So many factors to consider, so many strategies to try, so many ways to craft a lesson plan to optimize engagement and learning. ⁣⁣

It was fascinating to me. ⁣⁣

Especially because growing up in the church, we put everyone in “teaching” callings and call it a day!⁣⁣

But there is so much research behind how to actually be a good teacher, and it blew my mind. ⁣⁣

I loved learning it, and I loved putting it into practice. ⁣⁣

Here’s the thing about church teaching assignments, though. ⁣⁣

You don’t have to know anything about the most up-to-date pedagogy. ⁣⁣

In one of the most comforting verses for teachers ever, the Lord reminds us:⁣⁣

“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you”. (D&C 88:78⁣)⁣

Diligent teachers have the Lord’s grace with them. ⁣⁣

Grace that covers gaps in teaching skills, or engagement strategies, or even doctrinal knowledge. ⁣⁣

Don’t get me wrong, I still love learning from masterful teachers. ⁣⁣

But I’ve had teachers who focus on entertainment more than bringing the spirit. ⁣⁣

And I’ve had teachers who probably read too much during the lesson, ask obvious questions, or don’t really engage as well as they could, where the Spirit still speaks powerful words to me because I can tell they are doing their best. ⁣⁣

Feel like you aren’t the best teacher, and yet you’ve been asked to teach?⁣⁣

The Lord’s grace will attend you.⁣

I’ve felt this time and time again as I’ve taught, sometimes using my best teaching strategies, and other times being pulled in a totally different direction. ⁣

If we as teachers are diligent in our preparation, both of the material and of our hearts, the Lord’s grace will cover any gaps.⁣

And His Spirit will do the real teaching.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post For the teachers first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I didn’t realize that much thought work, planning, and research went into effective teaching.

But pretty soon I was spending my homework time crafting the perfect inquiry-based math lessons and engaging anticipatory sets for literacy. ⁣

And, with the super analytical brain that I have, I started seeing these teaching patterns everywhere, from my own professors to church teachers! ⁣

I started noticing what my Sunday School teachers, Relief Society teachers, and bishopric members did well when it came to teaching gospel topics. ⁣

I do think that effective teaching strategies matter. ⁣

But at the end of the day, it’s not the most important thing, right?⁣

“That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.” (D&C 1:23)

I’ve learned the gospel from someone who didn’t ask any probing questions. ⁣

I’ve felt the Spirit listening to someone reading a quote completely out of context.

I’ve been bored during a lesson, only to have the Spirit bring one particular sentence the teacher says to my mind. ⁣

The gospel can be proclaimed by the weak and the simple. ⁣

How cool is that?!⁣

And in the most important setting, our home, teaching the gospel in the best ways that we personally can will always be good enough. ⁣

We are good enough to teach our families. ⁣

We are weak. Uneducated in many things. Simple and plain. ⁣

And yet, we can teach the fullness of the gospel.

“Everything that is done in the Church—the leading, the teaching, the calling, the ordaining, the praying, the singing, the preparation of the sacrament, the counseling, and everything else—is done by ordinary members, the ‘weak things of the world.’” – Boyd K. Packer

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Weak teachers  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.