Principles of Christlike Teaching: Love Those You Teach

Find appropriate ways to express your love.

Skill

Send a message to a student’s parent about something positive you have noticed about their child.

Define

A powerful way to express your love for a student is by sending a positive message to a parent or guardian about something specific you have noticed about that student. The message will be more effective if you:

1. Pray for guidance about which student you should focus on and what you should share with the parent or guardian.

2. Briefly introduce yourself to start the message.

3. Sincerely express gratitude for the opportunity to have the student in class.

4. Clearly and simply state something positive and specific that you have observed.

As you sincerely and prayerfully communicate positive observations with parents, the student will feel your love in powerful ways.

Model

Brother Camargo loves his students and genuinely wants to communicate that love in appropriate ways. He prays to know who he could share a positive message about to a parent and feels inspired to write to Jackson’s parents. He notices that he never has to ask Jackson to get his scriptures and that Jackson is always willing to help. Brother Camargo sends an email that says:

• Dear Brother and Sister Duvall,

• My name is Brother Camargo, and I am Jackson’s seminary teacher. I am so grateful to have him in my class. I just wanted to let you know that Jackson always has his scriptures out and is willing to help with anything I need. Thank you for all you are doing to help and support him.

• Sincerely,

• Brother Camargo

Click here to see a video of this model.

Practice

Write a positive message to a parent for the following situations:

1. Susan seems distant in class, and you want to express your love to her. As you are praying about it, you notice that she voluntarily helps a student who struggles to find scriptures.

2. Think about one of your students who consistently strengthens your class. Prayerfully consider and tell the student something you’ve observed about him or her.

Discuss or Ponder

• What impact could this have on individual students and their relationship with the Savior over time? How could it affect student engagement or sense of belonging in class?

• Consider a time someone’s expression of love or gratitude strengthened your relationship with the Savior.

Incorporate

• Start with selecting one or two students a day you feel impressed to use this skill with. Continue this until it becomes natural and as long as the Spirit directs.

Want more?

• Jean B. Bingham, “Teaching Truth in the Language of Love” (Seminaries and Institutes of Religion annual training broadcast, Jan. 19, 2021), broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org

Skill

Testify of God’s love when it is hard for you to feel or express love to those you teach.

Define

Sometimes teachers may find it difficult to feel or express love for those they teach. At these times, teachers should strive to testify of the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for the students. To do this, teachers seek the Lord’s help by offering a prayer or having a prayer in their hearts, looking the student in the eyes, and sincerely expressing that the student is loved by Heavenly Father and the Savior. Communicating this divine love will allow teachers to feel some of what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ feel for the student, which will help teachers begin to feel a similar personal love for the student.

Model

• Sister Clawson has been struggling with Tommy’s disruptive behavior in class and is concerned about how this has affected her personal feelings about him. She offers a prayer seeking the Lord’s help before class starts. When Tommy arrives, Sister Clawson shakes his hand, looks at him, and says, “Tommy, I hope you know how much Heavenly Father loves you.”

• Brother Stone has been dealing with some stressful issues in his family and is feeling worn down. As he begins class, he says with a prayer in his heart, “Sisters and brothers, I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love all of you very much.” As he says this, Brother Stone feels an increase of love for his students and a little bit of his stress lifted as he proceeds with the lesson.

Click here to see a video of this model.

Practice

• Think of your students and identify one or two for whom it would be difficult for you to express your love. Write what you might say to the student to convey the divine love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Once you’ve written what you might say, practice by speaking the words out loud.

Discuss or Ponder

• What have you learned as you practiced finding ways to communicate divine love to your students?

• In what ways might expressing divine love affect both the giver and the receiver of the expression?

Incorporate

• Look at your class roll and identify at least one student to whom you can express the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ this week. Continue doing this on a regular basis until you have done this for all your students. Then keep doing it!

Want More?

• Susan H. Porter, “God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 33–35

• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 21–24