By Rima Izem, SEEK Team

If you are not volunteering at Sunday Ethical Education for Kids (SEEK), I will tell you what you are missing out and highlight how you can help out.  If you are already teaching SEEK, thank you…and consider recruiting a friend to join you.

Teaching SEEK was an acquired taste for me. Before I even became a WES member, over two years ago, I was enthusiastically recruited as a volunteer teacher by Melissa (a former DLL). At first, I taught out of a sense of duty more than anything. Teaching at least once a month was what I was expected to do when my husband and I signed our kids up for SEEK. Although our kids mean the world to me, teaching them meant missing platform. It meant working to nurture rather than feeling nurtured by grown-up reflection about the world and my connection to others. In a time when I was questioning humanity’s ability for peace, platform was filling a need I didn’t even know I had. I thought that teaching on Sunday morning meant giving that up, and I was wrong.

I am thankful Melissa convinced me to join SEEK. Rather than taking away from platform, teaching added new dimensions and new connections to my life. Here is what it is all about:

• All forms of support are welcome. You can volunteer to teach every month or only a few Sundays, or help us with logistics related to Sunday school such as preparing materials. Until we welcome a new DLL, Amanda and the SEEK committee can use all the help we can get.
  SEEK is for children of all ages from nursery to high school. You can choose to work with an age group that best connects you to your inner child.
• 90% of Sunday teaching work is just showing up. The lesson plans and instructions on a variety of interesting age-appropriate themes are all written out for teachers (with space for collaboration). The SEEK Committee will give you everything you need to have a great time with SEEK.
• You will help nurture other (ethical) humans. Think of the adults that were important to you when you were growing up, and consider how many of them were teachers? Whether you have a child or not, embrace the chance to be a nurturing adult in another human life. I was surprised by the powerful emotions that come from witnessing kids, other than my own, grow up or make new friends. 
• You will build a community with other grown-ups too. Together with a community of other WES members, and experienced staff, you will form a supportive teaching team. There is nothing like trying to work through teaching instructions and making the lesson work to deepen relationships and discover new friends.

Oh, and about platform, I don’t miss it at all, when I can’t make it in person, I just listen to it afterwards here.

So, email Amanda, join the teaching team, or sign-up to volunteer. Come read a story, play an instrument, share your passion or advocacy work, or just show up to help.

Thank you!