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Pardon me, but I’ve got to vent for a minute. I just stumbled across the official Church guidelines for teaching the youth called “Teaching in the Savior’s way” for teaching the youth, that gave flight to my soul, but depressed me because neither the quorums, RS, or adult SS would tolerate it for a second. Quote:Teaching in the Savior’s Wayhttps://www.lds.org/youth/learn/guidebook/teaching?lang=eng He
(Christ) asked questions that caused them to think and feel deeply. He was sincerely interested in their answers and rejoiced in their expressions of faith. He gave them opportunities to ask their own questions and share their own insights, and He responded to their questions and listened to their experiences. Because of His love, they felt safe sharing their thoughts and personal feelings. . . .He trusted them, prepared them, and gave them important responsibilities to teach, bless, and serve others.
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,”(No correlation committee here)He charged them. His purpose was to help them become converted through their service to others. . . . I’m proud of my Sunday School
“super teens” who are fighting personal mediocrity one goal at a time.Determining What to Teach https:////www.lds.org/youth/learn/guidebook/determine?lang=eng
Come, Follow Me: Learning Resources for Youth is organized into units based on principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.Each unit includes several learning outlines that advisers and teachers can use to prepare for Aaronic Priesthood quorum meetings and Young Women and Sunday School classes. Parents are also invited and encouraged to use them in their families. The units have been arranged into a monthly schedule to help coordinate the gospel-learning experiences of the youth across the Church.
There are often more learning outlines in a unit than can be taught in one month.Ward leaders and teachers of youth should counsel together to determine which learning outlines to teach from each unit. If you are an adviser in the Aaronic Priesthood or Young Women, counsel with your quorum and class presidencies when selecting learning outlines. You can also invite quorum and class members to discuss what they want or need to learn.Emphasis above is mineI stumbled across the above instruction for teaching our kids in priesthood and Sunday School. I had a very strong reaction:
Why are we teaching the kids like adults, while the adults are treated like dullards? They, that is the Coorelation Committee and most local members insist on regurgitating stuff out of “approved” materials, and don’t tolerate questions from folks like us? Yes, I know we can’t share our heresies in church, but many honest questions can an should be addressed because we must slavishly stick to “approved” sources. Yet the D&C says learn out of the best books words of wisdom, and the Glory of God is intelligence, and the gospel contains ALL truth, and blessings are the result of the laws upon which they are predicated.
Comments? Questions?
Just to put it out there, my first thought was, “I have a chicken.” Sorry. 😳 I love the new format for the Sunday School lessons, and I am positive the intent is for the adult classes to be taught the same way, since the instructions always say to follow the Spirit in preparing them and to ask questions and not feel like everything has to be covered. I have had absolutely wonderful adult lessons given by teachers who read those instructions and follow them without feeling like they need to read material and not allow discussion, but I also have had mediocre to bad lessons that were nothing but reading from the manual and allowing only certain responses. Frankly, I think it as much about people being so busy they don’t prioritize preparation (and that applies to both teachers and students) and leadership (Bishops and Sunday School Presidencies) who don’t prioritize oversight and constructive input as it is anything else.
I get why correlation was begun, since there really were some way-out-there stuff taught back in the day and there is a serious need to restrain local folklore getting mixed in with the principles of the Gospel (both in Mormon-dominated areas and in areas where the vast majority of members are fairly new converts from wildly differing cultures), but I agree that it’s gotten too controlled and constrained in way too many cases – especially in areas where the large majority of members have been members for years and/or generations.
My biggest frustration is what you mentioned – that “approved sources” mean only what is listed in the manuals to so many members, even, again, as I believe that things like “Mormon Doctrine”, “Miracle of Forgiveness”, anything by Cleon Skousen or Elder Benson’s political writings before becoming President, etc. shouldn’t be used. When I step back and try to see some of those reasons to try to rein in sources, I get it – but the pendulum absolutely needs to swing back now. Honestly, I think it is starting to swing back, but the people at the back of the ocean liner are the ones who turn most slowly – and it’s hard when a teacher or local leader is firmly planted at the back of the boat.
Old-Timer wrote:Just to put it out there, my first thought was, “I have a chicken.” Sorry.
😳 I don’t get it — maybe you could clarify the joke for us dullards Ray
I was raised in cattle country, where a cow often was called “a beef”. People often would order “a beef”, meaning they were buying all of the meat from an entire cow. Thus, “I have a beef,” meant, “I have an entire cow in my freezer.” Hence, “I have a chicken,” as a response. :crazy: dash – According to a woman in my ward, whose brother works in the lessons and correlation department, the adult lesson manuals are presently being adapted to fit the youth one. I don’t know the timeline, but she is a fairly reliable source on these matters.
As to why the youth got it first, I don’t know, but I praise it. I know that I can’t wait till we get to a meatier lesson style, but I am willing to guess that they hoped to save the next generation first. That’s not a bad idea. In my mind.
I just hope they really do follow through with the adult lessons, we need them too.
I didn’t realize the SS manual had been changed. I had stuck my head into the adult SS class and the teacher was giving the usual gruel, so I didn’t pick up that the manual had changed but he hadn’t. Maybe if I read the lesson beforehand I can use it to crack the mold. But priesthood is still hopeless. Maybe next year. As I understand it, the manuals are being re-written now. The adult manuals are not any different for us right now. They are the same old, same old. That is how I found out we are changing, I was explaining why I skip Sunday School. The sister friend said her brother is on the committee that is working on writing the new ones. I think they tested the idea for the past year on the youth, saw it was successful, and are not challenged with teaching us old dogs, who think we have all the answers, some new stuff. I don’t envy them, we are a hard crowd to work with. We rattle off cliche answers all the time. Getting us to think or even imagine something new will be tough.
When you stuck your head in, you were hearing the same lesson. Don’t worry.
I’m excited at the thought of the youth curriculum coming to the adults. I love the fact that the youth got it first. And I agree that if people stick strictly to the adult manuals it’s completely mind-numbing.
I hope if they do release new adult manuals that they will also do teacher preparation lessons or meetings. When the youth ones came out I was a 12/13 year old Sunday school teacher and they made a big deal about emphasizing the new method. I feel like a lot of teachers don’t get adequate (or any) training when they are called to teach. I currently teach primary, and have not had any teaching help offered. I know we are a lay ministry, but it would be great if leaders made sure the teachers at least knew what to do, or how to improve. Seems like something the Sunday school presidency could do (I feel like that is what they are suppose to do, but have yet to see that happen in real life). I wish they would have released new adult lessons at the same time as the teens though. The Sunday School has a teacher development class that is taught sporadically, depending on the ward leadership. You may or may not have someone called to that position in your ward. It comes with a manual that I’m sure you could get from the Distribution Center for a few bucks. If the SS President is dragging his feet, you could ask your Bishop to either order it for you or reimburse you. I’m thrilled to hear the manuals are being rewritten. They are horrid. In my opinion, the new manuals couldn’t come soon enough. Unfortunately, it looks like were going to continue the teachings of the presidents of the church until its completion in elders quorum and relief society. I know that sounds very negative. That as a teacher trying to adapt some of these chapters to our actual needs and the quorum, I feel like the committees who wrote the manuals had to really dredge up some mediocre quotes and teachings to support some of these lesson topics. Instead of using the manual today, I felt like I had to go directly to the Scriptures and the discussion questions at the end of the chapter. We talked for most of the class about the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew chapter 25 and how it applies to our current lives. I did bring up the story of Lorenzo snow and the broken wagon axle at the very end. Maybe it’s just my increasing heterodoxy, or the poorly written manuals, or combination of both, but even though I love to teach it’s hard to work with what we’ve got.
Here’s a thought that I just had. I realize that the digital divide is very real in the worldwide church. However, one of the advantages of having curriculum online is that it can be quickly edited, adapted, and/or scrapped without having to go through the whole publication and distribution process. If something changes very quickly in the church (and I think the Internet related faith crises and disaffection’s of the last few years totally caught the COB by surprise), then the new curriculum could be approved and posted quickly. “Where’s the beef?!?!?!” In the lesson that is… 
I agree that the glass is half full. At least the youth that are explorong there outlook on life are allowed some participation and leniency in their lessons.
I hope the Primary manuals get overhauled sooner rather than later. I am teaching out of the Primary Church History manual this year and it is horrid.
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