A Map of Palestine

This is not as bright as the map we have in our classroom, but it's free and can help you while you are at home to find the places we mention in our class.

Zacharias and Elizabeth lived in Judea and Joseph and Mary lived in Galilee.

Our Class

These are some of our students (some were absent). Back row: Tiffany, Genny, Mikaela L., Madison, Anika. Front row: Mikaela P., Justin, Isaac, Seth, Renaissance.

I will try to update the photo when everyone is present!

Why Pre-Poets?

As I was thinking of a name for this blog, I knew what I didn't want. I didn't want some little-league soccer names like "Light Sparks", "Pop-Tarts", or some pseudo-biblical version of these.

I thought of Dr. Scott Clark's great article, Why We Memorize the Cathechism

http://www.wscal.edu/clark/memorize.php

which is in turn taken from Dorothy Sayer's The Lost Tools of Learning.

http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html

Dr. Clark says, "In the 'pert' stage (circa ages 9-12), children begin to analyze the raw data which they have memorized. Because they lack emotional maturity, the questions may be expressed rudely (hence 'pert'), but in fact questions about the faith show that children are trying to make sense for themselves of what they have been taught. If properly catechized, children now have something interesting to discuss at Sabbath lunch, especially in the pert stage. They will also ask questions just before bed such as, 'Daddy, how can God be one in three persons?' This will be a good stimulus for parents to learn the catechism for themselves!"

About the "poet" stage, he says, "In the 'poet' stage (circa ages 12-14), children begin to apprehend that there is more to reality than what they can taste, touch, see, smell and hear They begin to learn how to express themselves more appropriately and to appreciate the finer things in life. Much more importantly, however, if we begin catechizing our children early enough, by the time they reach this stage, we can expect them to begin to 'discern the body' (1 Corinthians 11:29), to be ready for profession of faith, to take up the covenant for themselves and to be ready to be fed by Christ's body and blood with Christ's congregation. If we catechize our children early on, by the grace of the Spirit, they are able to develop their powers of doctrinal discernment, which they will certainly need."

Most of the children in our group have taken the pre-profession class with Pastor Brown, some have made profession of faith and some are scheduled to do so very soon. I would say that they are already in the "poet" stage! Because their emotional maturity is still developing, we have chosen (in counsel) the name "pre-poets".

For the parents

Dear Parents,

Pastor Brown did such a wonderful job of explaining the vision and methods of this year’s Sunday School that we don’t need to add much. We just want you to know that we are honored and excited to be able to train our covenant children in this position.

There will be three teachers in the 4^th-6^th grade class – Simonetta Carr, Faith Lopez, and Micaela Clough. We will work together in different capacities, sharing ideas and responsibilities. You can feel free to approach any of us with questions about our program of studies or your children’s needs.

As Pastor Brown explained, we will be teaching the New Testament over the course of three years, using The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos. In the last portion of the Sunday School class we will review catechism questions with your children. The memorization should be done at home, but we will reinforce your lessons and encourage the children to memorize.

Thank you for the wonderful job you are doing with your children and for your prayers. Let you know if you have any questions or concerns.

Simonetta, Faith, and Mikela