How to Preach to Your Students and Have Them Love It

There are three things that all young people strongly dislike. 1. Being preached at 2. Being put down by others, especially parents and teachers 3. Being yelled at

As teachers we know how difficult it can be to refrain from doing all three. When we're angry things just come out and we regret them right after the deed is done. Thank God for the phrase "I'm sorry."  

We all seem to have a strong tendency to preach at our kids. And why shouldn't we? We were on the receiving end of preaching for a long time when we were kids. Now it's our turn.

The main reason why we should never preach at our students is this: It doesn't work. As much as we want them to listen and follow our words of wisdom and advice, they won't.   Well friends I have found the secret to preaching without them considering it preaching. In fact they will actually enjoy it and it will do a lot to bond you to one another.   "What's the secret?" I hear you asking excitedly! It's quite simple. Storytelling.

Ever since we were children we have had a hunger for stories. " Tell me a story Mommy." "Tell me a story Daddy." were words that came out of our mouths at least once a day.
Our love of stories doesn't stop when we leave childhood. I read recently that adults listen to over 60,000 stories a year. This doesn't seem unreasonable when you consider that every conversation, every newspaper and newscast involves the telling of and listening to stories. Every time we ask someone what they've been up to or how things are going we are requesting a story.

Here are 7 surefire tips on using stories to preach to your children and have them love it.

1. Don't begin a story with " Once Upon a time . . . " unless you're dealing with very young children

2. Look for stories with a message while you read , listen and view the media.

3. When you find a story you can use jot the story line down in few words.

4. Practice telling the story in your own words. Feel free to embellish the story to suit your situation.

5. When you tell the story let it speak to the listener.

6. Ask a question related to the story when you're finished but don't try to condition their response. Just listen.

7. Keep your stories short and crisp. Don't get bogged down in detail.  
Start by identifying the values and ideals your school cherishes and affirms and then start looking for stories that reflect these values.  Start your own story collection and file them under specific topics. Refer to your collection frequently.   For much more on The Art of Storytelling check out Mike's 60 minute audio CD by the same name.  

Teacher Resources


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