The
latest interview in the ongoing series with church school directors throughout
the Antiochian North American Archdiocese is with Sammye Fuller, Director of the (small) church school at Holy
Trinity Orthodox Church in Little Rock, Arkansas.
From the Antiochian Orthodox Department of
Christian Education (AODCE): http://ww1.antiochian.org/interview-sammye-fuller-supporting-sunday-school-teacher-then-director
Sammye shares what is it like inside the
Holy Trinity small church school…
How they creatively work with resources...
How they structure classes...
What curriculum/technology is being
used...
How they keep
teen/SOYO students involved and engaged in Sunday school…
Sammye Fuller:
“Supporting Sunday School as a Teacher, Then as Director”
Sammye Fuller is in her seventh year as Sunday School Director
at Holy Trinity Antiochian Orthodox Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. The parish
has 25 students enrolled for the 2018-2019 school year.
Please share
with us a little about yourself:
Technically, I have been the
Sunday School Director for about seven years. However, since we did not have a
Director before that, and I was the only Sunday School teacher in the
beginning, perhaps it has been longer.
How is your church school organized for Sunday classes and
how many teachers are assigned per class?
We have four classes. The
preschool class is for 2-ish to 5 years old, with one teacher and one or more
helpers when available. Parents often stay if needed. The elementary class is
6-9 years old. There is one teacher and usually one helper, sometimes two. The
middle school group is 10-12 years old. This class has one teacher. A helper
can be added if needed for any class. The high school class is 13-17 years old.
However, having so few children in this age group, it meets every other week
and has two teachers that share the teaching.
Which curricula do you use for Sunday classes?
Our preschool teacher has material
she has collected and created that is used in a three-year cycle: Old
Testament, New Testament, and Feasts and Saints. The elementary and middle
school classes use Living Our Orthodox
Faith. The high school class uses material researched by the two teachers.
Additionally, the three older classes meet for 10 minutes at the beginning of
class to learn the books of the Bible in preparation for learning to do “sword
drills”. We find that quite a few of our children do not make it on time, so we
looked for something to do while we gave them a few extra minutes before
starting the lesson.
How do you keep
teen/SOYO students involved and engaged in Sunday school?
This is a very tricky subject. As a small church, we
don't always have children of every age, thus the blended classes. In the years
we have had Sunday School, our teenage population has been small, sometimes as
few as one. Recruiting teachers is not easy, so using a teacher for one or two
students has been a difficult choice. And, the older children don't always want
to be added to a younger class. This year we were able to offer a class every
other week for our teenagers. They are currently studying the Ecumenical
Councils. They will also look at contemporary heresies. The subject matter
seems to interest them, and they use smart phones to find information related
to the topic during class.
Do you hold
staff meetings? If so, how often and please briefly describe the meetings.
No, more email and quick visits at Coffee Hour.
Please share
with us about your Christmas program (past and/or present).
The Christmas program is usually a traditional telling
of the Nativity, presented by the preschool class during coffee hour. Some
years, the older children have taken part.
