If your kids’ ministry area is anything like the churches where I’ve served, your classrooms are shared by a multitude of teachers and programs. And so it should be! That’s a sign that you’re part of a growing church and being a good steward of the resources God’s given you.
However, even though it’s wonderful to see those rooms used over and over again during the week, all that sharing can bring about a few, shall we say, “opportunities” for leadership. Not only is there wear and tear on the room and resources, but on the teachers as well.
Leaders who are passionate about teaching kids sometimes can get attached to classrooms and may need your help in working together as they share space. Because they teach at different times during the week, teachers may never even know who uses the room besides themselves. This can make it hard to understand why “their” room cannot stay the way they like it. One way you can help is by hosting a “Meet Your Roommate” night at your church.
This fun evening can serve many purposes. It provides a great opportunity for everyone who uses a common classroom to meet and get to know each other. It’s always easier to empathize and compromise with someone you know than with someone you’ve never met. You get to know that they’re equally as passionate about what they do and the reasons why they might need the room a certain way. It allows all involved to talk about room set up, supply cabinets, equipment and other resources that stay in the room.
One way you can help is to create guidelines for room use. These will provide a good starting point for your leadership teams to work together. Once you help them remember the true purpose for the room, they’ll be off to a great start.
It’s also a perfect time for cleaning! Leaders who share a room may feel reluctant to throw away items when they don’t know if they’re being used by another teacher. That’s when clutter happens.
Encourage your teachers to take time to look through drawers and cabinets and get rid of what’s not needed. One fun way to do this is to have a scavenger hunt. Put together a list of items for each room’s team to find and bring back to a central location. Items to include might be: old curriculum, dried-up markers, lost and found puzzle pieces, broken equipment and the like. Reward the winners with fun door prizes.
The great thing about this event, is that you not only get clean, organized classrooms to begin your new year, but you get a stronger, more focused leadership team. Have fun and blessings to you as you prepare for your new year!!
