Our Bible Classes are conducted in an effort to further instruct the word of God. Any parent who is striving to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord should see the value of such classes and desire to have their children participate.

As is the case with secular education in our public schools, the benefit that each child receives from Bible Class will depend, to some extent, upon the participation of the parents. The elders have spent money purchasing materials, members have spend time preparing books, supplements and teaching aids, teachers have spent time preparing their rooms and their lessons. With the investment of this time in the interest of our children, our Bible Class teachers have a right to expect some things from us as parents.

That the child be here for class. You would not dream of allowing your child to routinely miss days of public school. The very least you can do is have your child present for their Bible Classes. How would you feel if you invited people to come to your home for dinner, spent money purchasing the groceries, spent time preparing the meal and cleaning your home, only to have about half of them show up? This is the exact same feeling that a Bible Class teacher has when our children are absent without any explanation.

That the child be here on time. Public schools will not tolerate a child being late for class. What is a Bible Class teacher to do when our child strolls into class half an hour late? Should they start over from the beginning or just expect the late-comer to catch up? Routine tardiness is nothing short of laziness and a lack of consideration for others.

That the child have his Bible and lesson book. I think it says something when our young people can show up for services with their cell phones, but they do not have a clue where their Bible or lesson books are at! Again, this behavior would not be tolerated in the public schools.

That the child have his lesson done. Most children's Bible Class lessons take only a few minutes to complete. The teachers (not to mention the elders) are not asking too much of our children to take the time to prepare their lesson. Again, such behavior would not be tolerated in the public schools. There is a world of difference between a class full of students who have prepared their lesson and a class full of students who have not prepared their lesson. When students have their lessons prepared the classes go by faster, there is more interest and more participation. The class becomes a time of reinforcing what has already been learned as opposed to a period of first-time instruction. As the parents, we need to make sure our children take their lesson books home and spend the needed time preparing for class.

As parents, we have a right to expect certain things from our Bible Class teachers. However, turnabout is fair play. Teachers have a right to expect some basic things from the parents of their students. Let's work together to make our Bible Classes the best that they can be.