Book Review: I Knew Them All by Heart

I Knew Them All by Heart: The Legacy of a Sunday School Teacher
by Myrtle Felkner
Discipleship Resources, 2006

Myrtle Felkner offers us her masterful storytelling in this short volume that is very long on wisdom. In her own words . . .

"This book is not about methodology, although Sunday school teachers need to know that, too. This book is about learning — learning to be a Sunday school teacher, learning to teach as Jesus taught, learning the use of patience — until we see what makes the child tick and how to present Christian truths so each child will be open to Jesus.

"Every Sunday school classroom should be a microcosm of the Kingdom of God. This can be difficult when you may have rebellious, angry, bored, excited, challenged, bright, active, intelligent, abused, or spoiled children — a cross section of the human condition, in other words. This book intends to help us recognize our possibilities as teachers in classrooms that include all these children.

"I learned how to teach from these children. I remember and love them. They still have something to teach us. I want you to meet the children."

Felkner weaves her insightful learning throughout the stories to illustrate plainly how and what those children taught her. Not every story has a happy ending, just like life. Even those stories teach, if not what was right, then perhaps what was missed or wrong. Those learnings may be even more important.

This little book is just golden; it will warm your heart, inspire you to be an even better teacher, and bring you those nuggets of truth that you probably knew all along (and got too busy to recall). This read makes for a "twelve-rabbit morning"! (What's that?? Read the book.)

Reviewed by Diana L. Hynson (dhynson@gbod.org), Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, Tennessee.

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