Reflection 2

Teaching

Now that we've actually gotten a taste of teaching, I'm wondering how it will compare to the "real world". Thus far our teaching has been for just 5 minute segments in front of a classroom of our peers... While each time has made me somewhat nervous, it makes me wonder about teaching in front of a classroom full of students that we will be responsible for for an hour to three hours at a time.

Is my message getting across to my peers? Is my message sticking with them? Can I say at the end of the day that their messages have stuck with me? We're all here to learn, but what about students that don't want to be there? Where is the line between entertaining, teaching and learning?

I think back to something that John Bytheway once said at a live BYU Education Week class. He was up on the podium teaching us in a much more bland manner than he had been all week. He usually left us with some of his personal "music" but realized that his time was running out. He informed us that he didn't have time to sing that day and was received with a wave of disappointment. He then proceeded to chasten us for missing the point of his lesson. We weren't supposed to be there to be entertained, we were supposed to be there to grow a deeper understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to get closer to our Savior by doing so. I left thinking about how I would return to my classes at school. I wouldn't go back with the thought of "Entertain me" but with the intent of "I'm here to learn, please aid me in doing so."

Now I'm preparing to be on the other side of that pulpit, and now I find myself asking the same question that John Bytheway asked himself that night; where is the line of Entertaining vs Learning?