I felt inspired to take this class,
and therefore thought that I would learn how to become a seminary teacher, and
this would be a path my life could take. While I have decided that being a Seminary Teacher is not the career path for me, what I have come away with is a
breadth and depth of knowledge about the gospel, with a more firm resolve to
immerse myself in the scriptures, and turn others to scripture as well. In an
address to religious educators in 1975, Spencer W. Kimball promised,
There
are blessings that come from immersing ourselves in the scriptures. The
distance narrows between ourselves and our Father in heaven. Our spirituality
shines brighter. We love more intensely those whom we should love. It is much
easier to follow counsel. The lessons of life are learned more readily and
surely. (Preservice Readings, 23)
I have come to cling to these
promises as I have taken this class and learned the importance of teaching
scripture and pure doctrine to seminary and institute students. A few things have stuck out to me as
important things to know when you are leading and teaching: to be personally
close to the Savior, to love the students, and to allow scripture to teach.
My
teaching is only as powerful as my connection to heaven, and to my neighbor. If
the first commandment is to love God and second is to love neighbor then I need
to have those priorities straight to be an effective preacher. During my first
seminary class, because I was so nervous, I prayed for a calm heart and mind, and
that I could love the students. I spent hours of painstaking preparation, finding
dead ends one way and another way. But in the end, the lesson went well because
of my prayers to Heavenly Father, not because of any talent that I personally
possess. He guided me, and I felt it. I believe the students felt it as well. The
Gospel Teaching and Learning Manual states that teachers who understand the
Holy Ghost’s role in the classroom will “be serene in their hearts rather than
feeling upset and anxious about other things” (11). I felt a sense of
reassurance as I went into teaching the students, and I knew the Spirit would
help me. Were there things I would change if I could go back and do my first
lesson over again? Absolutely. But did God care about my fledgling effort to
provide spiritual insight to His children? Yes. And that’s why my prayer was so
crucial to succeeding in the classroom—for my prayer brought the Spirit. Nephi
has taught us to “pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will
consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the
welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9). My love for the Savior, and trust in Him
through keeping His commandments and praying to Him will in large measure
determine the spiritual outpouring that comes into the classroom as I teach and
love the students.
How
can we show love to our students in the classroom when we have never met them?
My favorite BYU professor is Wade Hollingshaus. He teaches in the Theater
department, he learned my name in a classroom of over 150 students six years
ago. He would call on me, and other students, by name in class and say hello to
me by name as he passed me in the halls of the building. He still does that
today. Professor Hollingshaus was following the pattern of Heavenly Father in
his teaching. When Joseph Smith asked which church to join, Heavenly Father
called him by name before instructing him (JS-H 1:17). I knew that if the
seminary students were going to learn anything from me, they needed to know
that I cared about them by calling them by name. My efforts were rewarded in class with more attentive
students. I think they were surprised that a stranger like myself would
remember their names without forgetting them. I certainly felt a much deeper
connection to my students when I listened to them tell me something about
themselves, and then call on them by name. My teaching skills might not have
been the best, but they had to have known that I loved them, the way that I
said their names when their hands were raised. And on my second teaching
assignment, I made sure to approach each student I had not previously met in
order to ask their name and support and uplift them, so they could get to know
me too. I felt that I was focused on the mission to bless the youth and young
adults of the church—not to impress them, but really to bless their lives (GTL,
1). A little bit of love goes a long way. It was just a start to what would
have been a longer journey of showing love to the students had I taken the
two-week teaching route.
I
know that the scriptures contain truth. I rely on scripture, and know that the
Lord can teach through His Spirit, if I will bridge the gap between scripture
and student by making it relevant. President Ezra Taft Benson quoted Harold B.
Lee, “Our members are hungry for the gospel, undiluted, with its abundant
truths and insights…. There are those who have seemed to forget that the most
powerful weapons the Lord has given us against all that is evil are His own
declarations, the plain simple doctrines of salvation as found in the
scriptures” (Preservice Readings, 40-41). If the students aren’t hungry for the
doctrine in my classroom when they first arrive, they had better be hungering
after it by the time they leave. As a teacher, I am to confidently express my
love and testimony of the scriptures—for they will remain with the students
long after I am gone. I remember the spiritual feeling that came into the room
as I had students ponder over Helaman 3:35. To help them think about this in a
deeper way, I asked them to get their journals out, and asked “Who is an
example of humility to you?” I saw the pencils and pens scribbling away as each
person thought of a person who they knew who exemplified attributes of humility
from this scripture. A sweet spirit flooded the room, and I knew they were
thinking about what they could do to be more like that individual, they were
thinking of how to apply the doctrine from the scripture to their own life. The
scripture and the question united to helping students learn to love the
scripture and look here for their answers.
How grateful I am for good seminary teachers who taught and blessed my life. Just a month ago, my first seminary teacher from 9th grade, Brother Peterson, contacted me to let me know he was coming to Salt Lake and wanted to see me rehearse with the Tabernacle Choir for conference. After we met up, he said, “I remember ten years ago, you told me that your goal was to be in the Choir. You did it!” I sure don’t remember much about what Brother Peterson taught me over ten years ago, but I do know that he cared about me and my goals, he loved the Lord, and he loved the scriptures. That is the kind of teacher and leader that I would like to be—remembered for my love of the Lord and the love I have for my students, and love for the scriptures and their power to convert and change lives.
How grateful I am for good seminary teachers who taught and blessed my life. Just a month ago, my first seminary teacher from 9th grade, Brother Peterson, contacted me to let me know he was coming to Salt Lake and wanted to see me rehearse with the Tabernacle Choir for conference. After we met up, he said, “I remember ten years ago, you told me that your goal was to be in the Choir. You did it!” I sure don’t remember much about what Brother Peterson taught me over ten years ago, but I do know that he cared about me and my goals, he loved the Lord, and he loved the scriptures. That is the kind of teacher and leader that I would like to be—remembered for my love of the Lord and the love I have for my students, and love for the scriptures and their power to convert and change lives.
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