Why is it important for me to gain an education and develop skills?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Education is an important part of our Heavenly Father’s plan to help us become more like Him. Obtaining an education provides understanding and skills that can help us develop self-reliance. Education will also prepare us for greater service in our families, the Church, and the world.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Proverbs 4:7; 2 Nephi 9:29; Doctrine and Covenants 88:76–80, 118; 90:15; 93:36; 130:18–19 (We should seek wisdom and knowledge)

• Proverbs 31:10–31 (A virtuous woman seeks wisdom and skills to care for her home and family)

• Joseph Smith—History 1:11–17; 1 Nephi 11:1–6; Doctrine and Covenants 138:1–11 (Examples of people in the scriptures who sought knowledge)

• Mary N. Cook, “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 120–22

• “Education,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), 9–10

• “Elder and Sister Bednar—Secular and Spiritual Learning” (video)

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

How has your education helped prepare you for your life experiences? How has it helped you become more self-reliant?

Why is it important for the young women to gain an education? How do they feel about education? How will education and skill development help the young women in all their future roles?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior used the scriptures to teach and testify about His mission. He taught people to think about the scriptures for themselves and use them to find answers to their own questions. What can you do to inspire the young women to study and ponder the scriptures?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

• As a class, watch the video “Elder and Sister Bednar—Secular and Spiritual Learning,” and ask the young women to listen for what Elder and Sister Bednar teach about secular and spiritual learning. What does Elder Bednar teach about the role of the Holy Ghost? Invite each young woman to share one thing she learned from the video that will help her in her pursuit of an education.

• Divide sections of Mary N. Cook’s talk “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do” among the young women, and invite them to read their sections and underline ideas that are important to them (they could also watch the video of the talk and write down important ideas). Invite them to share what they underlined with the class and explain how their education can bless them and their future families.

• Assign the young women to read individually one of the five paragraphs from the “Education” section of For the Strength of Youth or the statements by President Gordon B. Hinckley and President Thomas S. Monson at the beginning of the talk “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do.” Ask them to explain to the class what they read, and discuss why it is important to work diligently now to gain a good education. Invite the young women to think about and share their goals to gain an education.

• Divide the class into three groups. Ask the first group to read Proverbs 31:10–31, ask the second group to read the scriptures in this outline that teach that we should seek wisdom and knowledge, and ask the third group to read the scriptures in this outline that give examples of people who sought knowledge. Ask each group to discuss what their assigned scriptures teach them about the importance of pursuing education and developing skills. Invite each group to share with the rest of the class what they discussed. How will gaining an education help the young women in their lives? How will it help them become better wives and mothers?

• With permission from the bishop, invite a few women from the ward to share how gaining an education is blessing them and their families. How has it helped them become a contributing member of God’s kingdom? Encourage the young women to ask any questions they have about gaining an education.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

• Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.