I wanted a new picture up as the first thing you see other than the pile of laundry. I don't like looking at it when I see my own blog!
Also, I wanted to write about my spiritual feast of a Saturday, so I chose this funny picture of me with an alligator since a picture of myself sitting in a classroom would be pretty boring.
So, if you haven't seen the church film about "spiritual crocodiles," it's worth the search. Go watch it, just so you can understand my title if nothing else. : )
I had an all day conference about being a good seminary teacher with seminary and institute teachers from all over Oklahoma and Texas. I was expecting great, and was more than satisfied. We feasted on the Spirit the entire time.
Some of the most important things I learned are:
1) If you are teaching a doctrine and the Spirit is present, the individuals in the room can learn both about the topic you are teaching and/OR whatever it is that they are searching for and have need of understanding in their own lives. The example this wonderful leader used for us was: how many times while sitting in the temple have we had light and understanding or answers to difficult questions answered even though our minds are focused on a completely separate doctrine. This has happened to many on several occasions and really helped me to understand this principle.
2) The students need to be speaking 50% of the class time. The students will teach each other far more than what I can try to dump in their brains from my own reading.
3) Your lesson won't go any better with 3 or 6 hours of preparation time than it will with 30-45 minutes. Focus on a topic, get the background information, LEAD a discussion.
4) Give the students ownership of how the class runs. Let them do the attendance, make follow up calls if someone is missing, talk to those who are tardy, etc. Help them prepare meaningful devotionals and sing the hymns with the understanding that they are what bring the Spirit into the classroom. If things aren't going well, they need to figure out why and fix it. HAVE THEM TAKE TURNS BEING IN CHARGE OF SCRIPTURE MASTERY. (I'd been considering this anyway, now I feel confirmed about that!)
5) There is no right or best way to teach. There are certainly better and more effective ways than others, but I saw for myself that what one teacher did was good for some and what another teacher did was very effective as well, even though it was very different.
6) Set high expectations. I have been trying to do this, but I want to go even higher. Don't make them feel like they have done something great just by being present. To progress and get something from this they have do be willing to work at it. They must participate, READ (ahead of classtime), be prepared to share their testimonies.
7) Speak with confidence. No one talked about this, but I noticed that the most powerful moments to me were when the teacher was speaking with power and confidence.
As a group of seminary teachers we had a lesson about Malachi 3. I learned some great things that I never would have expected to get from that chapter. We talked surprisingly little about tithing, the scripture mastery from that chapter. A little while later, we had a group of actual seminary students come in and they drew names to see who had to teach them from Malachi 3 right then and there in front of everyone. It was amazing to watch how differently each teacher went about things, and yet the Spirit was powerful in each case.
I was very touched by one of the girls testimonies. She was the one who had something to say about everything. She was very polite and would ask, "may I say something?" every time any topic was broached. At the end someone asked a quiet student why he didn't have much to say. He said, "I don't want to be annoying." The teacher who asked this question thought that he was afraid of being annoying to the teacher, but I'm pretty sure he would be more afraid of annoying his peers with being a "peter priesthood" type personality. I had sort of pegged this girl to be a "molly mormon" personality. When this topic came up she told us that at school she if actually very shy and rarely speaks her mind. She considers herself strange to them and doesn't want to feel foolish. She shared that she's not afraid to open her mouth and speak when she is among her brothers and sisters in the gospel. I was amazed at this. I was certainly not expecting her to say she was shy, I was shocked really. These kids truly make a difference in one another's lives. I know that I saw it in my own life at their age.
After the meetings I had a little bit of time before attending a birthday party, so I went to Target, despite my desire to avoid the crazy traffic in the area. I walked straight in to the greeting card aisle (a place you never find me as I practically never purchase the things) and read two cards before turning to see an old friend from high school, Kimra. I have been thinking about her a lot lately and didn't know where to begin trying to find her again. I drive by her old neighborhood frequently and always wonder where in the world she might be these days. Lo and behold, we meet by chance (?) in the greeting card aisle of Target 40 minutes in different directions away from where we live! She now has two boys and stays home with them. I am so excited to be reconnected to her and hope that we can find time to get together and catch up even more. This is, I think, what Mimi would call a butterfly moment, or Elder Bednar would call a "tender mercy of the Lord."
After our painting incident the other day I had not one, but two separate flour incidents. The first was Lincoln knocking over a box of pancake mix, almost right after I posted about the paint. The second came later in the evening. I made some homemade corn tortillas and had left the flour on the counter... Jackson found it and had a great time throwing handfuls all around the kitchen.
