Six Tips for Teachers

By Kary Jane Hutto

I have the wonderful opportunity of teaching the gospel to youth. Each Sunday I strive to communicate in an uplifting, memorable way what the Lord would have me teach. I have found the following six concepts helpful as I prepare and teach:

• Show enthusiasm. If I’m not excited about a subject, my teaching lacks personal conviction. So I prepare well to renew my own conviction and to make each lesson interesting.

• Build personal testimony. During the week, I study the gospel and try to apply its teachings. The experiences I have as I do this strengthen my testimony and become examples in my lessons. As I share these personal experiences, my students see the importance of applying gospel teachings in their lives.

• Seek the Lord’s guidance. After teaching my lesson on Sunday, I read and ponder the next week’s lesson. Throughout the week I pray for inspiration and guidance in teaching the lesson concepts. Prayerfully preparing and including the Lord in my teaching efforts consistently brings better results than relying on my own insight and skills.

• Present interesting lessons. To keep students’ interest, I use stories or ideas from Church magazines to illustrate lesson points. I assign various students to read or bring scriptures, stories, and thoughts to invite participation and discussion. It is important to adapt each lesson to the needs of class members and to have them share their own stories or examples that illustrate the subject under discussion.

• Get to know the students. By taking time to become better acquainted with my students, I can find ways to customize my lessons to help certain individuals.

• Bear testimony. The Spirit bears witness of the truth, and bearing testimony invites the Spirit to touch those being taught. I remind myself that it is appropriate to bear testimony not only at the end of a lesson but during the lesson as well.

Illustrated by Scott Greer