One
of
your goals
as
a teacher
should be
to encourage
those
you
teach
to have
their own experiences
in
the scriptures
—both
individually
and
with
their families.
As effective as
your class time
may be,
it
cannot make up for
individual and family scripture study
—times
when
the Spirit
can teach
people
personally.
In
many ways,
your success
as a teacher
depends on
how effectively
you
help and encourage
class members
to learn
on their own.
Encourage
Personal and Family Gospel Study
While
your Sunday class
should not be
the main setting
in
which
class members
learn
the gospel,
it
should be
a place
where
they
receive
encouragement and inspiration
to study
the gospel
on their own
and with their families.
There are
many ways
you
can encourage
personal and family study
at
home.
One Gospel Doctrine teacher
decided
that
she
would reserve
the first few minutes
of
every lesson
for
class members
to share
anything
that
inspired
them
from
their personal or family scripture reading.
At first
only a few
were willing to
share.
But
as
their teacher
continued with
this pattern,
more and more class members
began
sharing.
One class member
observed,
“Our teacher
wasn’t inviting
us
to read
so
her lesson
would go
better;
she
was inviting
us
to read
because
she
knew
it
would bless
our lives.
Then,
once
we
saw
that
what
God
had taught
us
from
the scriptures
was
important
to
her,
it
made
a huge difference.
I
definitely
read
the scriptures
with
more purpose
now.”
Another way
to encourage
personal and family scripture study
is
to invite
members
to share
something
they
learned
in class
with
their family members, and
friends
Questions
to ponder
What
can
I
do
to encourage
learners
to study
the gospel
on their own?
How
can
I
do
this
if
I
teach
young children?
Scripture example
What
impresses
me
about
Nephi’s words
in
1 Nephi 15:23–25?
How
can
I
follow
his example
in
my teaching?
Help
Learners
Support
Each Other
Some people
do not study
the scriptures
at
home
because
they
think
that
scripture study
is
too difficult.
Others
may not clearly understand
the blessings
that
come from
gospel learning
at home.
You
can help
to overcome
both
of
these obstacles
by
creating
a class environment
where
learners
support and encourage
each other
and feel comfortable
sharing
helpful ideas and experiences.
In
one Gospel Doctrine class
that
was studying
the Old Testament,
an elderly brother
expressed
frustration
with
trying to understand
the book
of
Isaiah.
The teacher
thanked
him
for
his honest comment
and asked
the rest
of
the class
what
advice
they
might give.
Several class members
shared
scripture study strategies
and inspiring experiences
they
had
with
studying
the words
of
Isaiah.
A class member
recalled,
“We all
rallied around
this brother.
There was
an amazing spirit
of
unity
in
the room.
We
truly felt like
we
were
all
in
it
together.”
Question
to ponder.
What
could
I
do
to inspire
my class
to share
ideas
about
how
to have
meaningful experiences
with
the scriptures?
Scriptural example.
What
does
it
mean
for
“all
[to] be edified of
all”?
(D&C 88:122).
How
can
I
encourage
learners
to desire
to edify
one another
during
class discussions?