MR. D'S NOTES ON TEACHING
Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2001

Chapter 2

INNER FACTORS

What is the major frustration of your life today - that is that you feel free to talk about? Is there anything on your mind that is bothering you? Are you homesick or do you miss someone right now very much? Is there something that you are very happy about today?

Why am I prying into your personal lives? Well I want you to realize that each one of us carries with themselves a set of INNER FACTORS each and every time we enter a classroom.

Every student that we approach will have inner factors of some sort! There are things going on at home that you know nothing about. There are things going on at school that you don't hear about.

As a 5th grader I had the biggest crush on the most beautiful girl in the 6th grade. My teachers had no idea why I wasn't interested in class for a month or two.

Things happen on the way to the church that may affect the inner life of the student.

The student may have had a pet die or killed the night before. Many things can affect the mind of a student.

I was in VBS once as a child. I ran across the street to our home to get something. When I returned I found our cat laying dead in the street. I was really upset. My teacher asked what was wrong - I told her and she acted like a dead cat wasn't something to get upset about. I couldn't understand her lack of feeling and I was only 8 or 9.

These inner factors are things that are keeping them from concentrating on what you are saying. These factors may be making them sad and tainting the true emotion of the story that you are telling.

If your mother had called you the dumbest kid in the world just as you were getting out of the car you might not see the joy in learning about Christ growing and learning.

Inner factors may keep them from retaining the information you are giving them as they ought to.

We need to communicate with the students not only when they come in to see what has happened just recently but to know what is going on in their life as a whole.

A student that is being abused at home can have some real struggles going on inside and will appear to be a poor learner or possibly uninterested.

Christ made it a habit to use the inner factors of people to hit them squarely in the face with their sin. The Samaritan woman was confronted with her many husbands etc. The rich young ruler was confronted with his materialism.

Of course we must realize that Christ knew more about peoples lives than we will, yet we can have a lot of knowledge if we just listen and communicate with them.

In a similar manner we can confront students with their sin in an indirect manner through our lessons, HOWEVER we have to know what is going on in their life first!

We all need to be sensitive to one another's INNER FACTORS, not only in teaching situations but in our everyday life!