Everything changed at October General Conference – at least for the youth and anyone who works with them, The reduced age requirements of 18/19 make everything we do with the youth – as parents and church leaders – more important, and more urgent.
Better. Stronger. Faster.
or maybe Better. Stronger. Sooner.
So who has the “Bully Pulpit” in teaching our youth? (FYI, “Bully Pulpit” is a phrase coined by Teddy Roosevelt that means a position that provides an outstanding opportunity to speak out, and be listened to on any issue. The term “Bully” is not like the kid who stole your lunch in elementary school, it is means ‘wonderful’ as in “Bully for you.”)
What’s your guess? Who has the Bully Pulpit for our youth? Who is actually in front of our youth teaching them the most?
That’s easy! President Monson, right? Wrong. Our kids maybe hear from President Monson 2-3 hours a year.
Well then it has to be the Bishop, right? Wrong again. Between talks and firesides the Bishop might get to teach the youth 4-5 hours a year.
I made a series of highly scientific guesses to figure out who has the most face-time teaching our kids.
1) Seminary Teacher: 120 hours per year. 40 minutes per school day, 180 days a year. Think your kids don’t need to be in Seminary? Think again.
2) Mom & Dad: 110 hours per year. Sadly, home is not where your teenagers will get the most religious instruction. Some teenagers are rarely home. Even if you are trying hard and doing what is counseled, it doesn’t add up to much time. A realistic take? Family scripture study – 12 min per day, 300 days a year. FHE 1 hour per week, 50 weeks per year (1/2 of them activities) Spontaneous religious discussions 30 minutes per week. Hopefully you have a good head start from when they were younger.
3) Sunday School Instructor: 30 hours per year. 40 minutes per Sunday, 45 weeks a year. Solid teaching time – no fluff, no filler. In theory.)
4) YM/YW Leaders: 17 hours per year. This is a little more convoluted. 30 minutes each Sunday lesson, 1 hour each week for Mutual. 45 weeks per year: 67.5 hours max. But, in reality, it doesn’t work that way. Mutual is rarely about teaching doctrine or things that matter. In some wards it is merely a playtime with dodgeballs or fingernail polish. In my opinion, one of the greatest tragedies of the Church is wasted Mutual time. But I digress… (I’ve already written about it here, and here.)
Opening exercises use up a lot of time YW and Priesthood on Sunday, usually leaving the teacher with less than 30 minutes to teach – and this time is usually split or rotated among 2-3 instructors, advisors, etc. Because of this, I’m going with this math: Sunday lesson time, 30 minutes per week, 45 weeks per year. Mutual 1 hour per month, 34.5 hours split by 2 people ending up with about 17 hours.
What jumps out at you? Sunday School. Did you think that the lowly Sunday School teacher has more facetime with your kids that anyone else, other than you or the Seminary teacher?
You might have already thought about this, but I never really “got it” until I made the switch from being Gospel Doctrine instructor to Bishop. I quickly realized that I had much more time with the adults of the ward as a Sunday School teacher, and I missed it. Sure, as a Bishop, I could speak in Church, have 5th Sunday meetings, and firesides, but nothing nearly as consistent as teaching Gospel Doctrine.
If you do the same math above for adults, you take out #1, #2 and #4, and you are left with the stark realization that the person in your life who is in front of you teaching the gospel most is your Gospel Doctrine teacher. (Bishops take note.)
Now in the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I am currently serving as a Sunday School instructor for a class of teenagers – most of which have declared their intentions to serve missions. It is a great calling, and I wouldn’t mind being here for a long time. It is a great place to be at an exciting time.
When President Monson announced the missionary age changes, I immediately knew that it would impact me in my calling., I would have to do things differently. I am sure I’m not alone. I have been making some changes, contemplating others.
Here are a few thoughts about being a Sunday School. (Feel free to cross-apply it to any teaching calling.) I know that all of you aren’t in that calling – but you might be – and most of you are in those classes, or have kids in those classed, so I broke it down into three categories: Sunday School Instructors, Parents & Youth.
• Learn about the new youth curriculum, Come Follow Me, that will be implemented in January. Link here. If we start learning and implementing the methods now, we will be that much ahead in January.
• Consume the manual “Teaching: No Greater Call.” Link here. Read it. Learn it. Live it.
• Recognize a sense of urgency and importance. There is no longer time for spending the whole class playing hangman. Same for trashcan basketball, or any other time-wasters. This time is precious and valuable! We need to use it productively.
• We have 30 hours a year to teach the Gospel to those preparing missionaries. They have one or two years less to prepare than they used to. How will we use it? How much will we waste chatting, playing, or having fake “review lessons” because we are unprepared? We need to make a commitment to be an excellent, prepared teacher.
• Have the Spirit with you. “And if ye receive not the Spirit, ye shall not teach.” D&C 42:14 It requires both worthiness and preparation to deserve His help.
• Prepare by learning the doctrine, but also by figuring out a way to present it so that it will “stick.” in their minds and hearts. I do not mean fancy handouts, or cutesy fluff. I mean stories, experiences, object lessons. The “spice” to brighten up a lesson, and capture attention.
• Leave the treats and cookies at home. Send them off with something better, instead of having the final takeaway from the lesson be cookies. (You also set an unfair precedent for the teacher that gets them next.)
• Acknowledge that when you “wing it” because of lack of preparation, we aren’t nearly as good as we’d like to think we are. In my opinion, those think they excel at “winging it” usually just ramble a lot. Hint: If you are seeing the lesson in manual for the first time in Sacrament meeting, you have already blown it. Also, if you are reading the lesson out of the manual during the lesson, you could do better.
• Challenge your class members to do something every week: Write in their journal, do some service, go to the temple – something to encourage them to stretch and actually apply the concept they learned that day.
• Involve the youth in the actual teaching of the class every week. Have them take turns. Give them an assignment to teach a concept from the lesson. Offer to help them prepare well in advance.
• Testify with the Spirit, so your youth can feel it, and learn how to do it.
• Remind your kids to take their scriptures to Church.
• Have family scripture study and FHE regularly. Sunday School should be a reenforcement of things they have already learned in your home. They should rarely come home with some major doctrine or teaching that is new to them.
• Talk about what they learned in Sunday School – preferably around the dinner table. (Link here) I deleted the rest of this bullet, because it was so long I figured it should be its own mini-post. I’ll put it up later.
• Know what they are learning. Once in a while you will find that they have been taught faulty doctrine, or misunderstood something that you will need to correct. (Which means you know the correct doctrine.)
• Don’t be afraid to talk to your teenagers teacher, should there be specific needs or challenges that would be helpful for the teacher to know about.
• Bring your scriptures to Church. You need them. Preferably hard copy – because you won’t be using your iPhone in the mission field.
• Ask questions, and look at Sunday School as an opportunity to really learn.
• Put away the phone.
• If a teacher says “Go home and read…” Do it!
• Really, put away the phone.
• Flaunt your maturity. Don’t chat with each other when the teacher is talking. Be polite. And awake.
• Take challenges and assignments seriously. THey will help you gain a greater understanding of the concept being taught – and this models exactly what you will be doing in the mission field.
• When asked to participate in teaching the class, do it happily and willingly! This is excellent mission prep in a safe zone. This is what missionaries do: Teach gospel principles with the Spirit. You can too. Start now.
Teaching Sunday School is one of the best callings in the Church, and it is now more important than ever. We have these youth for a short season, and then they are gone. Let’s up our level of commitment, preparation, and Spirituality.
I hope you have a great Sabbath, and particularly enjoy Sunday School.
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Ughhhh… this made me think….contrast that to how many hours a year are spent on pop culture– movies, music, social media— again ughhh.
This sounds like a good FHE lesson to start out the new year.
Loved this post. Want to print it out, enlarge it, and then paste it on the walls of the classrooms where our youth S-S classes are held. I do not think my children need to have cakes and snacks every other week, or spend time with funny scripture chases (like Jeremiah’s indigestion)…. I can’t wait for next year’s curriculum changes!! I am gearing up for it now preparing to teach our YW. Awesome changes.
Excellent post, guidelines and comments.
Just wanted you to know I posted about this post on my LDS-YW blog. Great job! You said everything perfectly. Thank you again!!
http://lds-yw.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-is-wise-man.html
You hit the nail on many heads with this post MMM. I have thought the same thing. We have GOT to step up our game! I too am frustrated with the waste of time mutual activities have become but I find that right now, I am outnumbered in the leaders who want to be friends and have fun versus the ones that feel an urgency to raise the bar.
That said, and this applies to everyone whether or not you work directly with the youth – Man up! Everyone is responsible for their own examples and believe it or not, our youth are watching us. 4th quarter baby, no fouling out now!
Thank you so much for this. I would love to hear any suggestions you have for parents who see that their children’s classes are playing Hangman a little more often than one would hope. (We are in a ward that Pres. Uchtdorf might classify as a Piper Cub :).
I would have a kind, gentle talk with the ward Sunday School President. Tell him your concerns, and go from there.
Great post! Thanks!
As I learned about the new curriculum for the youth I was overjoyed. And I realized just how important the teachers for the youth are and how they are going to need to step it up. I am not a teacher of the youth, but I am trying to take the time to use the new curriculum for my personal study and in turn teach it to my young children. Thanks for the post. You put words to my thoughts.
I’ve just been called into Primary, and I’m going to be teaching the oldest kids in the new year. I feel like this advice applies to me as well, and I’m glad you took the time to write it out!
Unknown Susan – what an amazing story. That really touched my heart.
My husband and I spent the weekend at an area Scout training event with General YM President Beck. I was impressed that the talks he gave didn’t really deal with Scouting; they dealt with preparing young men to be honorable Priesthood holders. He also gave a six-stake youth fireside, where he told the youth straight out that he was modeling the new teaching standards. He’d ask a question and then invite several of the teenagers to come to the pulpit and respond. It was wonderful! At the request of one of the girls, in seminary this morning we reviewed the fireside for those who didn’t attend, putting into practice the same methods. Our CES coordinator is always reminding us that teachers are to be “a guide on the side” not “a sage on the stage.” It’s a real treat to see the light bulb go off as the Spirit teaches these youth directly, and they then share it with others. Now, if I could only figure out how to get the couple boys in the back to participate in the process!
I honestly didn’t mean that last comment to sound critical or snarky . . . I just meant that with the recent conference announcement, it was really only our PERCEPTION of urgency that changed . . . The urgency was ALWAYS there, even when boys got to wait til the ripe old age of nineteen and girls, twenty one, to serve missions . . .
And to be honest, there never WAS ‘time’ for hangman . . .
WOW, unknown . . . what an incredibly inspiring story . . . Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I’m excited about the new youth curriculum, and hope that our ward has sufficient training and cooperation among youth leaders and Sunday School teachers to make it work as well as it can. When I was in a position to have a say in such matters, I worked hard to be sure we had the very best teachers available to teach our youth. Your post reinforces the idea that Sunday School is not a place to park difficult-to-place folks for an “easy” calling (who ever said teaching youth was easy??).
I’m fortunate to live in a ward where the ward council is pretty awesome, so my hopes are very high on this one. One of my “turn around” teachers in my youth was a Sunday School teacher. In fact, she was probably the most influential to me at the time.
Sometimes your comments make it so obvious you were a bishop. Only a bishop would know to write: “Your post reinforces the idea that Sunday School is not a place to park difficult-to-place folks for an “easy” calling.”
Love it.
Good stuff, here, but to emphasize one of your points with a little twist of my own: Learn the Gospel, but spend at least as much time seeking out and un-learning all of the folk-doctrine, gospel-hobbies and feel-good history you probably think is the Gospel. It may be true (other than the feel-good history, that’s just pap), but it is not essential if you can’t find the topic in the Gospel Principles manual. So don’t teach it as official and essential doctrine if it’s not. Period. No matter how much you may like it.
The essentials of the Gospel are not hidden — they are put before you over and over, in all their boring repetition. And are very poorly understood — none moreso than the Atonement, Grace, and Repentance, which are the very heart of the Gospel. You know, the part that Jesus came into the world to make possible.
If you’re teaching the Gospel of perfection, obedience, self-reliance, avoiding looking evil, and you’re not teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and him crucified, and our absolute dependence on his Grace, beyond everything we can do, then you’re teaching false doctrine. Not because it isn’t true (some of it really isn’t), but because you are teaching good things, dabbling into the better, and leaving the very best on the table. All of those other things have value only to the degree that they have been given value by the mission of the Savior, and to the degree that they help us find our way to him. If we don’t do that, none of them matter at all.
Also.
Do not let this sense of urgency be an excuse for not making your teaching live, interesting and, as appropriate, fun. If you are able to say or do something each week that keeps those kids coming back the next week, and it’s not actually wrong to say or do, then that matters more than most anything else you could do or say. Getting through the lesson material never matters. Ever. What matters is for those kids to know that somebody notices them, knows them, and cares about them, and that that person has experienced a change of heart and comfort through the Atonement. That the Gospel is alive in the hearts and lives of people. Don’t you dare make it boring, dull, or lifeless. They’ve got God and scriptures available on their own time to talk with, study and ponder — they can learn the lessons they most need to learn on their own, if they see a reason to do so.
Aside from that, I have nothing to say about this.
Susan
I spent almost ten years teaching the 12-14 year old class in several wards. This is a crucial age. Lose their interest in the gospel here, and it can put them on a path away from the gospel for them and their future families. My most memorable class was of 9 boys and 1 girl that had been together since Sunbeams. They all came from good active families, but had never had a full Primary or Sunday School lesson because of the boys’ behavior. They ran some teachers out in the middle of the lesson. A good brother with 20 years experience teaching Sunday School, could not teach them. Their parents never made eye contact in the halls because they were sure I was going to complain about their son’s behavior. Luckily, these boys were all friends of my son, and had often been at our house. (He was in a year younger class) Yes, I am a teacher and spent many years subbing in junior high. (great preparation) But it was the inspiration that poured into me that made the difference. I knew the Lord had his eyes on these boys and wanted them saved. Yes I started with bribes. One Hershey kiss for bringing scriptures, one for participating, one for good behavior. They had to decide what they earned each week. We made the class rules together. They each had a month of being class president and bringing the class to order. The lessons were from the adult Gospel Doctrine manual then. I made sure the lessons included having every boy read at least 2 scripture verses out loud. After two months, even the reluctant readers were reading fluently. I handed out cards with questions and a scripture reference. They could look it up and answer it, or put it to the class. We had awesome scriptural discussions. After two months, we always ran over time, and no one cared about the treats. The whole attitude about church changed for these boys. The lone girl was thrilled to finally get spiritual lessons. I told all their parents what fine young people they had, what great insights they had in the scriptures, because it was true. I bore my testimony and told how much I loved my calling and all the students in my class. When these young men turned 16 and and were worthy Priests blessing the sacrament, my heart about burst. When they went on missions, they were well prepared. Now they are marrying in the temple and raising righteous families. I can see how the inspiration I received to reach these precious souls is in alignment with the new curriculum. I know how important it is to get the youth involved in their own gospel study and in teaching each other. They have great spirits, they have great minds, they are youths, as were Joseph Smith, Samuel and Nephi. And the Lord needs them in His Kingdom. And they need knowledge of the Gospel to do His work.
My husband and I were the 12-13 year old SS teachers in our last ward. We LOVED it! Those kids were sure a handful, but we loved (and still do!) them like our own. It was so amazing to hear their insights and see the light bulbs go on. During the “Plan of Salvation” lesson, they were asking such basic questions, and I realized- they are still babies! They just barely got out of Primary! We really took that calling seriously- and never played hangman once.
One thing about challenges: We would challenge our class to do something every week, but I think we should have been better about following up on those challenges the next week.
Also, we handed out cards for the class to right any questions they had (so they wouldn’t have to worry about feeling stupid). If we didn’t know the answer to someone’s question, we would right it down, and tell them answer the next week. They did an excellent job not turning their cards it airplanes (surprisingly).
I could go on forever. I know how extremely important Sunday School is. I sure loved that calling. I miss my kids.
I agree! So good, MMM.
Spot on. When I heard about the new curriculum for next year I went online and read the information. I sat back and thought, “I’m going from Sunday School instructor to MTC instructor.” I teach the 14-15 year olds and each week as I prepare I feel an increased urgency to learn and grow and look for inspired ways for the youth to learn to apply doctrine to living.
This was a great post. Thanks for the insight.
I need to go back and find my notes on this, but it was during an LDS-Scouting relations broadcast about 5 years ago, that several of the apostles were talking about the role of bishops in working with the youth. I’m going to say it was Elder Oaks, but I know it was one of the 12, said that a bishop’s primary function is two-fold, to be a common judge and to work with the youth. Everything else should be delegated. The youth piece can’t be delegated because of the bishop’s stewardship/keys as president of the Aaronic Priesthood, and similarly the judge role is his alone. Everything else should be delegated. Let someone else plan ward parties, deal with sick widows, monitor home teaching percentages, set budgets, etc.
Very eye opening. Thank you!
Timely post here. My husband and I just got called to teach the 16-18 year old Gospel Doctrine class and we’re trying to find our groove. I think youth today have (for the most part) spent their whole lives learning the gospel. They don’t need to be asked “SO how did Nephi respond when they were told to get the plates? How should we respond?” They need to get to the meat of the gospel. We’re still trying to figure out how to best present that. Excited about the new curriculum, too, I think it will be a good fit for our teaching style and our class.
Great points, and it reminds me of some of the same back-of-the-napkin math that was done concerning the Missionary Gospel Study Program; figuring that if a missionary followed the program for 2 years, they would go home with some 40+ years of doctrinal, sunday school equivalent hours.
But I think the YM/YW comments are a bit under-emphasized. In other studies the church research department conducted years ago, they found that a youth’s YM/YW leader had the most impact on the youth next to their friends (and in reality, I believe the actual results indicated that their leaders had MORE of an impact than friends). That is astonishing. But the impact doesn’t come from chalk talk.
I think the difference comes from understanding what has an impact on those teenagers. Doctrine is certainly important, but the doctrine they need and respond to most are not outlines of the organization of divinity as much as having modeled for them a righteous, adult example. That is the kind of teaching that lasts a lifetime.
That’s one reason why scout leaders are so very important, and need to be more than weeknight, pickup basketball coaches. I love that quote from President Kimball that goes something like, “Boys need lots of heroes like Lincoln and Washington. But they also need to have some heroes close by. They need to know some man of towering strength and basic integrity,personally. They need to meet them on the street, to hike and camp with them, to see them in close-to-home, everyday, down-to-earth situations; to feel close
enough to them to ask questions and talk things over man-to-man with them.”
And of course, as you point out, the Spirit is what matters most – so the most important is how we spend those hours, not playing hangman, but in helping them to feel and recognize and ACT on the impressions of the Holy Ghost.
Thanks for all your work. I appreciate it.
Pt
I was careful not to make the point that time=impact. This post was about formal teaching time, or it would have included people like Joseph Smith, Jesus – and the parents and friends would have had a much larger influence. Having said that, I think your points about influence and heroes are accurate.
I’m feeling every minute of that 120 hours. My first thought regarding the new missionary service age was that many missionaries will go straight from Seminary to the MTC-no more Institute or Book of Mormon religion classes at a Church college. All 24 of my students are focused on serving missions…no pressure here…not.
I love seeing the work moving forward and the urgency that people are feeling (as am I). My seven children are age 11 and under right now so we’ll hit YW next year with our oldest. I love the new curriculum and have been reading through and soaking it in.
I found your time comparisons of influence on our children to be interesting! I think Seminary can be a wonderful influence. It was for me personally, though I did home study for part of it, I was finally able to attend early morning Seminary my Senior year. Great things! Some of us really are the ones who spend the most time teaching our children doctrine – we homeschool. It’s not for everyone by any means, but this is another blessing of homeschooling – having more time day to day and year to year to teach, talk with, and guide our children from a gospel perspective in real life.
My oldest is only 9, but we’ve been feeling the time crunch lately. If we have so little time with them as teenagers, we have no time to waste when their younger either. We’ve already stepped up the FHEs and BofM study.
A truly great article and yet another reminder that this is it my children, the last days are on countdown.
My husband had a stalwart LDS grandmother who could tell wonderful pioneer stories but the thing that I heard from her more then once was this…’All of my life the church has taught preparedness, preparedness & that this is the last days but I’ve never needed the food storage and the world is still going strong.’ Well Nana those days are here and I’m grateful to know what I know.
Wow these numbers are crazy. what stands out for me is how much time I won’t get with them when they get older. I need to make sure I take plenty of advantage of the time I have with my 4 and 1 year old now before my face time is drastically reduced.
I think it would be awesome to teach Sunday School to a pack of hoodlums youth. I love your suggestions, especially of parents following up on what kids learned. And I think that’s true of any age. Sometimes little kids misunderstand things, and sometimes big kids do to. Plus, I know that I occasionally had Sunday School teachers (or YW leaders, or speakers in sacrament meeting) say some crazy stuff, so it’s important for parents to clarify those sorts of things.
Thank you for this post–I teach the 16-18 yr. old Sunday School class in our ward and my daily prayer is that I will first, have the Spirit as I teach but secondly that I will not waste their precious learning time. Your post was an eye-opener for me to the fact that these kids have a shorter mission preparation time! I hadn’t really made that connection until now. (I think I was still trying to absorb the fact that I will have three missionaries out at once because of the age change!) All the more reason to not waste their precious time.
Thanks for another great post, and thanks, Cortney, for your insights. I am very much looking forward to the new curriculum. It looks like some serious, study-worthy stuff, but I am glad to see it pays out for the kids.
Teaching seminary has been one of the most fulfilling callings ever! {besides Primary chorister- that one is still my favorite} I don’t allow any i-anythings in class, as you mentioned, they need to know how to handle and find scriptures in the real bonafide copy.
Our bishop has a BYD {Bishop’s Youth Discussion} every month with the youth. That’s at least 12 hours there – getting close to the actual doctrine discussions given by the YW/YM leaders. The first year he was bishop he only did it every other month but the youth clamored for more. They love discussing the gospel with him!
The new curriculum is AMAZING!! I’m a YW leader in one of the stakes that has been teaching from it this year. I feel that our youth have grown so much. As a leader/teacher you have to work and prepare so much more with these lessons – and it is worth it! These are not lessons that you can prepare during sacrament. It’s almost like preparing a talk every week. Our YW participate so much more and we have such great discussions about the gospel. I really feel like they are getting so much more out of the lessons. I remember when we first were trained and we watched the video that said the youth should be talking more then the teacher and I thought there is no way. Our girls very rarely would answer questions or participate, but these lessons have really changed how we teach and how they learn. I’ve been amazed at how much they participate and teach each other. This new curriculum and the new missionary ages are truly inspired and I love to be a part of the gospel and witness the effects that modern revelation has on our youth.
Good stuff! and timely, very timely. Thank you