Beverly Greene Jungst: Hearing the Voice of Each Child

For thirty-three years, Beverly Greene Jungst has taught Primary. “Every time I think about giving someone else a chance,” smiles Sister Jungst, “I look at the next group of children that will be advancing to my class and I tell myself that I must teach them, too.”

Even before she had children of her own, Beverly was teaching the Co-Pilots. In those days, Primary was on weekday afternoons. After teaching first grade at Salt Lake’s Longfellow Elementary, Sister Jungst would go over to the Monument Park Fourth Ward and give her lesson.

“My students have been the cream of the crop,” says this master teacher and storyteller. “I focus my attention on recognizing them when they do well. When a child answers a question I tell him, ‘I’m so glad you were here today to tell us that.’” Her catch-more-flies-with-honey-than-with-vinegar approach to teaching makes for a positive atmosphere in which children can learn. Her optimism allows her to make friends with even the most reluctant student.

No one is left out in Sister Jungst’s class. “It’s too easy for some children to answer all the questions,” she says, “so I seek out the quieter members. I learned from a fine in-service leader that a lesson is never complete until you have heard the voice of each child in the class. I’ve never forgotten that, and I practice it.”

When asked how she has managed to enjoy teaching for so long, her answer is simple. “Seeing children progress, grow, and discover as you teach them is the most exciting thing about my calling.” Sister Jungst’s love of children is evident as she prepares for yet another group of CTRs that will come into her class next month.

Photography by Jed A. Clark