Christmas is all about the birth of the One who came to replace our heart of stone with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). But we may not fully appreciate what that means because of our modern western culture. And our understanding of the heart impacts how we parent, teach, and write for children.

The biblical meaning of heart is very different from our western use of the word heart. And when it comes to teaching, not understanding that difference can get us into hot water.

This is the fifth in a series of posts on The Seven Laws of the Teacher by Howard Hendricks. Previous posts include:

• The Law of the Teacher: “If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.”
• The Law of Education: “The way people learn determines how you teach.”
• The Law of Activity: “Maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement.”
• The Law of Communication: “To truly impart information requires the building of bridges.”

Our law for today is the Law of the Heart:

“Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart.”

In biblical times, heart referred to one’s essence, the combination of our intellect, emotions, and will.

Remember the passage from Deuteronomy 6:4-6?

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

Moses was not talking about valentine hearts. He was talking about biblical truth impacting the essence of who we are: our mind, will, and emotions.

So when we teach the Word of God, we do it for the purpose of transformation, just as we have been transformed. But all too often, we take the easy way out, being content to transfer head knowledge instead of influencing heart transformation.

So how do we begin? How do we connect with the student so they are willing and eager to learn? Hendricks used a quote we’ve heard before: “No one cares what you know until they know that you care.”

When the learner’s attitude is positive toward the teacher, they will be more prone to accept what we share. But if they have rejected the teacher, they will probably reject what the teacher has to say.

This applies to preschoolers as well as adults. Hendricks shared this illustration that every one of us who ever taught a preschool class can relate to:

You’re teaching small children and little Joanne comes in wearing new shoes. If you don’t take notice of them right away, do you know when you’re going to hear about them? In the middle of your Bible story. You’ll get right to the climax, every kid’s eyes will be wide as saucers, and suddenly little Joanne will jump up and exclaim, “Did you see my new shoes?”

That’s why when she walks in you say, “Hi, Joanne. Wow, look at those new shoes!” You might even find a place in your story to mention how someone got new shoes—“just like Joanne’s!” She’s right with you all the way.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we compromise the facts we teach. But it does mean we need to know our students. And we need to be vulnerable with them. How do we do that with preschoolers? Maybe it begins by sharing something we struggled with when we were their age.

Teacher to learner. Heart to heart. Isn’t that how God teaches us?