Search Results for: Teaching by the spirit

Jenny Smith:

Have you read the Gospel Teaching and Learning handbook? Read Section 4. You should never feel guilty about not covering something. Shake it off, girl.

It’s unfortunate that this whole testing thing is giving teachers the idea they *have to* cover certain stuff so kids can pass the test. That’s not the intent of Seminary.

www.lds.org/manual/gospel-teaching-and-learning-a-handbook-for-teachers-and-leaders-in-seminaries-and-institutes-of-religion/preparing-to-teach?lang=eng

(1 day ago)

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Jenny Smith:

See also this article: www.jennysmith.net/blog/increasing-student-participation

(1 day ago)

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Kathy Rinehart Arnold:

It’s important to keep in mind that years from now (and it may only be 1 year from now), your students will only remember 4 things from their year with you: How they felt about you as their teacher, how the perceived you felt about them, Scripture mastery (if you did it) and a couple (yes just a couple) of stand out lessons that impacted them. Remember that what we as teachers are trying to do is create good habits (read every day), have them feel and recognize the spirit and strengthen testimony. Covering all the principles falls way down on the list. Think back to your own youth and how much of it do you remember and what had the greatest impact.

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Violet Dawn Berg:

Yes, yes, yes! This is my second year teaching and I still struggle with “holding fast” to the lessons in the manual!!

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Cathy Davis Liggett:

Continue to pray for your students; learn to love them. They will remember that more than any lesson you teach. Having said that, however, i pray for guidance for what my students need with each lesson. Sometimes we only cover one topic; sometimes more; sometimes not the one i started out with either! :) Let the Spirit guide you and “let go” of the guilt . . . I used to be just like that! Best wishes!

(23 hours ago)

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Christy Elliott Vogel:

When I read the scripture block first, especially two or three times, prayerfully looking for the principles my students need to learn; I have found that I am guided to those principles. Then, when I look at the teacher’s manual, I am more confident about the things I want to cover and what I can let go.

(23 hours ago)

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Kate Shaffer:

Not at all :). I am not good at walking through a lesson manual and remembering everything if says I should teach. Even when I use notes, it rarely works well. I read the scriptures, pray for guidance, take a gander at the manual, and if it helps, I use it, if not, move on. I want my kids to feel that seminary is a place they want to be, where they feel love, the Spirit, and my testimony. If that happens, they will return time and again to the Gospel and scriptures through a lifetime of study and church lessons. The kids are going to retain a fraction of what we teach in these critical years – I concentrate on making sure they know the human stories of church history and the answers those amazing people found through the revelations they received, now in the D&C. That usually involves a variety of teaching methods so they never get bored. I look for ideas all over the place – a good teacher is a good (idea) thief.

(23 hours ago)

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Elaine Henson:

I do! In fact, for today’s lesson, I felt that I needed to cover most of what was in the manual, so I prepared it that way, only leaving out a few details. But then actually teaching it, my whole lesson plan was abandoned. We got into a really good discussion and I could see my students really engaging, so in the end we only covered about a third of the material – didn’t even use the handouts I’d prepared. But at the end of the day I feel that my students got what they needed this morning 😄

(23 hours ago)

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Debbi McNall Jones:

Jenny Smith your “between the prayers” and other information on your web site is brilliant. Where have you been all my life? :-)

(23 hours ago)

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Ilene Jenkins:

Gina Gardner Brown, I can totally relate to every word and worry you have. I am in my second year of teaching and the best thing that I can tell you is: Keep trying, it truly does get easier with each passing week. This calling can be so overwhelming. Just pray and then do your best.

(21 hours ago)

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Laurie Rohrbach:

I make sure I’m prepared to teach all the lesson, but some of the best lessons I’ve taught have been when I followed the line of questions that the students had. I teach an inner city branch seminary and the kids sometimes need more of the basic gospel principles taught to them. My first year I kept bringing the discussion back to the lesson, but this year I have followed the spirit more and have taught the students more. Since I can feel the spirit as we get off the lesson plan, I no longer worry about teaching everything in the lesson.

(21 hours ago)

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Kellie Olson Hubler:

Gina Gardner Brown I would like to share something with you. This is my second year in teaching Early Morning Seminary. My first year was my learning curve and I will say it was a bit of torture for me. :) LOL I was just like you. I went to the training meetings and I got so confused sometimes. I REALLY wanted to do this calling right! I enjoyed the year but it was extremely difficult at times. I have 9 students and they are such a joy to teach. I truly felt the weight of my calling more so than any calling I’ve ever had!! So I felt even more pressure to help my students learn what the Lord wanted them to know. I really like our Seminary training. One thing that stood out to me in one training was how important it is to teach by the Spirit. That is something that I pray for at least 3 times a day. I know when the Spirit is not in class the students feel and and I feel it. I try very hard to create a class setting where the Spirit can be there and teach the youth in my class! For the most part I feel that my prayers are being answered. A few weeks ago I got sick and I asked a member of our ward to substitute for me for 3 days so I could try and get well. On Monday the kids said how fun they had playing the games that this sister prepared for them. I kind of felt bad because we don’t do a lot of games and things like that. In one of our trainings I watched a video that they showed where they asked seminary students what do they think of when they think of scripture mastery and about 85-90% of them said “games”. Then one of the General Authorities said that if that is what our youth think of when we mention the words scripture mastery then we are failing our youth. Then we were told that seminary is not a place for entertaining the youth. It is a place for them to be taught by the Spirit and to learn and to grow. So I don’t do many games. Any way after I got back from being sick and the youth told me that they had so much fun playing the games, I thought maybe I should prepare more games. I pondered and pondered about this for at least a couple of days and I was impressed that my youth needed to be ‘entertained’ by the Spirit not any games. It is that kind of teaching that is going to protect them and prepare them for the day ahead of them after they leave our class and prepare them for the eternities. So the reason I am telling you this is don’t sweat being perfect at everything and teaching every doctrine there is in the lesson. Just plan your lesson and then when you present it, let the Spirit guide you in what you need to teach and your youth will be getting just what they need. Yesterday one of my youth said that she looks forward to coming to seminary everyday and that she enjoys it so much because she feels so much better when she comes to seminary. That helped me to know that I made the right decision! I now just prepare and then just listen and He takes over and it is wonderful for both the youth and myself! Sorry this was so long!! Good luck. It will get better I promise! :)

(17 hours ago)

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Gina Gardner Brown:

Thank you! I also struggle with feeling I am not “fun.” I wholeheartedly believe that I am not there to be an entertainer, but I do want things to be interesting. In trying to presentthe right material, and not spend too much time planning, I do not take much time to look for other enrichment activities. I am a great copycat, but feel like. Have no original thoughts on my own that come flowing. I just discovered this group and I bepiece having this as a resource will help a lot. thanks for your wisdom.

(12 hours ago)

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Beth Slazak:

Keep in mind- we rotate through the entire work every four years in Seminary and Sunday School. What we miss this year they will revisit in another class. I’m a life long member and I still learn new things in my classes. We cannot get it all in in a seminary lesson. It’s ok. He has a plan for that. Don’t worry.

(11 hours ago)

Jenny Smith:

Activities with a learning purpose are not entertainment. Don’t be afraid to use them.

The key is to determine WHAT to teach first and then find HOW to teach it second. Teachers only get into trouble when they start with a great activity (the HOW) and try to work it in.

(2 hours ago)

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Jenny Smith:

And if you think your lessons are boring, your students are probably dying. It pains me to hear how many teachers think it is perfectly okay — or even preferred — to present the joyful, saving, essential doctrines of the gospel as if they were ordinary or dull. It makes me wonder if the teachers themselves consider the material boring and are reflecting that attitude on their students.

Do the material and its source justice. Learn to plan WHAT to teach first, then worry about the HOW (it comes pretty naturally when the WHAT is right), and things will go better. Find the doctrine you are most enthusiastic about and share that enthusiasm. Please don’t teach your students that the gospel is dull or boring or nonessential — something we just have to endure. Help them find the awesome for themselves.

^^ This is key. Shake off the idea that it’s your lesson presentation that will change lives and hearts. Only *their* discoveries will. All of your lesson planning should be focused on how to help these kids make the kinds of life-changing attitude-altering discoveries you have and that the authors if the scriptures did. There’s simply nothing better than discovering the truths of the gospel with these young uns. Nothing.

(2 hours ago)

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Violet Dawn Berg:

Thank you, thank you Jenny Smith for your words of wisdom and insight!!

(1 hour ago)

Debbie Reynolds:

I find that too! Sometimes I over prepare only to find out that it wasn’t needed- teach what the spirit wants them to learn- what they can apply in their lives. Such a hard calling but one of the best I’ve ever had! This is my 6th year- granted the first 5 were many years ago. I also think it’s important how you make them feel- they won’t remember much of the lessons but they’ll remember your love and concern! That’s what some of my former students have said- so just love them! The Church is true!

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Kellie Olson Hubler:

Jenny Smith I don’t feel our lessons are boring at all because I’m not doing a lot of games nor do I feel that the youth are dying of boredom. :) I really enjoy going to my Seminary trainings and I’ve never gotten any trainings over games or “activities”. It’s all been about teaching by the Spirit because like you said that is the way “they” discover treasures of the gospel through the Spirit. When the youth end class with a prayer and they thank Heavenly Father for feeling the Spirit or it’s obvious the have been touched by the Spirit then I feel we have met the objectives. :)

(39 minutes ago)

Sharon Prescott Haynie:

I have always found that if I am excited about we’re doing in Seminary, my kids are excited too! Being excited about the gospel is what has brought millions of people to the gospel, so share the love you have and they will feel it too!

(38 minutes ago)

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Kellie Olson Hubler:

I totally agree! When the Spirit is present everyone is excited about the gospel!! :)

(36 minutes ago)

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