Still Water Moments: The Art of Scaffolding
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Teachers become masters at scaffolding students in various subjects to help them achieve academic goals. The process typically goes in the order of modeling, supporting, then gradually removing support until the child completes the skill independently. For example, when I taught literacy skills to preschoolers the beginning stage was having them draw a picture in their journals. I’d then ask them to tell me about it and I would write what they said at the bottom of the picture. We would then read the dictation together, and I’d point at each word as we read it being sure to stress the letter sounds. The next phase followed the same steps as the first, but this time I would write the dictation in dotted form, and the child would trace it and begin to point at the words as we read it together. The next phase consisted of me solely writing the beginning letter of each word in the dictation followed by a space. The child would then write the rest of each word on the spaces to the best of their ability. The last phase consisted of the child writing and reading their descriptions independently. Each and every phase was celebrated daily with a hug or high five and verbal praise.
As a student progressed through the phases, they needed less of my 1:1 attention. I continued to track their progress, though gradually it became less hands on as the students decreased in the need for my assistance for that particular skill. When I compare scaffolding in the educational sense with Christ’s manner of growing and sanctifying us, I see some similarities and differences. They are similar in the sense that Christ holds our hands as He challenges us to grow in an area. We learn that while we form Godly habits, performing them becomes easier and natural because of His grace. It is nothing within us as humans that gives us the strength to do His will, but it is us intentionally looking to the Lord from Whom our help comes from, Psalm 121: 1-2. So, while a child may stubbornly promote his or her independence and say, “I can do it by myself!”, we would never, (or should never), say that to the Father. In a sense, the more we learn and grow in Him, the more we realize we need Him to function properly and thus we rely on Him more. This isn’t done out of panicked desperation but out of a growing trust in His ability and knowledge that His ways are the best course of action.
A major difference in a teacher’s scaffolding and the Lord’s is found in the beauty of his omnipresence. As stated before, as a child’s skills progress in a specific concept, the less 1:1 time that student needs from the teacher on the subject. This allows the teacher to spend more 1:1 time with the students that need more assistance with acquiring the skill. This is a stark contrast with the Holy Spirit. Since He is an all-powerful omnipresent God, we know He is everywhere at the same time. He does not have to divide His time among us or cast a watchful eye from a distance while He tends to “more pressing concerns”. We are blessed to serve a God who is ALWAYS walking with EACH OF US, never leaves us, never forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He helps us progress in an area and grasp certain skills in the process. He helps us recognize, correct, overcome and learn from our mistakes. He celebrates each and every single victory with us, great or small, and lovingly redirects us when we fall. What a blessing to know and serve the Master Teacher!
Reflection: What “skill” is the Lord presently growing within you? What steps do you hear Him telling you to take to foster that growth?
