Mr. Mark's Classroom

Here in Oklahoma, we are used to frightening weather. It can still scare us. We had a tornado hit our house just a couple of years ago. It ripped off part of our roof and proceeded to rain like crazy and flood that part of the house.  The damage was terrible but we were so […]

Classroom Management, Part 4

  Hi friends. Welcome back to Mr. Mark’s classroom. I want to share with you some ideas that might help with classroom management. As I’m observing in the classes that I have here at my own church, I see there’s a couple of things that we really could pay attention to that maybe we have been neglecting. And […]

  Hey, friends. Welcome to Mr. Mark’s Classroom. I want to continue this conversation about how we’re going to guide our classrooms. I was observing on Wednesday, and I saw Ms. Cathy. She was like, “Boys and girls. Boys and girls.” I was like, “Come on, Cathy. Use your big voice, your outside voice. We can’t […]

  Hi friends. Welcome to Mr. Mark’s classroom. I’ve really been experiencing some teachers struggling with classroom management and I thought maybe we better talk about this a little more. So, I want to put together a few of these in a series that might help with what is happening in your classrooms as well. Or if you are a minister, […]

Here are ten tips for greeters. Remember, it is more than a handshake. Smile. Personal warmth. Look like you enjoy welcoming people. Fresh Breath. (Enough said) Make eye contact – Read their body language. Take initiative and speak to the guest. Don’t ask “Are you new?” or “Is this your first time?” Say,” I don’t […]

In this episode, teachers will discover the value of listening to children and building relationships.  Evaluate your ministry to see if you are a good listener.  Make adjustments to be able to connect to kids, parents and other workers by taking time to listen.  See this blog post under leadership or by clicking here. How […]

  I have met many children’s ministers who provided missions education in their program for children. There are few who engage children with regular service projects. My friend, Gina McKean, is a leader and example of serving others. She provides meaningful experiences where kids learn the joy of helping someone else.  Gina is the Children’s […]

  Lately, I have noticed more churches with wonderful bulletin boards sharing the news of expecting babies coming soon.  This shows the heart of your preschool ministry to anticipate and planning for new babies coming to church.  In this episode, I speak with Delanee William, Childhood Ministry Specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources.  She has great and […]

To be affirmed – Man, it feels so great when someone says to you, “Good job!” “Great work!” “Way to go!” When people say to you how wonderful it was, or what you did. When they even say, “Thank you,” it helps so much. It just means that someone noticed. We all desire to be […]

  Taking care of the hard things in ministry is never easy, but if you run and hide every time something pops up, they will find you sooner or later. To make it worse, the pastor will become the complaint department and then he will call you in for a chat. No one likes to […]

  In today’s episode I talk about how to get connected with other preschool and children’s ministers. I love being a part of a group of people that are dealing with simillar challenges. Are you involved with a group of leaders to network with and learn from? There are also some great conferences that I […]

  You’ve got great ideas for your teachers. You’ve got great ideas for the kids in your ministry. Sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes it does. Sometimes you might have more fun trying to get something to work after it wasn’t a success the first time. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. You may […]

  I’m so glad we have technology. I remember the days of sending postcard reminders and monthly newsletters that promoted activities, but all that stuff took tons of time.  Now, I can answer texts and emails so much easier. Being able to post all the details on a website for people to find is great! Be […]

  I’m wondering what to wear for VBS. The clothes we wear are like a walking decoration. When the leader and teachers wear the theme in a fun way, it really builds excitement. Ask your teachers to participate by wearing a safari outfit to help get into character as we go “Into the Wild.” I […]