I heard a speaker at BYU Education Week once, who had been a seminary teacher. He talked about the fact that there will always be some students who don't want to be there, or who don't listen, or who try to talk to their friends through the whole class.
He said there was one time he had a class so bad, it was so hard to teach them. He figured that it would be easier if they would all die and he would just do their temple work for them.
Well, I never felt as terrible as that, but I did have my feelings of inadequacy and wondered sometimes if I was helping those kids at all.
This school year I taught them for 170 days, for 45 minutes per day. That adds up to 127.5 hours of teaching. That is about three times as much time as they would spend in Sunday School. Or in Young Men/Young Women.
During our last lesson, the kids each told the things they had learned during the year that had affected their lives and made their testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon grow. Many of them related stories of things they had learned this year, and it gave me great satisfaction to know that I helped them to learn those things.
Here were some of the things they learned in class this year:
Chiasmus (a type of Hebrew poetry) that shows up several times in the verses of the Book of Mormon.
Isaiah telling about trains and airplanes (2 Nephi 15:26-30)
"The Plan"- the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, etc. The word "plan" is used about 40 times in the Book of Mormon, showing that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. The plan is never mentioned in the Bible.
Geography and maps of how the towns and events were related to each other, and how they are all consistent throughout the book. They always go "up" or "down" to the same towns, the same towns are near the sea, etc.
Prophecies about the Lost Ten Tribes and how we will soon receive their records.
The Pride Cycle. First a society is righteous, so the Lord blesses them with prosperity. Then they begin to have pride, then they become wicked, then prophets come to warn them that they will be destroyed, then destruction comes upon them, they become humble and turn to the Lord again.
The Proclamation on the Family. We covered that a lot this year. Especially the last phrase:
"We warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."
War. I love to read the history of wars, so I had lots to share with them as it related to the wars in the Book of Mormon.
Amulek's family- When he saw the people burning, we have to remember that if his family was righteous, he was watching his own wife and children burn. If they were wicked, they were completely destroyed with the city of Ammonihah later. Either way, he lost his family.
How Mormon loved Captain Moroni so much (they were both righteous military commanders) that he named his son after him.
How Moroni must have loved Ether, because as Moroni was translating and abridging the record of Ether, Moroni was alone the rest of his life just like Ether was.
The story of Teancum, sneaking into the camp and finding the tent of Amalackiah and then killing him and escaping. But the next time, it was more complicated because he had to climb over a city wall, and find the palace of Ammaron, so after he killed Ammaron the Lamanites killed Teancum.
The main theme of the Book of Mormon: About 34 times it repeats this similar phrase: 1 Nephi 2:20
"Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence."
I've had some pretty demanding callings from which I have gained many blessings. Right now I'm the Primary pianist which is easy for me. When I think of men who are always in leadership and who also work 40 plus hours each week to provide for their families, I feel humbled by their willingness to do whatever they are called to do. I'm sure you recognize many blessings you have received from teaching Seminary!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I didn't have any pressing reason to stop after four years, so I am enjoying the break and realizing it will go fast. After four years it still feels 'wrong' to get up at 4:45, it is so opposite of my biological nature. I get a new team teacher this year, my current one is fledging and accepted the freshman class for next year.
ReplyDeleteIt is certianly time for you to get your business going again, you have certainly been dedicated and sacrificed a lot these past four years.
I certainly endorse that speakers comments about the kids that have attitude and talk, etc. We had up to 28 kids this year and they were mostly good attenders, so it was a big class. This is the tail end of a group of boys that were the nemesis class in primary, cubs and scouts. I had them back then too, first in primary, then in cubs, then as scout committee chair, and . They are great boys, but not easy to have anywhere they have to sit and listen. Two of them were suspended from seminary last year for incorrigible behavior. Next year's class is smaller, so that will be a different dynamic than this year.
I'll be interested to hear what your next calling will be. That unknown is one of the things that keeps me where I am, funny as that sounds.