Micro-Training # 08
Love those you teach
See learners the way God sees them
Theme
How to learn to better love the people we teach.
Illustrate
When you love as the Savior loves, you see others as He sees them. Christlike love inspires a teacher to never give up in helping each young man and woman to become truly converted.
As you strive to see those you teach as God sees them, you will recognize their divine worth, and the Spirit will teach you what to do to help them achieve their potential.
It is essential that you focus on each student’s divine identity and potential, see them as contributors, and empower them to learn for themselves by faith. If the youth sense that you trust them, their confidence in their divine potential will grow, and they will surprise you with what they can accomplish.
President J. Reuben Clark Jr. described some characteristics of seminary and institute students:
“The youth of the Church are hungry for things of the Spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted …
“… You do not have to sneak up behind this spiritually experienced youth and whisper religion in his ears; you can come right out, face to face, and talk with him. You do not need to disguise religious truths with a cloak of worldly things; you can bring these truths to him openly.”
(The Charted Course of the Church in Education, rev. ed. [1994], 3, 9)
At times, students’ appearance, behavior, or response to gospel learning may seem to indicate that they are not “hungry for things of the Spirit.” It is especially important under these circumstances for teachers to exercise faith in President Clark’s teachings.
Elder Henry B. Eyring offered this reassuring promise:
“Our students may not know that they are fainting from famine, but the words of God will slake a thirst they did not know they had, and the Holy Ghost will take it down into their hearts”
(“We Must Raise Our Sights” [CES conference on the Book of Mormon, Aug. 14, 2001], 3).
Invitation to act
Strive to discern the divine potential of your students and to see them not as they are, but as they can become.
Share your thoughts, experiences or questions with other teachers on your stake teacher's WhatsApp group.
If you would like to spend more time on this topic, I invite you to do the proposed exercise by clicking on this button.
