Teach them to Understand

I know it has been a while since I have posted and I am sorry for that. I have been under the gun with the end of summer, clients, and Church lessons. Last week I taught Gospel Doctrine (I was called to this earlier this summer) and the Relief Society (I got that call on Saturday night at 9:30pm) and this week I am giving a talk. :)

My talk today is entitled "Teach them to Understand" and really covers my lessons last week - the importance or really critical responsibility of teaching our children the gospel. But it is not just teaching them, but teaching them to understand.

My talk today is based on a talk given by Elder David A. Bednar in 1998 at Education Week at Ricks College. Click here for this talk. This is one of the most incredible talks I have read. Please read it and be fed like I have been today.

This talk incorporates a lot of what I do for my work. I know a lot of you really don't know or understand what I do and sometime I will fill you (don't have time now), but it incorporates a lot of teaching principles of success for my specific industry. Many years ago when I was living in Provo and working at Morinda (now called Tahitian Noni), I was trying to decide what to do when we moved back home to the Pacific Northwest. As I prayed and pondered about it, I really felt inspired that I should become a teacher. At that time, I had NO desire to become a teacher. So, I prayed that if that was the right thing for me, then I would have a desire to do that. And of course, my prayers were answered. I grew a desire to teach.

It is funny because at that time, with my limited perspective, I saw teaching as become a classroom teacher. I see now that that was not the case. I am a teacher now, but in my own profession, not in the classroom. And I am a teacher in my home and at church. I love to teach. One of the most important aspects of teaching is to help the students, whoever they may be (children or adults, church or profession or family) to Understand. You cannot truly know a principle or doctrine if you do not understand the Why and How. Knowing the answer is not enough. You have to understand.

Again, read this talk. It will be time well spent.

:)