My classroom 'theme' for next year is going to be Angry Birds, it seems appropriate since I get to be the high school math teacher. Anyway, I have designed a rewards program for my students based on earning different birds. The basis of the reward program is doing homework. Earning each level of bird depends on them faithfully completing homework. Why design a reward system that greatly rewards homework and not tests or quizzes? One, I want them to do their homework, so why not give them an incentive to do it and then reward them when they do? Second, their success in math rests in great part on homework, this is where they practice on their own what I've taught them. It gives both them and me an idea of what they really understand and what needs to be re-taught. If they are unable to do the problems in homework, they will not know how to solve them on quizzes and tests...places where the grades are pivotal to passing the course.
When you think about it, that's what God's promises of answered prayer to us are...an incentive and reward program. God wants us to pray, so He encourages us to do so by promising us answers when we do as He asks. Prayer is such a vital component to our spiritual lives. God wants us to pray, it's how we'll pass the tests that come our way. Prayer is where we find out what God wants, it's where our hurts are healed, it's how we tap into God's power, it's where we find courage and strength and it's how He gets things done. If we become successful prayer warriors, we will accomplish great things with God.
Those days before Matthew 18:19 became God's promise to me were good days of prayer, but let me say that once I had that promise, it became SO much easier and more exciting to pray...I had something to work towards, I had an incentive to keep praying and to guard the prayer, to make doubly sure that the Holy Spirit was directing the prayer. God would answer, if I did my part...just like my students being rewarded for doing their part.
My students will get pretty cool charts based off the Angry Birds characters to help keep track their progress...do you suppose God has pretty cool Angry Bird charts for us, to help keep track of our progress in our prayers?
No comments:
Post a Comment