Treasure Hunting, week 2

[edenfalling]

Had my first day teaching RE this year... um, this school year, really, since I was teaching in the spring. It's a huge class, 16 kids total when they're all present. We only had 11 today, thank goodness. We plan to have two teachers every week, and a dragooned parent to serve as a third adult presence in the room. We've also been moved from the traditional first grade classroom to the annex, which is a much bigger space. (This is a mixed blessing, since the annex is a ridiculously large room, and we have to artificially 'divide' it into class space and 'don't go there' space.)

I couldn't write yesterday. I am going to try this evening, and see what happens.

Comments

[willowgreen.livejournal.com]

I'm not teaching Sunday school for the first time in four years. I really need the break, but I also kind of miss it. I feel a little guilty, too, since NO ONE signed up to teach "my" class (grades K-2). Our new DRE taught it today. My daughter is in that group, so I hope we can recruit some good people.

You taught "Special Times" last year, right? How did you like that curriculum? And what are you using this year?

[edenfalling]

I liked the "Special Times" curriculum a lot, actually. This year is "Treasure Hunting" in the revised version, which seems... a bit eh. Not bad by any means, but not quite the thing.

[willowgreen.livejournal.com]

I taught "Special Times" for the second time last year, and I think parts of it are very good and others are just... not. The "All Saints Day" lesson with the "stories of UU 'saints'" stands out in my memory as containing some real lead-balloon material. The story that's included for the Rosh Hashanah lesson is also really, really bad, IMO--that was the lesson the second time I ever taught Sunday school, and I called up the DRE and asked her whether I had to use the story in the book (she said no, thank goodness).

I taught "Treasure Hunting, Take Two" two years ago and actually liked it a lot. It's more process- than content-oriented, so I don't think it reads very well--but you may find yourself warming to it as the year goes on. I found it well-organized and easy to teach, requiring only moderate preparation on the part of the teachers (once all those damned shoeboxes were spray-painted gold, that is. I had a cramp in my index finger for two weeks after doing that project!)

I did like having the boxes, after they were painted. It was nice, for both the teachers and the kids, to have those tangible reminders of what we'd been working on all year.