The Problem of Numbers
The Problem of Numbers
The Desire for Large Numbers:
Some servants of church education measure their success in service by the number of students in their classes, rather than by the extent of the spiritual benefit these students gain. Therefore, at the beginning of their teaching service, they strive to manage the number by all possible means…
It is good for the number of students to increase so that God may be glorified in them, not so that the teacher may boast about their number and take pride in it…!
Problems Caused by Large Numbers:
- When the number becomes very large, sometimes reaching fifty students, the teacher may be unable to maintain order in the class.
- Consequently, he is unable to benefit the children spiritually. He may not be able to convey the information to them, nor give them an opportunity for dialogue, questions and answers, and to ensure their understanding of the material.
- With a large number, follow-up becomes a problem.
- It also becomes difficult for the teacher to carry out individual work with his children through private sessions, to become acquainted with their circumstances, problems, and spiritual and personal needs… thus he turns into merely a lecturer!
- With a large number, it unfortunately sometimes happens that the teacher does not know the names of his students except through the register. In this way, the personal relationship between the teacher and his students is lost, and personal care disappears.
- Sometimes the teacher does not notice the absence of some students amid the large number. If he tries to verify attendance by reading names and checking them against those present, a large portion of the lesson time is wasted.
- At the same time, some new children may enter and get lost among the group, and he may not notice them, or he may notice but not care, and the class becomes a field of internal changes.
- A state of apathy toward caring for the number may appear after the teacher reaches a state of inner saturation. The issue of numbers then turns into a matter of psychological gratification, not building the Kingdom!
- In general, the more the number increases in the class, the louder the teacher’s voice becomes, and the noise of the children increases, until the church education class turns into clamor and noise. This does not give an ideal image of the service, and it may also disturb other classes, whose teachers are forced to raise their voices as well to cover the noise of their colleagues!
All of this may cause annoyance that is expressed by the priest, the church council, or any visitor who notices this noise.
As for the teacher whose class is distinguished by a small number, he delivers his lesson in calmness. This calmness appears in his voice, his features, and his gentleness. Calmness also appears in his students, who imitate him.
Discussing the Problem to Solve It:
We cannot prevent the many children from coming to church education schools. On the contrary, we feel great joy when the house of God is filled with worshippers, those who pray, and those who are being taught…
But we distinguish between a large number of children in one branch of education, and a large number of children in a single class.
It is possible for the number to increase greatly in one branch, yet this large number is distributed among many classes, so that the number of students in one class does not exceed about twenty. This is the number that a teacher can care for and give proper attention to.
Naturally, the class will grow. There is no objection to growth in number, provided that whenever classes become large, they are divided again. Thus, the number of classes increases while remaining limited in size.
Increasing the number of classes leads us into another problem, which is the sufficiency of the number of teachers to serve these classes…
This matter takes us to another topic, which is the preparation of servants. The more the number of servants increases, the problem no longer exists.
How easy it is to have two servants for one class. If it is divided, each of these two teachers takes responsibility for a class, and the children are already accustomed to him. Then a new teacher is added, and the cycle of numbers continues in its course.
We are ready to hear your suggestions regarding the issue of numbers.
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