Front Porch Approach
I’ve been in class all week. I have been spending time with 12 young guys who are called to local church youth ministry. These guys are from all over (although we have a fair share of Tennesseans). These classes are the equivalent of 13 weeks, 3 hours a week during a normal fall or spring semester. We pack it all into 5 days. Does it work? Is it effective? It has it’s pro’s. While I do love spending time in traditional class settings, I love the 5-day boost that a modular teaching format affords.
Now this may sound crazy, but I get to know students better in this format than during the semester. During the semester, I don’t stop enough to just “be” with students. They find it hard to stop as well. But during the 5-day, we have no where else to go. We are basically sequestered together and get to know each other better. It’s like teaching class while sitting on the front porch where you get to know each other. Jeff Martin, one of my students this week has a great blog that I think explains why, for me…go check it out. Student Life just picked it up and published it in their youth ministry newsletter.
I’m not a big coffee fan. I will still start my day with a Coke Zero, but I’ll take slowly.
