If you're following my posts, you're accustomed to my frequent posts about my family and art. I rarely discuss my life beyond these things. This choice stems from several reasons, with the primary one being that a significant portion of my activities involves interactions with individuals, particularly children. So you see, I need to safeguard the privacy of these kids. While it might not be a major concern for everyone, as a parent, I too don't want anyone sharing stuff about my kids without my consent.
However, on the rare occasions when I did share details about these activities and included pictures, I made certain that the images were taken in a way that obscured the faces of those involved.
So what exactly am I talking about?
🙋 Volunteering As A Teacher and Mentor For 9-10 Years Old In Church 🙋
Yes, my husband, @rencalson, and I serve as volunteer teachers in our church. Beyond teaching, we also take on the roles of personal mentors for a pre-teen girl and a teenage boy.
I've been a volunteer teacher for the past five years. Honestly, at first, I wasn't too enthusiastic about volunteering because I don't consider myself a skilled teacher, and I'm not particularly great with kids. However, being a mother should make this easy, right? Well, not exactly. While I can teach and guide my own children (basically do whatever I want), it's a different dynamic when working with someone else's kids. I have to respect boundaries and avoid using my authority to overshadow their parents.
So, what motivates me to volunteer as a teacher and mentor? Can't the parents handle it themselves? I'm sure you've heard the African proverb:
"It takes a village to raise a child."
Kids benefit from guidance not only from their parents but from other adults too. If you're a parent with older children, you've probably noticed that sometimes they listen and follow directions from others more readily than from you. It could be a relative - an uncle, an aunt, or their grandparents.
In our church, we aim to embody this village concept. Living in the city, it's often challenging to find a community that shares our life values. That's why the church becomes an ideal place to build a community of like-minded individuals who share similar values with us.
What do I teach these kids? We hold devotional sessions twice a month on Saturdays. Being Christians, we focus on imparting Christian values from the Bible. To make the lessons more engaging, we incorporate plenty of games.
In addition to these Saturday devotionals, I also volunteer to teach the same group of kids during Sunday School.
While my volunteer work may not bring financial rewards, I don't claim it as part of a charitable initiative. Nevertheless, I genuinely see it as an honorable work because it allows me to positively influence these children, instill good values, and contribute to the development of their character.
This post is my response to this week's Ladies of Hive contest #169:
Charitable giving is a normal part of my budget. It is not always cash donations but it can be other resources like your time and talents as well. Name your favorite Charity and what makes it special to you?
Although this might not be considered a charitable act (and certainly isn't part of a budget), this is a special work because I contributed my precious time, energy, and talent to guide these children for the greater good.
That's it for now. If you read this far, thank you. I appreciate it so much! Kindly give me a follow if you like my content. I mostly write about making art, life musing, and our mundane yet charming family life here in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Note: All images used belong to me unless stated otherwise.
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