I love teaching. I have been teaching in some form or another since I was in elementary school. I remember spending summer school one year as a peer tutor for an ESL class–and I loved it. I can’t say I am a professional teacher; I didn’t take a single teaching class in college (oh, wait–I took American History for Teachers–does that count?) and I’ve never been to a workshop on how to teach. I just study, prepare (and prepare and prepare) and share. Even in my writing and speaking, it is always my goal to teach.
Though I am not formally trained, I have done a lot of personal study on how to teach and when I saw this new book by Gerald N. Lund called In Tune: The Role of the Spirit in Teaching and Learning, it jumped right to the top of my reading list. I am always looking for help to improve my teaching abilities and refine my teaching style.
Even though I love to teach and I have been teaching most of my life, I often feel slightly inadequate as a teacher, which probably explains my overpreparing. I worry that I won’t be effective, that I won’t be clear enough, that I won’t sufficiently convey the point. I worry that I’m not “doing it right.”
And that is exactly what this book addresses. This book answered so many questions for me and made me feel better about my teaching–and my preparation for teaching. The book starts out by explaining what it means to teach and learn by the spirit and how we do that. The second section explains the different functions of the Holy Ghost as they relate to teaching, including edifying, strengthening and testifying; and bestowing the gifts of the Spirit. The next section covers putting these principles into action–how to use them and how it all works.
One of the things I especially appreciated was Gerald Lund’s frequent reiteration of the fact that not all teaching is formal and takes place in a classroom. He often illustrates how we can teach one-on-one, in a casual conversation, and in other informal settings–and how good teaching not only helps the students to learn but edifies and teaches the teacher as well.
This is a book that is meant to be read, reviewed and studied more than once. I can definitely see myself referring back to it when my teaching feels ineffective. This book is an excellent addition to the library of anyone who seeks to teach with inspiration, whether they are teaching gospel topics or other subjects. Gerald Lund’s 35-plus years of teaching experience are felt throughout the book, which is clearly written and illustrated with many personal stories and experiences with teaching drawn from his life and career. After explaining each principle, the personal experiences and examples illustrate each principle making them more easily understood and helping the reader to see how they can implement those principles in their own teaching.
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