A group of men clustered on the temple floor. In hushed tones they discussed their problem. There was a teacher among them who had many followers. Their position and authority were threatened by this teacher’s wise teachings. They needed a plan to disgrace the teacher and rid the city of him.

They sent out a delegation to confront this Great Teacher. “Master, we know you are true, and you teach the truth of God. You are not partial to any man no matter his political or social standing. Tell us then, is the tribute money a lawful tax?”

The Great Teacher understood their trap. “Show me the tribute money,” he requested. “Whose image and superscription are on this coin?”

Questions create an active learning encounter. Questions pull the listener from a passive role into a participatory one. Using the right questions, a teacher can take a student from the unknown to the known more effectively than merely telling them would do.

Questions for review

An obvious place to use questions is when reviewing material previously learned. That is part of checking for understanding. A good teacher will start a class with a few questions of review to tie together previous knowledge with the new that is to be learned. Classes such as reading, and history will often end with a few questions to check how well the lesson was comprehended. Questions at the end of a class should also recap the written work students may be doing on their own.

When students need reminders about a procedures and routines, such at the beginning of the school year, a teacher should ask the students for the information rather than just telling them again. If students need to respond in some way, they are actively engaged and are less likely to let the teacher’s words roll off their backs like a duck sheds water. Here the use of question is only for review and practice. The teacher has already clearly taught what the expectations are.

Questions as introductions

A good question can also introduce a lesson. The answer to the question will be found in the lesson. Asking young students, “What did Abraham Lincoln store in his hat?” or “What was the purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?” will keep them looking for the answer as class proceeds. This type of question can be used to find out the information students already know and give them a reason to engage in the lesson.

Questions to check for understanding

Use questions as you move through the lesson to keep students engaged with the material. Don’t wait until the end of the lesson to check if students understand what is being taught. Use questions throughout the lesson to make sure they know what is going on.

 Ask questions as you go through history and science texts or a reading story. Some questions may be to summarize what has just happened and some may lead into the next part. Questions such as, “What do you think is going to happen next?” don’t need a vocal answer. Students can each internalize their answers.

Methods of requesting answers to questions

In my first-grade classroom, the purpose for asking questions is to invite active learning from my students. The more they are engaged the better they understand. Therefore, when I ask a question, I usually want a response from the whole class. There are various ways I do this depending on the type of response a question needs.

• Group response: If the response to a question is a one-to-three-word definitive answer I will ask for a group response at the given signal. Example: “What shape has three angles?” Group answer, “Triangle.”
• Partner response: If the needed answer is less objective or is longer than a few words we tell the answer to our partners. This works well for review purposes and for open-ended questions. Sometimes questions are just to get students to start thinking; I don’t necessarily need to hear the answer. Often I can tune into their responses or I may ask a few to share their response. In the case of review questions, I may state the correct answer after they have all shared with a partner.
• Individual response: Sometimes they take turns saying an answer or I will call on a raised hand. I use this method when I’m checking for individual understanding or when I have a harder question for which only a few of the class might have an answer.

These types of responses work well for younger students. Teach students how to respond properly. Making use of signals in group and partner responses help students to know when to respond. Observe the students’ responses. Are they all engaged? Are they answering correctly?

Allow a “wait time”

An important part of receiving answers to questions is to allow a wait time of three to five seconds for students to form a response. Moving too quickly to the next person or for the choral answer deprives the brain of interaction with or the retrieval of the required information.

Invite the students to participate in your classes with questions. The more interaction they have with the lesson, the less likely they will be to lose focus and attention. Questions ask students to do something besides absorb what the teacher is telling them. Questions can also propel thinking and grappling with subject matter beyond what the teacher can state. Questions allow students to own their answers. A good teacher knows when and how to use good questions.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

“Young man, you put that gun down!" Louise Degrafinried commanded firmly as Riley Arceneaux burst into her home pushing her husband, Nathon, ahead of him at gunpoint. “Young man, I’m a Christian lady and don't believe in violence," she continued. "You put that gun down right here. Son, you must be starving. Now, how do you want your eggs?"

Several days earlier on February 18, 1984, Riley, along with five others, had escaped from the Fort Pillow Correctional Facility in West Tennessee where he was serving a 25-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. He was cold, wet, desperate, and lonely as he stumbled onto the home of Nathon and Louise, a God-fearing couple in their seventies, who were active members of the Mt. Sinai Primitive Baptist Church. The entire community was on edge because of the escaped convicts. Louise was on the phone with a friend of hers about this very subject when Riley and Nathon burst into the house. She simply said, "Well. they're here now," and hung up the phone.

“I haven't eaten in three days," Riley growled as he cooperatively laid his gun by the sofa. Louise quickly whipped out her trusty frying pan and soon the tantalizing smell of African American "soul food"—frying bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee—filled the small house. Louise set out her best napkins and sent Nathon to bring Riley a pair of dry socks. Louise began asking about his family. Riley mentioned that Louise reminded him of his grandmother who had recently passed away. “I have no one who cares anything about me. No one cares if I live or die," Riley lamented.

"Young man, I love you, and God loves you. God loves all of us, every one of us, especially you. Jesus died for you, because He loves you so much," Louise assured him as she patted his leg, and a tear ran down his cheek. As Nathon, Louise, and Riley sat down to eat their breakfast, Louise took Riley by the hand and thanked God for the food and that Riley was safe. She asked Riley if he had anything to say to God. Undeterred by his disinterest, she coached Riley through a simple prayer, "Jesus wept”.[1]

As they ate, the elderly couple entreated him to simply give himself up to the authorities. In Louise's own words, "I went to giving him Bible.” Louise told Riley, "When we do wrong, we have to be punished.”

Unknown to Riley, Louise's friend, who she was talking with at the beginning of the confrontation, had notified the police. As the threesome enjoyed their breakfast, they heard the sirens in the distance. "The police will kill me. I know it!" wailed Riley.

"No, I won't let them. You do what is right, and I won't let them hurt you;' Louise assured him.

Soon the yard was filled with police cars with officers crouched behind their car doors with their guns drawn, fully expecting a criminal to burst out of the door shooting for his freedom. Instead, they were met by a 73-year-old grandmother with her hands on her hips. "Y'all put those guns away, I don't allow no violence here. You put those guns down. This fellow is going to give himself up, but he needs to finish his breakfast first;' she instructed with the same authoritative voice she had used on Riley several moments earlier. The police reluctantly agreed but remained wary.

Several moments later Riley stepped out onto the porch with his hands above his head, Nathon and Louise on either side with their arms around him. He was arrested without incident and taken back to Fort Pillow prison. Newspaper headlines highlighted how this woman with her Bible and frying pan did what all the law enforcement in West Tennessee was unable to do!

Less than 12 hours later, Paul Windrow, a fifty-nine-year-old local tire dealer as well as a church elder, was grilling steaks on his patio. He had also heard about the convicts being on the lam, and he had taken the precaution of carrying his pistol on his belt at all times. Ronald Freeman and James Clegg, who along with Riley Arceneaux had held a family hostage two days before, came bursting out of the kudzu covered bushes behind his house. Paul fired two shots, neither which struck the convicts, before they fatally shot him. Underscoring Jesus' words, "They that take the sword will perish with the sword."[2]

The pair then burst into the house and took Paul's wife Elizabeth hostage, and forced her to drive them several hours to East Tennessee, where they left her at an interstate rest area, and fled. She was unable to cope with the memories of her husband's murder and her kidnapping and had to leave her home. She moved to a new location in an effort to bury the trauma.

While Riley went back to prison, he didn't drop out of Nathon and Louise's life. Louise asked for a picture of Riley which she put in their family album. The police asked them to press charges against Riley, but the Degrafinrieds refused, "Because that boy didn't do anything to us,” they said. Riley still received an additional 20 years added to his sentence for escaping and for his involvement with an earlier kidnapping. Louise continued to visit him in prison and wrote letters in spite of the fact that her arthritis made writing legibly difficult.

Unfortunately, Riley didn't respond to the Gospel immediately. Four years after his initial escape, he attempted to escape from prison again. While he wasn't successful in this attempt, he was sent to solitary confinement for a time. While he was by himself for 23 hours a day, he began to think seriously about the claims that God had on his life. He remembered especially the testimony of Louise Degrafinried, and he realized this was what real Christianity looked like in real life. Louise continued to write letters in which she encouraged him, "I believe in you. Trust God to work in your life. Be patient, study your Bible and look for the good in everybody." Riley said the lack of fear that Louise showed convinced him to become a Christian in 1988. "She (Louise) was real Christianity. No fear;' Riley said. When Louise prayed with Riley on a visit to the prison, she began her prayer by saying, "God, this is your child. You know me and I know you:' Riley knew that was the relationship he wanted with God.

The Degrafinrieds worked to get Riley released from prison, which finally happened in 1995. Riley moved to Nashville, got a job, and began to build life instead of destroying it.

Louise died in August, 1998. Among the crowd of 300 mourners at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church was Riley Arceneaux, who was serving as a pallbearer. He also spoke to the crowd in his eulogy, "This woman was a real Christian. No fear! It was through her that I turned my life around:' He reassured the family that he was staying out of trouble. "It's not just a jailhouse religion like some guys get. It does stick with some people. To me it's how much you really seek after God while you're in there;' he said.

By this time, he was working as a foreman at the Crown Tent & Awning Co. He was living in Nashville with his wife and young son. His was truly a life redeemed.

What will be your weapon of  choice? Gun or frying pan? Are you willing to beat your guns into frying pans?

[1] John 11:35. When someone asked her later, “Why did you tell him to say ‘Jesus wept’?” she said, “Because I figured that he didn’t have no church background, so I wanted to start him off simple; something short, you know.”

[2] Matthew 26:52

This article first appeared in the October 2019 Calvary Messenger. Published here by the permission of the author. Also see https://jimandnancyforest.com/tag/louise-degrafinried/

We have just finished a math test, and students are engaged in various free-time activities that they began as they completed the test. Some are buried in books. Several are drawing or coloring pictures, and one is doing a puzzle. I say, “OK, class, it’s time to get ready for science. Please put your other things away.” There is no immediate response. After a few moments, students slowly begin to prepare for science class. One student who is lost in a book makes no move at all until he suddenly sees that everyone else is ready.

I used to be frustrated by this kind of scenario, until I began to contemplate how much I would hate to shift from one activity to another without warning, as I was expecting my students to do. I like to know what is expected and to have time to prepare. Perhaps the problem in this situation was not so much the students’ negligence as my own lack of management.

So now I use a new approach. In the type of transition described above, I will give a warning or two: “Class, it looks like almost everyone is finished with the test. We will be starting science class in just a few minutes.” And then I always give at least a one-minute warning: “Science class begins in one minute. Please put your other things away and try to be ready in a minute or less. You may stand beside your desk when you are ready.” This has resulted in much more smooth and peaceful transitions.

Students thrive on routine, and although surprises and spontaneity can be fun on occasion, students in general like to know what to expect. It is helpful to have the day’s schedule posted in plain sight. I did not do this in my early days of teaching, and I was amazed by the difference it made in my classroom when I started posting a detailed outline of the day’s activities. Somehow students seem to find security in this. Also, I no longer need to field as many questions like, “When’s lunch?” or “What’s after this?”

Most of my third graders cannot yet calculate time very well. Although they may be able to tell you that it is 11:15, they do not know that this means it is fifteen minutes until our 11:30 lunch break. So, I have found that telling them how much time they have left for a particular activity is another helpful tool in managing transitions and letting students know what they can expect.

For example:

“You have ten more minutes to work on your art project right now.”

“You have five minutes left to work on the test. If you don’t finish now, you will need to finish in study hall.”

“We will spend five minutes playing this flashcard game, and then it will be time for break.”

I also use a countdown occasionally, especially when we are doing a turn-and-tell activity, or if the students are doing another short activity in small groups. Slowly counting 5-4-3-2-1 gives them a bit of time before they need to be quiet and back in their seats.

A fun activity I like to do with my students every year to teach them to be prepared and to think about what is coming is a challenge I call Beat the Bell. At the beginning of the school day, after our morning break, and after lunch, a warning bell rings. Two minutes later, another bell rings, and by that time students are expected to be quiet and sitting in their seats. Except for those few little risk-takers who try to spend as much time on the playground as possible before going in, most students are usually in their seats with plenty of time to spare before the second bell rings. If left to their own devices, they will be sitting there chattering and giggling with no thought of preparing for the next class.

For our Beat the Bell challenge, I teach students to be prepared for the next class by the time the second bell rings. This means having a sharp pencil ready to go and having books and other necessary materials out on their desks. If any students are unprepared when the bell rings, the bell scores a point (I put tally marks on the board to keep track of this). If the bell does not score any points in a day, I write up one letter of a mystery word or phrase. The mystery word or phrase is a treat or privilege that the students will get when they have earned all the letters.

Sometimes I can’t help but chuckle to myself when I see how well this little motivational tool works. My students will come in from break saying to each other eagerly, “Beat the bell!” If they see someone who is unprepared, they will be likely to say, “Hurry! Get your books out!” The challenge of trying to figure out the mystery word as more letters are earned becomes part of the fun. And even after the challenge is completed, and the students have received their reward, I find that they usually carry on the habit of being prepared for class.

Taking small steps to help students know what to expect and to help them think ahead and be prepared for the next thing can make a big difference in the long run.

We have ongoing openings for both lead teachers and teacher's aides in our school in Williamsport PA. Our school is a PA licensed daycare so there is some reporting and regulation involved in day-to-day activities. Our school uses the Creative Curriculum as a basis for the formal part of the education our children receive. This is part of a full-day daycare program, so before/after care would be part of what you do. Feel free to visit ummschools.org/get-involved to see our openings.

Are you struggling to understand how to relate to one of your students? This talk will help you think about how to support both yourself and your student. Conrad discusses parents, school admins, teachers, and students: all are part of the solution. This session draws from Conrad's experience in private and public schools, daycare, and therapeutic camping.

Teaching school makes strong demands on the teacher at multiple levels. Teachers are givers and need large reserve input reservoirs to draw from for sustainable life-giving teaching over the long haul. What are these input reservoirs and how do we keep them full? In this session, Part 3 of the series, Melvin discusses the disciplines of the body that enable sustained investment in the classroom.

Teaching school makes strong demands on the teacher at multiple levels. Teachers are givers and need large reserve input reservoirs to draw from for sustainable life-giving teaching over the long haul. What are these input reservoirs and how do we keep them full? In this session, Part 2 of the series, Melvin suggests social habits teachers can develop to anchor their presence.

Teaching school makes strong demands on the teacher at multiple levels. Teachers are givers and need large reserve input reservoirs to draw from for sustainable life-giving teaching over the long haul. What are these input reservoirs and how do we keep them full? In this session, Part 1 of the series, Melvin discusses the spiritual virtues that energize our work.

Johnny shows no physical signs of developmental delay, but early trauma has a part to play in the missing pieces of his development. Although not the only ones affected, foster and adopted children likely experienced trauma in their early life. Becky discusses how teachers can help trauma children grow in their ability to cope with life and learn all they can in the classroom.

Why can't Johnny focus on his lessons? Why does he blow up in anger over minor provocations? Becky explores the way trauma alters brain development and chemistry. This topic is especially helpful for those relating to foster and adopted children.

What keeps you from being wholly present for your students, your friends, your church? What distractions are you allowing, or encouraging, to divide your energy and attention? Joey calls us to pay attention to our attention by cultivating silence.

How would you rate your personal organization? Whether you are a 1 or a 10, says Joey, there are likely ways you can better manage your time, tasks, and information flow. Why does this matter? Because disorganization has a direct effect on your ability to serve students. Joey offers practical and conceptual help for organizing commitments.

Teachers know things their students need to learn. But teaching is not merely about imparting a static body of knowledge. Do you model for your students a life of growth in understanding and wisdom? Joey offers seven principles that should inform your study habits.

We are surrounded by the noise of a dysfunctional world. How do we not only survive but serve others in this world? Joey reminds us that the world not only produces noise; it influences our motivations. Are your habits making you the kind of person you should be?

Will my students like me and enjoy school? This question can bring some nagging fear as you face a new school year. Anthony discusses common mistakes teachers make that generate problems.

The atmosphere and attitudes in our classrooms can largely determine whether or not we will have an enjoyable year or a challenging one. In this talk, Deanna discusses six specific ways you can make your classroom an enjoyable and safe place to be for both you and your students.

What makes science so powerful? What is the connection with a Christian worldview? How do we and should we use science as a way of learning? Any science teacher will benefit by hearing a current research scientist address these questions.

Too many students stop reading when reading class ends. How we can (re)ignite within our students a love for reading? In this talk, Bethany explores ways to incorporate books and book-based activities and projects into our classrooms.

We all know what we expect students to know when they enter our classroom, but do we know what the next teacher expects? Carol discusses what students should know in language arts, especially grammar and writing skills, at various levels. Carol bases this material on a survey of teachers from Grades 2-10 in twenty Mennonite schools. What should students learn in elementary classes to succeed in junior high? Or in junior high to succeed in high school? Or in high school to succeed in college or the business world?

With long experience can come great weariness. What if you could teach so efficiently as to say goodbye to all the agony of your first years in the role? Improvements in technique are important, but Kyle reminds us of one reality that cannot be avoided: education is embodied in the life of the teacher. As we experience redemption in every area of our life and study, we can guide others in the same experience.