Priesthood Quorums

^Priesthood Quorums How to Teach a Class in the Lesser Priesthood Prepared for the Presiding Bishopric by John Henry Evans and P. Joseph Jensen I— WHO ARE THEY? Fifty thousand deacons, teachers and priests in the Church! An army of boys and young men of which any organization has reason to be very proud! Who are they? Sons of men and women who are already converted to the gospel. Boys, therefore, whom it should be easier to train than if both they and their parents were living in unconverted homes. Who are they? Young timber in the green, and growing, that can be bent this way or that — if only- we have the skill. Such as God has often chosen to do his special work, because pliable — as witness Samuel, David, Ezekiel, Nephi, Joseph Smith. Who are they? The elders, seventies, and high priests of the future, not to speak of bishops, presidents of stakes, and apostles — on whom will rest the stupendous task of directing the preaching of the gospel to the world and of conserving the faith of. the converts at home. And what of their training? The battle is all before them, not behind. They must have the best armor and equipment that money can buy. And they must have the best training that devoted service and efficiency can give. How much is one of them worth? As much as a convert in England or Germany, or Holland, or one of our American commonwealths, who costs about two thousand dollars for his conversion. You figure that out for yourself. These boys are entitled to the best teachers — the most skilled, the best trained, the most enthusiastic, the most enriched by experience and vision. And why? Because, as Professor John Dewey has pointed out in the public school system of education, they constitute the first grades in the priesthood, are to be given their start in the direction in which they wilt go the fest of their lives. For if the deacon and the teacher and the priest be given the right sort of training, the elder and the seventy and the high priest may be trusted to look after themselves. Since the work of training these members of the lesser priesthood is done chiefly in the classes, it has been thought advisable to suggest here a few of the principles that should guide in the conduct of a recitation in the quorums of the Aaronic priesthood. II— LESSON ASSIGNMENT First, great care must be exercised in the assignment of the "next lesson." Very often it used to be the case that the teacher would say, "Take the next lesson!" or "The next seven pages!" They used to do that in schools and colleges. But only the poorer teachers do that now anywhere. The best teachers know better. They understand the immense value arid opportunity of the assignment.

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS 297 It is as if one should say, "Son, go and run that automobile!" when Son had never done so before. Only, we have better sense than to do that, because we are dealing with a physical object that costs money, and we would be out of pocket, and perhaps out of boy, too, if the boy tried to run the car. Well, the brain is a machine, only vastly more delicate. That is, it works in certain ways. To be sure, there are no levers to operate, no cogs to fit together, no gears to shift. But it works in certain ways, all the same. The assignment should do two things. One thing it should do is to arouse interest in the "next lesson." Have you ever heard some one talk about a book, and you have afterwards gone and bought it or borrowed it from the public library? There's your cue. Try that on the boys. Of course, you will have to read that "next lesson" yourself first, to know how to do it, just as the person who aroused your interest in thei book had read it beforehand. Of course, too, you will have to know what a boy's point of view would be, what his natural interests are. For your point of view, and your natural interests, are different from his. And, of course, also, the 'understanding all along must be that your chief aim here is to get all the boys to prepare all the lessons. Having aroused the interest of the boys in the lesson that is to follow, your next task in the assignment is to make it clear just what it is you want them to do. Be specific, definite. Do you wish them to read the lesson once or twice? How do you want them to study it? Is there any particular point you want them to look for in their study of it, and if so, what? And so on. Make it clear exactly what you expect of the class, and then see that you get that. Here, then, are the two things you are to keep in mind in the assign- ment: Rouse the interest of the boys in the next lesson, and make it per- fectly clear what you want them to do and how to do it. III_SOCIALIZE THE RECITATION Secondly, conduct a socialized recitation. What is a socialized recitation? It is not a recitation where the teacher does all the talking, nor even the principal part of the talking. That is a lecture, not a recitation. It is what is known as chair teaching. Avoid it as you would poison. For it sets the boys against class! work, especially class work in religion. It is not a recitation where a few bright members of the class, or a few who like to talk, occupy the time. That is a show-room, not a class-room or a recitation. Avoid that, too, if you can. Also it is not a recitation where pupils are quizzed as to whether they remember the parts they have read. That, of course, may be done. But the recitation should not degenerate into a mere memory exercise on the part of the class. The socialized recitation is one, on the contrary, in which all the mem- bers take an active part, not because they are expected to, but rather because they are interested, because they want to do so, because they have something to contribute. One way there is to bring on such a recitation. That is to keep all the goings-on of the class on a level with the experiences of the boys. It is the easiest thing in the world to put the discussion above the heads of the class, to keep it outside the range of their experience. Then it becomes uninterest- ing to them. Just as a lecture on the technique of music, or engineering, or farming would bore you, if you are not a musician, an engineer, or a farmer. Keep the discussion within the experience- range of the boys, and you will have no trouble in getting and retaining their interest and inducing them to take part in the recitation. As an example, take the discussion, of, say, the Sabbath day. You will have to be an entertaining lecturer indeed if you can talk to twelve dea-

298 IMPROVEMENT ERA cons, or twenty-four teachers, or a body of priests for half an hour on this subject and hold their attention. You might do so more easily if you ask questions on topics on which the class has prepared beforehand. That is, if you want to test memory. But suppose you throw out the question, "Is it right to play baseball on Sunday?" Immediately you have a response from every boy. Why? Because you have touched a matter close to his heart, within his experience. Of course, such a question should be used merely to arouse interest. It should then go on to the discussions of the principles underlying the observance of Sunday. A socialized recitation is one which produces thought, many thoughts from many angles. Each boy must be made to feel that he can contribute something to the discussion, and that he wants to do so. And it would be well to help the boys so to contribute. Often, among older men, one person will say exactly the same thing that another member has just said. If any one has something to 'say, he should say it, if it has not already been said. What any class needs is light. Let every one wish therefore to contribute a ray for himself. That is the socialized recitation. IV— THE APPLICATION Finally, there is the matter of the application of the points of the recitation. The recitation, we have said, must be such as will have induced a general participation in the {discussion. But that is not enough. The discussion must be directed towards a point, the diversified rays of light must focus on a given spot. That is to say, the members of the class must rise from the discussion of the subject in hand with a definite thought in mind. This is what was in the mind of the teacher before the recitation began, before even the assignment was made. The purpose of the recitation has been, and its reward, that this thought, aim, or purpose has been transferred hot from the brain and heart of the instructor to the brains and the hearts of the class, through the socialized recitation. But it must not lie there. It must be converted into action, into deeds. Snow, up there on the mountain tops, would be of no avail if it did not melt and run down into the: creeks and be piped into our houses or run out on our farms. So, too, with ideas and thoughts. They are useless in them- selves. They must be transformed into things done. Unembodied ideas are worse than useless, as a matter of fact, because they clog our lives, make us more culpable if we don't do them, tend to fix on us the habit of not doing. Action is always the end of thought. If, says Professor William James in effect, I do not give' up my seat to a lady in the street car, I thereby begin a habit which it will be hard to break after a while — the habit of not making my conduct correspond to my thinking. And so the teacher's work is only half done when he gives the class an idea, a thought, a purpose, through the recitation. He should see to it, if he can, that this idea shall express itself somehow in the lives of the boys. Often a suggestion will be enough to accomplish this end. But generally some specific assignment will be found necessary. Habits must be formed in the young men. That is, they must be led to do a given thing till it becomes second nature, as we say, till it is transferred into the class of actions that do not need any attention because they occur without our thinking about them. There is no sounder pedagogical principle in this respect than James' oft-quoted sentence: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."