I'm Not a Teacher, But I Try

Derek and I love coming back to Graham in the winter time so that we can spend time with family, take a break from school, and save up money! We live with my parents during this break, and as such, we go to their ward. My dad is the Bishop of the ward. That being said, we get callings for the three and a half month period that we are here. I'm not complaining. I love it! Last year I was called to be the Primary Pianist, and it was a blast. This year, Derek and I got called as teachers for the 14-15 year old Sunday School.

I am not a teacher.

I'm pretty sure I don't end up looking like
this guy on the outside. But sometimes I feel this
way on the inside.

Sure, I taught piano lessons in junior high and high school to earn money, and I may have tutored a few kids here and there in math and science. 

But I do not consider myself a teacher.

I can do an okay job if I'm working one-on-one with a student. However, place me in front of a group and I'm not going to speak clearly. My words will assuredly become jumbled. And I will not be able to stop fidgeting. 

It's terrible.

Derek and I were called to teach this class together. But, with Derek in Arizona now, I teach by myself. And let me tell you, I feel intimidated. I'm not all that much older than the kids in my class, and yet somehow I'm supposed to impart knowledge and wisdom during 40 minutes in which I spend a lot of time trying to speak over soft chatter.

But, I try. I do my best, and honestly, I think I do a pretty good job for someone who doesn't like to teach big groups. 

Now, teaching every Sunday forces me to prepare a lesson each week. In preparing the lessons, I first read the chapters that the lesson will be covering, and then read the lesson, and then re-read the chapters in order to see how everything ties together, all the while making notes in the margins of my paper. While this task causes a tiny bit of anxiety about teaching, I love having a calling that forces me to really read the scriptures. It's amazing how much more I get out of them when I read them not just because I know I should, but because I know I need to be able to communicate what those verses are really trying to teach us. I need to be able to apply the principles to the lives of teenagers. 

I re-read the chapters this morning as I was riding the bike in the bonus room. It never ceases to amaze me how easily I find new things in the scriptures, and how many things we can learn from them each time we read. I had just read the same five chapters two days ago, but this morning I still got a lot from them.

I love reading the scriptures. And I love my calling. I wish I could say that I love teaching. I like it. It's something that forces me to grow.

So while I may not be a teacher, I try my best to communicate efficiently to the teenage minds that sit  in front of me with blank stares on their faces. That isn't easily achieved, but I think I can do it. 

I'm not a teacher, but I try.