the information share on this e-mail group from the notes taken at the recent Primary open house.  Thanks to all for your willingness to share, it help me in Texas. Then I had the teachers who were present to chose the topics that they want to use for their class presentations for the rest of the year. The 4th Sunday of the month is class presentations in our primary and it seemed like the classes would get the left over principle to teach and we wanted them to have first choice on the principle they felt they could best help the children to present.  Now we have a master list for the year of the teachers who were there. Of course I encouraged them to use the month to prepare for their presentations and not just the Sunday before. I said that on the 1st and 3rd Sundays I would come in to the last 15 minutes of class to help them prepare, brainstorm, and be a resource to them if they wanted. After I spoke then the Primary president talked and then a bishopric member shared his testimony. Then we cleaned up.  When I approach these meetings I want them to be resourceful and helpful. I also try demonstrate examples of different teaching methods in the classroom. When they arrived and during the meal I had soft church music in the background. The "classroom" was set up with tables and a chalkboard with pictures, books, and materials that applied to my lesson. This was a great meeting and I received compliments from even the spouses of the spirit and usefulness for their callings. When you stick with the gospel basics, seek the Lord's guidance, and prepare good things happen.