Since we’ve already identified 6 pitfalls of high school Bible teaching, this post will focus on how we can navigate those pitfalls. Here’s a list of nine navigation tips for avoiding the pitfalls of high school Bible teaching.

1.  Emphasize primary biblical teachings. In other words, enable students to grasp the essential truths of Scripture (point #1).

2.  Target the whole person. The Bible aims to affect our head, heart, and hands (point #2) and Bible class should do the same.

3.  Use a variety of teaching strategies. Class shouldn’t always begin the same way and only rarely should students do the same thing for an entire period. While teachers shouldn’t feel pressured to put on a variety show every period, they should have a well-stocked and frequently-used collection of activities at their disposal.[4] One of the most effective and flexible teaching strategies is also one of the simplest: ask thought-provoking questions. The greatest teachers (i.e. Socrates, Confucius, Jesus) understood the importance of asking questions. There’s no substitute for a good question.

4.  Implement grace in grading. For example, don’t be a stickler for a specific word in a memory verse if a student has captured the same idea with a different word. After all, there are a few dozen English versions. Give the students credit for being close enough. From time to time, when giving a quiz or test, allow students to work with a Bible, a notebook, or a friend. Of course, don’t take grace to an extreme, but consider incorporating it into your grading. After all, grace is at the heart of what we’re teaching. Being a stickler in grading usually communicates a legalistic and grade-centered emphasis.

5. Teach to their level. This is not easy to define because every class is unique, but the point is that high school teachers shouldn’t teach on the seminary or the Sunday school level. When we make things too hard or too easy for the students, we run the risk of losing their interest or even provoking their disdain. One of my former colleagues told me that she had to memorize about fifty verses for her high school Bible final exam. I asked her how she felt about it and she replied, “I hated it and I forgot all the verses anyway.”

6.  Get to know the students and help them get to know each other. The message of the Bible focuses on our relationship with God and with each other. Teachers can emphasize the relational aspect by cultivating a respectful-listening atmosphere, facilitating group activities, and celebrating the unique attributes of each student. Ideally teachers should enjoy the company of their students. Jesus is the supreme example; he ate with his students, walked with them, washed their feet, and died for them. We can start small by eating lunch with our students from time to time or just shooting the breeze in class. Surveys can also be an aid in getting to know the students. For sensitive information use an anonymous survey.  (Of course, remember to take survey results with a grain of salt.)

7.  Change the classroom environment. For example, have the students sit on the floor or move the desks away from the chairs for a period or two. “Over fifteen hundred years ago St. Augustine insisted . . . that the learning environment in religious education should be physically ‘comfortable’ for the participants.”[5] Accomplishing this in an academic setting won’t be easy, but it’s something to be aware of and work toward. Maybe the Bible classroom could be painted a different color or perhaps there could be cushions on the floor where students could sit once in a while.

8.  Teach honestly. While we shouldn’t emphasize controversial or difficult teachings, we also shouldn’t ignore them. Plan to address difficult Bible issues in your lessons and if a student asks a difficult question don’t brush it off. There’s no way around the fact that there are difficult verses to interpret and there are complicated issues to consider. We’re not doing students a service when we shield them from Bible difficulties or when we act like we have everything figured out. Honesty means saying “I don’t know” and even “I’m sorry.”

9.  Live honestly. First, be a genuine follower of Christ. Hypocrisy is a powerful corroding agent that eats away at our work. In five or ten years, the students will probably forget almost everything they heard in class but they won’t forget their teachers. They will have caught certain things from our lives. They will remember if we were serious about our faith and loving toward them. Antidotes for hypocrisy include a disciplined habit of prayer and Bible reading, regular confession, and close godly friendships. Second, be a learner. As a teacher, you’re presenting yourself as someone who’s interested in learning so keep learning. Read in your field and read outside your field. Read everything you can. And continue to consider new ideas just as you did when you were a student.

Most teachers would agree that full-time teaching is difficult and demanding. And that assertion is supported by the high turnover rate among teachers. Since I have five years experience as a full-time high school Bible teacher, I’ll focus on that particular subject, but a few of the following thoughts apply to teaching in general. So before we learn to navigate the pitfalls of Bible teaching in the next post, we’ll attempt to identify them. Here’s a list of six pitfalls that have the potential to sink the high school Bible teacher.

1. The high number of classes. Full-time Bible teachers teach twenty to twenty-five classes per week. At that rate, a pastor would need to preach twice a week for forty years to equal the number of lessons taught by the high school Bible teacher in five years. The amount of required teaching leaves little time for in-depth study and lesson preparation. And a lack of study and learning usually leads to a lack of passion for the subject.
2. The limitations of the academic setting. Of course, the perfect setting doesn’t exist yet, but it’s important to be aware of the limitations of the academic setting. First, many biblical topics are not easily taught in an academic environment – e.g. love, joy, peace, etc. These vital aspects of the Christian life can’t be graded. The Bible doesn’t only teach head knowledge, but relational or heart knowledge and that kind of knowledge can be difficult to convey in a formal academic setting. Second, the teacher and student relationship tends to be one dimensional. Students sit and listen while the teacher speaks and when the bell rings, the teach stops speaking and the students leave. Jesus’ approach was different. While Jesus lectured, he also lived with his students on a daily basis. Third, the school setting makes it easy for both teachers and students to miss the point. The primary purpose of teaching the Bible is not for students to pass a test or get an A. The goal of biblical knowledge is biblical belief and action. The Bible isn’t just another textbook. Perhaps Francis of Assisi summed up this pitfall best when he wrote to Anthony of Lisbon, “I am pleased that you teach sacred theology to the brothers—providing that you do not extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion during study of this kind.”
3. Student misbehavior. Responding appropriately to student misbehavior is one of the hardest aspects of teaching because it’s full of judgment calls: Was it right for me to call out this student and not that student? Was the discipline I gave fair? Did I have the right attitude? Do my administrators approve of this discipline method? There’s enough here to make one’s head spin, but suffice to say that appropriate discipline is essential. If we don’t discipline well, we could be undermining our teaching.
4. A lack of student interest poses a major problem for any subject, but especially Bible class where students must be humble and receptive for it to make an impact. Sin is a major cause of disinterest because it directs our attention away from God’s Word. However, sin is not the only factor. Poor teaching and the school setting may contribute to the problem in the following ways: 1.) To turn students off to the Bible (or anything for that matter) here’s the recipe: run class the same way every day (ideally lecturing for the entire period), don’t listen to honest doubts and questions, ignore student suggestions, act superhuman by never showing weakness in front of the class (e.g. ignorance, error, sorrow), discipline harshly, avoid students outside of class, don’t worry if the students are enjoying class, don’t bother to rethink issues in light of new evidence, teach below or above their level, don’t prepare for class, and stop reading. Basically the more we think about ourselves, the less students will care about our classes. 2.) Specifically in a Christian school environment, students who perceive hypocrisy in fellow students, teachers, or administrators may become jaded to the Bible and the Christian faith. It’s important to keep in mind that the perception of hypocrisy may not be accurate. 3.) Because of the different levels of knowledge among the students, at times it will be necessary to teach material that some find repetitive and boring. Augustine noted, “A speaker who clarifies something that needs to be learnt is a blessing, but a speaker who labours things already learnt is a bore.”[1] The degree to which you face this challenge depends on your school’s admission policy.
5. The controversial issues in biblical interpretation. With a two-thousand-year history, we are the beneficiaries of a vast library of opinions and the library is growing daily. A good teacher understands different points of view, presents them fairly, and ideally is able to offer an educated opinion on the matter. A good teacher is also aware of where they are and doesn’t spend too much time traveling down the rabbit trails of controversy. This is no small task.[2]
6. Hypocrisy in the heart of the teacher. This is an enormous pitfall for any public speaker and that’s because it’s all too easy to say one thing and do another. In the book of James we find this warning, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (3:1). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt a disjunction between what I was teaching and what I was living. For example, why do I talk all day about prayer and not pray? Why do I talk about God, but not to God? This personal struggle isn’t fun, but it is important. It keeps us honest and it keeps us focused on what’s most important—being a disciple and not just talking about it.

What do you think? What pitfall would you add to the list?

[This post is part of a series for high school Bible teachers.]

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[1] Augustine, On Christian Teaching, in Oxford World’s Classics, trans. R.P.H. Green (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 116.