"Each interaction with a student or colleague is a potential teaching and learning opportunity." (Past President David A. Bednar)
Every Employee a Teacher
The Principle of "Every Employee a Teacher" in Action
Everyone at BYU-Idaho is a teacher
As expressed in his inaugural address here at BYU-Idaho, Past President David A. Bednar stated that "every employee at BYU-Idaho is a teacher." He continued by saying that "Everyone at BYU-Idaho - faculty, staff, students, ecclesiastical leaders, and so forth has a responsibility to impact others for good. Each interaction with a student or colleague is a potential teaching and learning opportunity."
Many times employees in non-faculty positions assume that they are not teachers and therefore have little impact on students. Meanwhile, some faculty members believe that the teaching of students ends when class is dismissed. Yet, some of the most powerful teaching and learning experiences occur outside of the classroom.
Consider the question: How can I be a teacher here at BYU-Idaho? Remember, regardless of the setting, each employee is a teacher and has the opportunity to profoundly influence for good the students who attend BYU-Idaho.
Opportunities right in our way
Daniel Webster stated: "If we work upon marble, it will perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface it.... But if we work upon men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with the just fear of God and love of their fellow men, we engrave on those tablets something which no time can efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity." (Speech at Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA, August 2, 1826)
Oftentimes teaching opportunities come to us in plain packages, in very common and ordinary situations. Too often we wait for "high-powered" and glamorous-looking opportunities to exert our teaching muscles, not recognizing the opportunities all around us. As expressed by Will Thompson, "There are chances for work all around just now, opportunities right in our way." ("Have I Done Any Good?", Hymns, 223) Truly, opportunities to reach out to others and teach are plentiful here at BYU-Idaho. And while these opportunities may come in very ordinary-looking situations, we have a wonderful opportunity to teach and build testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and influence the immortal minds of the young men and women who attend BYU-Idaho.
It all boils down to these two words: be kind
How can one be a teacher here at BYU-Idaho? Consider the following words from Mary Ivie, an employee of BYU-Idaho: "I have the privilege of training many student employees. I really enjoy working with them. My philosophy of "every employee a teacher" boils down to these two words: be kind. When I work with the students I know that they relate better with what I am trying to express when I am kind."
She continued by saying: "I have developed great relationships with many of the students and they have really been a blessing in my life. When my husband and I were blessed with three children in a short 22 month period, my life was very busy. My student employees were so caring and supportive during this time. Many times they would come to my house and help with the babies and help with the housework. One time that really stands out in my mind was when a student named Meloni came to my house and organized the hundreds of baby clothes that were given to us into drawers, marked with the sizes and kinds of clothes inside. This was a major help to me. Teaching is a two-way street. I may have taught using kindness, but by so doing I have also been blessed and rewarded with kindness in return."
All of my classes now start with prayer
In our efforts to become great teachers at BYU-Idaho it is essential that we examine the subject matter of our teaching. What are the things that we are to teach? Obviously, some of our subject matter will include our professional skills and interests. Yet, more is expected of us at BYU-Idaho. Consider the number one goal of the BYU-Idaho Mission Statement: Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage living its principles. What are you doing today to build testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Alan Holyoak, a faculty at BYU-Idaho, has shared some of his insights on this topic. He stated, "It took most of my first year at BYU-Idaho to realize that teaching biology is not my primary assignment. My primary assignment is to help students develop and grow spiritually." He continued by relating the following experience: "During my first two semesters of teaching I opened the first meeting of each of my classes with prayer. I then told the students that I would be praying for them throughout the semester, and that I hoped they would be praying for me, and that we would not have prayer in class each day. And we didn't. In the meantime I read Educating Zion and The Spirit of Ricks. That experience changed my understanding of what I am supposed to do. Now I know that I am not only to teach students in my area of expertise, but I am to encourage them to pursue their own spiritual development."
He continued, "Last summer I decided things were going to be different in my classes. All of my classes now start with prayer, followed by a short quote or scripture. That opening routine typically takes two to four minutes, but I have found that after the prayer and thought the class is set and ready to be engaged in the day's activities. The spirit is now significantly better in my classes, and gospel-related discussions in the context of my classes occur more frequently than they did last year. I gain strength as students pray for me, and they strengthen each other as they pray for one another. How could such a practice do anything other than help my classes go better?"
I will be forever in debt to him
Opportunities to teach and influence others are plentiful at BYU-Idaho. And the recipients of our teaching may, in time, return and bless our lives. Take the example of Peter Stilling, an employee at BYU-Idaho. As a student he was supervised by James Griffith of the BYU-Idaho Telecommunications Office. Peter stated "When I first met Jim, I was really scared of him. Not that he was a big mean-looking man, but because of his vast wealth of knowledge and experience. The guy had definitely been around the block a few times. He taught me the ropes of cable pulling and frequently emphasized attention to detail, do it right the first time, pride in your work, and customer service."
He continued, "The thing I most respected about Jim was his patience, even when I made mistakes. He wouldn't get all riled up and yell at me. He would just say, ‘Well, we need to go fix some things on the last job boys.' He would point out the problems and we would fix them. I really enjoyed cabling and became fascinated by the science of cabling more than anything."
He concluded by stating, "Yeah, Jim is a great teacher. He may not be a full-time faculty member or have a PhD, nevertheless, the bottom line is that I am what I am and where I am today because of James Griffith. I will be forever in debt to him for the path that he set me on."
Rethinking education has a basis in agency
Every employee at BYU-Idaho is a teacher. And, as expressed by Past President David A. Bednar, "True teaching is done by and with the spirit of the Holy Ghost." Consider the impact of the spirit on the teaching and learning process. How does one teach by and with the spirit of the Holy Ghost? And what can one do to help influence the teaching and learning environment and invite the spirit into class discussions? Consider the experience of Ann Killian, a faculty member in the BYU-Idaho Nursing Department.
She said, "It didn't seem like it was an unusual day when it first started, but I came to find out otherwise. The individual who had the assignment for the thought and prayer was not in class when the time came to start, so I asked for a volunteer. One of the students raised his hand, and thus began the transition from a "normal" day to an unusually successful day in terms of learning in our classroom. The spirit came ... that same spirit that had been striving with me all morning because of a verse I had read in the scriptures. The thought was this: 'rethinking education has a basis in agency and the opportunity to exercise that agency.' I felt impressed that my work was to help these students learn and grow by working together in their learning.
She concluded by saying, "My hope is that everyday will be like this one and that this kind of experience will become the norm for my classroom. And I have to report, it is getting there, slowly but surely."
A ten minute office visit
Oftentimes we don't fully realize the profound impact that we are having upon those we teach. Consider the experience of Mary Welch, a faculty member at BYU-Idaho. She stated, "Before Ricks College went to four years, I had a summer assignment to work in the College Skills Seminar Program which allowed a paid tutor for assistance. It was my method to look through my Winter Semester classes to locate a quality student and offer him or her the tutor position. On the very last day of the class, I felt impressed that Andy could be that tutor. Although Andy had not declared a major, he was married, and his wife was expecting their first child in the Fall. Andy very much wanted the tutor position to help with finances. Andy carried out his assignment well, and we parted good friends at the end of the summer."
She continued by stating: "The next time I saw Andy, he entered my office distraught with personal pain. He had come to tell me goodbye. His wife was waiting for him at the University of Utah hospital with toxemia. The doctors were preparing her and were going to take the baby the following morning to save his wife's life. As I watched the tears run down Andy's face, I asked Andy if he had his wife's name in the temple. He said no. Together we called the temple and put it there. I watched Andy's tears dry and his countenance become calm as he left my office. I received a letter three days later with a picture of Sabrina in front of her father's hand. Sabrina came only to the first knuckle of his middle finger, but both she and mom were alive and well. Andy's note of what he had learned about the spirit in my office is one of my choicest possessions. One never knows when a ten minute office visit will teach a lifetime of testimony. Sabrina is now attending elementary school in Canada while her father finishes medical school."
She was not a member of the Church
Harold Rose, an employee here on campus, has had "the opportunity to work with many fine students and learn from them." Harold explained, "As a supervisor I have had the opportunity to share many great experiences with the students. But what has been the greatest aspect of my position here is learning from them as well."
He continued by stating, "Possibly the greatest experience my crew and I have had was with a student named Yuki Abe, a Japanese student that would teach me more about myself than I would ever be able to teach her. When Yuki began working with us, she was not a member of the Church, but had been at BYU-Idaho long enough to have taken the discussions. We visited often about the gospel. Because she did not want to offend her family, she had not been baptized."
"After working with us for some time, she went away to Japan for a while. A short time after she returned, she announced to us that she was going to be baptized. In one of our conversations, the question arose regarding what had changed and why she had decided to get baptized. She told of a conversation she had with her father and some of the things they talked about. Then, with a few simple words, she taught me an extremely valuable principle. She said her father had told her that 'everyone has to believe in something.' "
"Through the growth I was able to see in Yuki, the great example she set for me, and the things she taught me, Yuki was (and still is) a great teacher at BYU-Idaho. Even if it starts out as nothing more than believing in ourselves and growing from there. I hope I too can teach everyone I work with that we do believe in something and must emulate those beliefs in our dealings with others."
They are learning to love themselves
How can one be a teacher at BYU-Idaho? Consider the example of Lisa Robison, an employee in the Activities Program at BYU-Idaho. She explained, "I have been working on campus for 11 years. It has not only been a great teaching experience for me, but also a great learning experience. The example from my co-workers and the leadership here on campus has all helped strengthen my testimony."
She continued by saying, "My job has been very rewarding. I have been given the opportunity to teach and train students to find their own inner beauty and to learn to love themselves. I strive to help them gain a desire to take care of the bodies that our Heavenly Father has given to us. I also strive to teach them what a miraculous gift the human body is and that we have the challenge to develop and improve our present physical house which tabernacles a spirit of God, and prepare it for eternal joy."
"My mind wonders back to times when I have sat with students in my office who wanted to change their lifestyles and work on getting in better shape. By helping them set goals, design road maps that help them take charge of their life, and set them on the pathway to helping them reach their goals and desires, I have seen many great changes in their lives. They are learning to love themselves for who they are and to understand that they can make changes if they so desire. They are also learning that everyone here at BYU-I wants them to succeed, loves them, and is willing to take the time to help them reach their goals."
She concluded by saying, "We need to remember that each day, we don't know when we will influence someone in a positive manner that may strengthen their own testimony. We don't know when we will touch someone's life. But we do have control over our own attitude. We must remember to keep in positive."
(Note: These items originally appeared, in full or in part, in the BYU-Idaho News and Notes newsletter.)
