There may be some times when the best lesson you could teach your class is not printed in this quarterly. Before we explore this idea further, it should be noted that there are some teachers who, under the guise of following the Holy Spirit's leading, lead their class in some other activity - singing, sharing, chit-chatting - because they have not prepared to teach the lesson properly or do not want to deal with the subject matter. Such teachers ought to be ashamed of themselves!
At the same time, there will occasionally be events in your students' lives that are so stressful, shocking, or traumatic, that the best thing to do is put the lesson down and share or pray or sing or look in God's Word for scripture that speaks to the immediate need. Doing this requires sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, sensitivity to your students’ feelings and needs, and willingness to change one's plans.
We often think of discipleship in terms of being taught, but discipleship is about following - learning through relationship. Therefore, recognize that the most important lessons your students learn from your class may not be the words you say, but rather the behavior and lifestyle you model.