It provided comfort and empathy to numerous Sunday school teachers.
The sequel to "Teacher, Just Be Sincere"!
A collection of actual questions heard at Sunday school
A heartfelt counseling note written with empathy and affection!

No matter how much you comfort and praise them with things like, “You work so hard teaching children,” “Your reward in heaven will be great,” or “The flower of service is being a Sunday school teacher!”, it is not easy to serve as a teacher for a long time without worrying about whether you will keep your position next year.
Although it is not uncommon to find teachers who have been teaching for over 30 years, there are also many teachers who endure while thinking countless times, "It's time for someone like me to quit teaching."
How many people would be able to answer “yes” without hesitation when asked if they would like to serve as a teacher again next year?
“Now that I’m older, there’s a huge generation gap between me and my children, so I can’t do it.”
“Not only do I lack knowledge of the Bible, but I also can’t put what I know into practice, so I’m not a good example as a teacher.”
“My child is always late to church, but I have to tell his friends to come early….”
“It’s nice to meet kids.
But I feel like I’m still young and I can’t be properly educated.”
“I need to buy snacks for the kids and stuff, but I’m broke too….”
“If you want to be a teacher, you have to attend the first service.
“It’s really hard to get up early on Sunday mornings.”

When we listen to each story, we see that it often stems from a sense of despair that comes from not wanting to quit because they don't want to serve as teachers, but because they feel they have reached their limits and want to do better, but their bodies, minds, and results don't follow.
When I hear stories of children who work hard but don't attend school, or of students who did well last year struggling and wandering around this year, I feel like it's all my fault and I want to give up.


Author Oh Seon-hwa, who has been a healing mentor to countless youth for over 15 years as a "person who eats with youth," empathizes with the concerns of teachers she has heard from various Sunday school settings and offers sincere answers with deep comfort.
Since publishing “Teacher, You Just Have to Be Sincere” (2018), which has now become a must-read for Sunday school teachers, the author says he has received many questions asking, “Teacher, is it okay if you ‘really’ have sincerity?”
To this, she said, “Just having sincerity isn’t enough.
However, he emphasizes that “without sincerity, nothing can be achieved,” and tells us again that the most valuable virtue for Sunday school teachers is ‘sincerity,’ ‘sincerity’ toward children, ‘sincerity’ toward people, ‘sincerity’ toward Jesus, and ‘sincerity’ toward the gospel.
"Teacher, Is It Really Okay to Be Sincere?" is a book that honestly answers the most frequent concerns and questions directly heard from teachers in the field of Sunday school. It reaffirms the identity of a teacher and provides abundant tips for empathizing and communicating with children.


Since publishing “Teacher, Just Be Sincere,” I’ve been asked a lot, “Teacher, is it okay if you’re ‘really’ sincere?”
I was asked the same question both during interviews and when giving lectures to teachers.
Every time, I answered like this.
“Just having sincerity isn’t enough.
But without sincerity, nothing will work.”
This thought remains unchanged even now.
In every lecture, I meet countless teachers who are much more experienced than me and who give their best.
How precious are those questions that we ask with the hope of understanding and being with children to learn even one more thing.
Looking into their eyes, I thought it would be a good idea to compile a book of the questions actually asked by teachers who minister with sincerity but face many difficulties.
As I went around and asked questions, I found that there were quite a few overlapping questions on my part.
But the person who asked the question must have had a hard time bringing up a problem that he or she had been struggling with for a long time.
I thought I was the only one struggling with this, but it's comforting to know that other people are struggling with the same issues.
The thought that 'I'm not the only one like this' calms my tense mind.

-From the introduction

Q.
Is there a way to change the minds of my children so they wake up early and come to church? If they don't show up often, I feel like I have to take notice when I'm filling out the attendance sheet.
Getting up early and going to church is quite a challenge for children.
So, first of all, please understand that feeling.
Instead of saying, "Can't you wake up early and come to church?", say, "Isn't it so hard to wake up? I know it's hard for you too, but let's try to wake up just 10 minutes earlier." This will resonate more deeply with your child.
Before you suggest that I come early, I would appreciate it if you could empathize with me first.
And you know that should be a suggestion, not a command, right? "Come early!" is a command, and "Why are you late?" is a criticism.
The suggestion is, as I mentioned above, “Can you wake up a little earlier and come?” or “It would be nice if you could wake up a little earlier and come.”

Q.
Even if you empathize and understand each other, the teacher-student relationship ends after a year.
It's such a waste to send a child who has finally opened his heart to another class.
That's right! That's right! I've heard many high school teachers lament that they should send their students to the youth group even though they're finally getting to know each other and communicating.
I also had similar thoughts when I was a middle and high school teacher.
So I think that feeling is very natural and obvious.
So, feel good and let it pass.
No matter how good an emotion is, if you hold on to it and only look at it, it is not a positive emotion.
Feeling well, enjoying it, and letting it go so that it becomes a memory is a truly good feeling.
And we know that.
That we and our children are part of God's great puzzle.
If we have faithfully placed the puzzle pieces in their proper places during the time allotted to us, then after that time, we must pass them on to the next runner.
Next, the teacher in charge of the child, the small group leader, the pastor, and the evangelist will put the puzzle pieces in place.
You have to believe that fact and let it go.

Q.
No matter what I do, it seems like the kids don't have expectations.
How can I have expectations?
When I was a Sunday school teacher, a teacher asked me a similar question.
Although he was younger than me, he was a teacher who was full of love.
He asked with a very tired face.
"Teacher! Why aren't the kids looking forward to summer camp?" So I said.
“We don’t do it either.” Then the teacher said, “Fuck!”
The two of us made it that day.
Let's wait first.
And every time we meet, I ask, “Are you really looking forward to this retreat?” “Of course.
“I can’t wait!”, we had this conversation.
One day, three boys who said they would never go to retreats showed up.
What on earth are you doing at the retreat that makes you so excited?
So when we said “Secret!” the kids would tease us, saying “Teachers are so weird.”


And on the day of the summer retreat, all three of them came.
When I asked why they were here, they started whining, saying things like, “The teachers seem to be out of their minds, so I’m worried they might harm the kids,” and “If it gets too weird, we’re going to call 119.”
It was so cute, I laughed a lot with the teacher.
What was it like going to the retreat? Those three were the most excited, running around and participating, and it was even funnier.
I thought that when I went to the retreat, I would just be praying and praying.
When I actually got there, I played games, went on a treasure hunt, and even got myself thrown into the water. It was really fun.
The next time we had a retreat, those guys were the first to sign up.
“They said they’d give me a 5,000 won discount if I applied early,” he said, and I was the first to fill out the application form.
There's a saying.
“It’s not that we are thankful because something worth being thankful for happens, but that when we are thankful, something worth being thankful for happens.” That saying is so true.
It's not that I was looking forward to it because I was looking forward to it, but once I started looking forward to it, I really started looking forward to it.


Q.
I am old.
I'm worried that I might have to quit teaching because the kids seem to like the young teacher.
You know that a teacher's most important role is to love children, right? Children don't like you because you're young, and they don't dislike you because you're old.
I like people who really like me and love me.
Children have pure souls, so they recognize such people well.

Q.
Can I become a teacher if I don't have confidence in my ability to teach well?
If there's one requirement for becoming a Sunday school teacher, wouldn't it be "a person who believes in Jesus and is happy?" Wouldn't that be enough? When children ask, "You said you failed your interview this time, so why are you laughing so much?" I'd love to be able to reply, "I believe in Jesus." And when they ask, "Are you happy when you have a lot of money?" I'd love to be able to say, "No, I'm happy because of you!"
So, I would like to be remembered as a person who truly believes in Jesus, rather than a teacher who teaches children well.
Because children need teachers who love them more than those who teach them love, and teachers who become their allies more than those who tell them to become their allies.

--- From the text