Last Sunday the quiet of our neighborhood was shattered by rapid-fire banging. Investigating the source of the intermittent tattoo, I discovered a neighbor and two assistants building a shed in the yard back of ours. By the time my curiosity was aroused enough to go inspect their work, they were nailing on the roof.

The pounding of the nails in that shed provides a great analogy for total time teaching. My efficient neighbor, like all carpenters, was trained to make every hammer stroke count. After giving a nail the first stroke from the hammer, he did not scatter his poundings around somewhere else, but continued to pound squarely at the same point until the nail was sunk into the wood.

Good teachers use the same principle when building spiritual training through Sabbath School or any other teaching opportunity. A good teacher pounds a nail tight, all the way. Each new class or session is an opportunity to pound a new nail and connect a new piece to a student’s spiritual understanding.

The wonderful thing about teaching, of course, is that a teacher is nailing one nail in many structures, all at the same time. And that gives a teacher more reason to make every stroke count.

Know Your Objective

Narrowing the Objective

Missed Opportunity

Total Time Teaching

Divide Your Time
1 - Readiness
2 - Lesson Content
3 - Application
4 - Sharing
Variations
Conclusion

go to "Know Your Objective"