Notes from "Teach the Children"

A tantalizing tidbit before you start studying!

"The purpose of education is to help man reestablish proper relationships with himself, his origins, his fellow men, and his living God." pg 215

"Most of us preoccupy ourselves with what we are going to do during the upcoming class time.  More productive is the concern with what are the students going to do.  Emphasis on the latter stimulates the teacher to consider how to invite learning involvement.  Student rather than the teacher of the subject matter become the focal point in planning." pg 221

"In moral matters, teachers are their own best teaching tool.  And personal morality applies to the teaching of any subject. The effective agency teacher teach all subjects as components of character....this is the optimum kind of teaching  to influence character.  As they radiate, teachers give of themselves to others without demanding any return.  They lose themselves in service, and in so doing find their best self.  Free from the numbing fear shown in stage fright, lack of confidence, and the inhibition of self-consciousness, teachers join the students on their side of the fence, see life through their eyes and enjoy sharing in their experiences." pg 227

Referring to the power of a teacher who reaches out with love to their students, "Students have access to this same power...Students love expressed toward teachers has the power to lift those teachers above their own limitations.  Students who reach out and embrace the good a teacher has to offer may find that their learning will exceed the limitations of both themselves and their teacher." pg 228

After a great break-down of why the lenses (pg 234-236...Leadership Academy is the "morality/fifth aspect" he refers to on page 231 and then expounds on 238), Flinders says: "Too often, teachers and students become lost in the curricular means and fail to recognize that it is the general capacity and not a particular application of the capacity that we need to develop.  The details of school studies are soon forgotten; it is the expanded capacity that remains to enrich our lives." (pg 237)

Pg 272 he addresses how to have an effective interview between mentor and student, along with some great questions about evaluating the relative "importance" of creating as part of the educational process. I find my children are natural creators after being exposed to information in a spiritual, impactful experience and the process of creating may be beautifully summed up in the book "Get Busy Beaver"....basically, sometimes you cannot measure the creative process by "normal" standards and may be frustrating.  Great section to read...through 281: "Creativity is simply the act of organizing existing elements for some purpose."

"Education (is) the conscious and intentional interaction with the messages of others...If there are no messages, there can be no education...Effectively connecting messages and purposes is the trademark of good scholarship." pg 304

"True scholarship is open, inviting participation from all who are willing and interested." pg 305

"True scholars create, report, explain, and clarify; they listen, comprehend, confirm, correct, and reject.  To engage in debate, disputation, argument, contention, self-serving salesmanship, and other forms of intellectual compulsion is not scholarship--it is rhetoric...honestly revealing information that may be personally validated or invalidated by others is scholarship....In this type of environment positive relationships rather than adversarial relationships are fostered." pg 309-310

"If you are a humble follower of all truth, the doors are wide open.  The Lord will help us use our talents to inspire one another in all kinds of things." (quoting David Allan on page 311)  Powerful personal examples from others on page 311-315, a mom, a teacher, and a scientist.

Page 320-321: How to prepare for classes
Make the experience before class and during interactive: page 323

Protectors of the Environment

That's what we are as mentors: protectors of the environment. 

And I don't mean like Green Peace or treehuggers.

Our job as mentors in Vanguard is to create and protect and environment of respect and inspiration that will allow the youth to find and explore their God-given genius--using their agency--and to learn enough principles of freedom to be able to protect their rights to use than genius.

I have been reflecting on this truth a great deal as I head into the new year.  As a protector, it is not always an easy, safe, or comfortable job.  However, as I turned to the scriptures this morning to try and keep my purpose Christ-like, I felt directed to the following two scriptures:

3 Nephi 12:48/Matt. 5:48: Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. ("Perfect" in the original Greek:"complete, finished, fully developed")
High, even idealistic standards!

3 Nephi 27:21: ...for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.

My mind went to the cleansing of the temple, one of the few times we see Christ full of wrath and indignation in the scriptures.  He was protecting the sanctity of the environment of the temple, and we should do the same with our classes.

Cell phone use, attendance, behavior in class and treatment of peers...these are all hard and challenging issues and must be considered on a group by group basis.

However, we must not be afraid to expect standards in the group that protect that learning environment.  We do not ask for a $1000/semester tuition, but I feel that the quality of what we can offer is worth the commitment of time and sacrifice that high, idealistic standards demand.   We must be mindful of this so that our groups do not deteriorate into play-dates for our youth...unless that is what you want, of course :).   

Remember that rules and standards are not terrible if righteously established and followed through with.   In fact, it is moral rules and standards that made our nation great. It is religious rules and standards that demand the sacrifice it takes for sanctification.  Every institution and organization has basic standards that define it and establish a ground level for its membership.

As we review or establish our bylaws for the year, may we prayerfully consider what kind of environment we feel is necessary in our group to protect the mission of Vanguard:

We will engage in a respectful and inspiring peer environment that will not only help us grow in our faith, but will help us feel free to develop our unique strengths

as well as a passion for learning that will allow us to better ourselves, our families, our communities, and, ultimately, the world.

(Check out the quote by Orson Whitney on page 229 of "Teach the Children"...it goes beautifully with this and expands on the instructor's role to "cultivate, nourish, care for and protect [the student], places them in those conditions where they can best expand according to the laaws of their own being.")