The “Aim For Excellence” Teacher Program
Pastors and Sunday School Superintendents alike will often ask the question, “How can I motivate my teachers?” They often struggle with getting the teachers to come early for prayer, to do absentee follow-
up, keep their rooms clean and decorated, and to reach attendance goals. Motivation is the key to a vibrant, growing, exciting Sunday School and Sunday School staff. But the problem is how to effectively encourage these areas without nagging or embarrassing them.
Many have tried the “Teacher Of The Month” approach to motivation and recognition. Often times the teacher is asked to fill out a simple weekly evaluation as to their faithfulness in various areas and responsibilities. From this and other criteria, a teacher is selected and presented with a “Teacher Of The Month” plaque and their name is engraved on a large wall plaque. The recognition hopefully encourages
the teachers to be faithful and responsible in the various requirements of the Sunday School ministry.
However, a problem has often arisen from this approach. Every church has two or three teachers that seem to naturally excel. Whether because of talent, burden, more available time, or some other reason, they seem to always score the highest. What happens is that “Sis. Jones” and “Bro. Carl” get the “Teacher Of The Month” award most of the time. The other teachers become discouraged and develop a defeated attitude. “Why should I even try?” they tell themselves, “I could never do as good as those two.” The result is that the award and recognition goes to a select few and the others don’t even try.
Some have tried to solve this problem by making a rule that you can only get the award once each year. “That’s fine, but there is only eleven teachers in the Sunday School anyway. If I simply do nothing it will eventually come to me anyway.” The end result little motivation, and often times, hurt feelings. Is there an answer? Is there an effective way to motivate, encourage, and challenge the Sunday School staff to quality and excellence in their ministry?
Yes! And it’s called, “Aim For Excellence.” It is a way to give recognition and “honor to whom honor is due.” Everyone appreciates being appreciated. No one likes to be taken for granted. Aim For Excellence allows every teacher to set their sights upon a basic “standard.” This standard for excellence becomes their monthly goal and away to evaluate their performance. It works like this:
1. The “Aim For Excellence” form is provided at the end of this section. Use this form as a “master” from which to make your copies.
2. At the top of the copied form, the superintendent should write in the teachers name, class, and the month for which this form will be used. One form is to be given to each teacher or class worker. That
teacher will use this single form for the entire month (four or five Sundays, depending on the month).
3. Each Sunday Morning of that month, the teacher should be handed his or her form when they arrive. They will then evaluate themselves in each of the areas listed:
a. They should write in what time they arrived.
b. If they were on time for teacher’s Sunday morning prayer meeting (usually begins at 9:00 or 9:15 a.m. and lasts for thirty minutes) – 20 points.
c. If they were in their classroom on time (usually 9:30 or 9:45 a.m.) – 20 points.
d. If they completed their absentee follow-up on ALL absent students according to the established, printed guidelines- 20 points.
e. If they prayed for their students daily, calling each by name – 15 points.
f. If they spent at least one hour preparing their lesson that week (one hour is absolute minimum. They should be doing triple that) – 15 points.
g. If their room was clean and decorated before arriving on Sunday Morning – 10 points.
4. They then add up their points for that week. There is a possible of 100 points. NOTE: A superintendent should stress to the teachers that this is a “self evaluation.” The scores are not being used to “police” a teachers performance. But rather, this evaluation is between them and God. Every teacher hopefully wants to do a good job. This will help them determine how they are doing and in what areas they can improve.
5. What they are hoping to reach is the “Aim For Excellence” goal. This goal is set by the pastor and Sunday School superintendent. We encourage you to start LOW in the beginning. All teachers should be able to reach the goal most of the time with a little effort. Most select a beginning goal of 75 or 80%. The reason for this we will explain shortly.
6. Then, after class, the teacher writes in his or her “Class Totals” for that week: Total Enrollment, Class Attendance, Number Absent, Total Visitors, Class Offering, etc. This is then returned to the Sunday School office along with their offering envelope. NOTE: This form should replace your regular report form for attendance, absent, offering, etc. You should not ask them to do double paper work.
7. You will notice that they are also asked to note how many students from their class received the Holy Ghost and/or were baptized that week. This means in any service (or on Holy Ghost Sunday). A teacher
that carries a burden for his or her class should be aware if any of their students were saved. If no one was, they should write in a “zero.”
There is a reason for this: if a teacher is writing “zeros” month after month, all year long, hopefully something will spark in his or her heart to ask themselves “why?” This will remind them weekly of the salvation needs of their students (note: this section does not apply to any classes below 4-5 years of age).
8. Each teacher in the class (if you have multiple teachers in a class) should fill out an “Aim For Excellence” form each week – including the class attendance/salvation totals. Too often the only one in the class that knows how many were absent, what the offering was, etc. is the class secretary. This is not good. You want every teacher to be aware of the totals. This helps encourage a burden and inspire greater effort.
9. The same form is given back to the teacher the following week after the superintendent records the class totals. On the last Sunday of each month, the teacher should determine his or her monthly average to see if they reached the”Aim For Excellence” goal.
A superintendent should realize that very teacher will have good and bad weeks – that’s life. What’s importance is the month’s average. The teacher should average together the four or five Sundays and write
it in where it says “Your Point Average This Month.” If the average is equal to or above the “Aim For Excellence” percentage, then they reached the goal.
10. The teacher should also determine his or her average class attendance. Here they should try to reach the class attendance goal (every class should have a monthly attendance goal. If every class reaches their attendance goal each month, then the Sunday School as a whole will also). If they reached the attendance goal, they are allowed to add in a “bonus point” to their “Aim For Excellence” total. Encourage the teacher to hold their own “class promotions”and “contests” to help them reach the attendance goal. Offer the teachers an incentive prize (Bible dictionary, concordance, study helps, etc.) It is often more effective for the superintendent to challenge and reward the teacher than it is the Sunday School children for number
growth.
11. At the bottom of the page are some “thought provokers.” Each teacher should answer these questions each month “yes” or “no.” Their answer does not effect their above scores, but it should make them stop and think. These, too, are some basic requirements for teaching with a burden. The superintendent may add more questions to these if he or she wishes.
12. For those teachers that reach the “Aim For Excellence” goal that month the following should be done:
a. Place a small, attractive bulletin board in the vestibule or other highly visible location.
b. At the top of this bulletin board place the following heading in bold, attractive lettering:
“The FollowingTeachers Belong To The “Aim For Excellence” Sunday School Team For The Month Of “___________.”
c. Below this should be place the PICTURE and NAMES of the teachers that reached the “Aim For Excellence”Goal. Note: this will require you to take a snapshot of each teacher and keep it on file to be
posted. Type the name of each teacher neatly at the bottom of their picture.
d. You may also wish to place their names in the church bulletin with a note of thanks.
e. You should not punish those that missed the “Aim For Excellence” goal. Their name and picture simply won’t be up with the others.
13. The benefit, of course, of this approach is that every teacher can reach for and obtain the goal instead of only one. They are not competing against the other teachers, they are competing against themselves to improve their score.
14. From this you may with to choose a “Teacher Of The Year” and give out a custom plaque. This gives special recognition to someone that has shown outstanding performance without discouraging the others.
15. The superintendent may also wish to take all the teachers scores in each area (teacher’s prayer, absentee follow-up, lesson preparation, etc.) each month and average them together. This will show you, over a period of a year, in what area your Sunday School is weak. This weak area that most of the teachers are scoring low in should be targeted at your next teacher training session.
IN CONCLUSION
Recognition is a natural motivator. Everyone likes to be appreciated for a job well done. It is a biblical principle,”Give honor to whom honor is due,” and it works.
It is also contagious. When the majority is doing well, it motivates you to want to do well also. A subtle “peer pressure” develops and provides the encouragement that we so often need.
The exciting part about the “Aim For Excellence” concept is that it allows a superintendent to slowly improve the quality of his or her Sunday School. After a year or so with your first Aim For Excellence
goal, the superintendent can raise the goal a little (perhaps from 75% to 80%), and give the teachers a higher goal to reach for. Everyone likes to be a faithful and dependable part of the team. Nobody likes to feel left out. Once the teachers are used to reachingthe goal consistently, they hate to miss it. However, now they must try a little harder and reach a little farther. As they stretch themselves to do better, the entire quality of your Sunday School does better also. Slowly, over a period of time, the Pastor and superintendent can see their Sunday School become a growing, soul- saving, and spiritual institution to be recognized for the Glory of God.
Sample “Aim For Excellence” Form:
Sunday School Teachers
“Aim For Excellence”
Name_______________________Class__________________Month_______________
Point Week Week Week Week Week
Value 1 2 3 4 5
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Time Arrived —–
———————————————————————-
Attend Teacher’s Sun. Prayer(____a.m.) 20
———————————————————————-
On Time To Class (_____a.m.) 20
———————————————————————-
Completed Absentee Follow-up 20
———————————————————————-
Prayed For Students Daily 15
———————————————————————-
Lesson Prepared (1 Hour Min.) 15
———————————————————————-
Room Clean and Decorated 10
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** Totals ** 100% Possible
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Your Point Average This Month ______ “Aim For Excellence”
Bonus For Reaching Class Goal (5%) ______ Goal
Total Point Average This Month **______** >>______<<
**********************************************************************
Weekly Class Totals
Week Week Week Week Week Average/Total
1 2 3 4 5
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Total Enrollment
———————————————————————-
Class Attendance
———————————————————————-
Number Absent
———————————————————————-
Total Visitors
———————————————————————-
# Received H. G.
———————————————————————-
# Baptized
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Average Class Attend. This Month_________
Class Goal For This Month_________ (Add 5% To Above Score If Reached)
Goal For Students To Be Saved This Year________________
Total Students Saved From Your Class To Date___________
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**Answer Yes or No**
I have used a variety of visual aids in teaching my class this month__
I have read at least one article to improve my teaching this quarter__
I have had a social (party or outing) for my class this quarter __
I have visited the unsaved parents of my students this quarter__
