7

Overcome Challenges through Choices

Take notes and answer questions here.

Review

You make choices every day to go to school, listen in to your teachers, and do your schoolwork. How do these choices help you do better in school?

Learn

Heavenly Father has given each of us the power to make choices through the gift of agency. There are some things in your life that you cannot control or change. However, there are other things that you can control. You can control how you respond to the situations you are in. You can go to school every day. You can listen to your teacher and do your best to learn.

illustration of young man wearing a tie

The story below is about a young man named Alex who made good choices so he could continue in his education even when he faced challenges.

Alex lived in a small village in Africa. His parents died when he was young, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle. He helped his uncle work on the farm every evening and went to school during the day.

When Alex was 11 years old, his uncle could no longer pay for his school. Alex wanted to keep going to school, so he grew vegetables that he could sell to pay his school fees. He did not make enough money to buy shoes, so he walked to school each day barefoot. It was very hard, but he knew going to school would mean a better future.

Alex struggled to read. One day, his friend invited him to go to his Church class called “seminary.” Alex went to seminary and listened to the teacher. The teacher used large words and gave him a Book of Mormon to read. Alex decided to keep going to seminary to improve his reading and learn more words. Eventually, as he read the Book of Mormon, Alex received a testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and was baptized. He began to pray for help in his schooling and strength to continue.

In senior high school, Alex continued to sell vegetables to pay his school fees, but he did not have enough money to buy textbooks. He borrowed his friends’ books and read them while they slept at night. He was very tired, but he prayed for God’s help.

During Alex’s last year in high school, he no longer had money to pay his school fees. He felt very discouraged. He had made the best choices he could. He had worked hard and studied. At first, Alex thought, “I cannot keep going to school. I want to give up.” But Alex remembered how far he had come and how he had been blessed to keep going. He prayed for a way to pay his school fees.

The next day, the headmaster told Alex that he had been given a scholarship that would pay for all of his fees so he could continue going to school. Alex was so happy. He knew that he was blessed for making good choices to continue his education. He gave thanks to the Lord for answering his prayer.

When Alex finished high school, he went on a mission and then went to a university. After he finished his university degree, Alex became a teacher. He taught his students to make good choices and to keep trying even when it seems impossible.

Activity

You may have things in your life that make it difficult for you to continue your education. You may be tempted to make excuses and think, “My life has been too hard. I cannot keep going to school. I want to give up.” Like Alex, you can make choices that will help you continue your education even when it is difficult. Below are examples of excuses you might want to make and the good choices you could make instead.

Excuse	Good Choices
Excuse I did not turn in my assignment because I do not understand how to do it.	Good Choices I did as much as I knew how to do. I will ask for help on things I do not understand.
Excuse I cannot find my book, so I did not read the story.	Good Choices I have not found my book yet. I will keep looking.
Excuse My friend did something wrong, so I did it too.	Good Choices I will make good choices even when my friends do not.
Excuse I did not study for my exam because I wanted to spend time with my friends.	Good Choices I will choose to study rather than spend all my time with friends.

What excuses do you make about school that keep you from achieving your goals?

• An excuse I have told myself is

• A more responsible statement that I can tell myself is

Share your statement with the rest of the class if there is time.

Talk with Your Family

Share with your family a few ways that you have taken responsibility for your learning. Talk with them about other ways you can be responsible.