Currently, I am teaching the 13 year old Sunday School class. I teach out of the "Teachings of the Prophets" manual... and it is sometimes a bit light on doctrine. I have found a place where I am at peace with taking the point of the lesson and teaching it from my base of knowledge - the scriptures, and conference talks (yes, David A Bednar makes frequent visits to my classroom). I take no read credit for the lessons, as I try very hard to go by the Spirit, and feel I succeed most of the time.
I try to open every class with an attention getting something that can get everyone on the same page. I've felt pretty inspired by some of the ideas I've come up with to demonstrate principles and doctrine, and thought "someone" might benefit. So, here are some of my favorite ideas - again, I take no credit, the best thing I do is to imagine that there is a good way to teach a principle, and ask God to help me do it.
This week's lesson's idea started with a comment my sister made weeks ago. She substitute teaches at the middle school frequently, and she said that teenagers will do ANYTHING for star stickers! Last week we had talked about peer pressure, and I wanted a way to demonstrate to them that they were all subject to those pressures.
Oh, quickly, last week to show them that they had already experienced peer pressure, I wrote on the board BYU vs UTAH and asked them to tell my why they liked that college. I got some silly answers, some very well thought out answers that didn't fit into my demonstration, but ended (or tried to end, 13 year olds are hard to distract) the discussion by asking them if any of them had actually attended the schools we were discussing. I then made the point that they had formed their opinions on these schools based on peer pressure - from parents, friends, etc. Point being - peer pressure isn't always a bad thing, but we do need to realize when we are being influenced by it so that we have a choice in whether we accept the influence or not.
So, basing my plan on the power of star stickers, I asked one of my class members to answer every question I asked WRONG. I told her it was a secret, to not let on that she was doing it, and be prepared for me to make a big deal over her. Then, I prepared flash cards of simple math questions (7+2, 5-4), solutions of which were all 10 or under. I told the class that we were having a pop quiz in honor of the end of school, and instructed them that they could not speak, only show their answer by holding up their fingers, and I would give star stickers to those who got the answer right.
I held up the first card, and everyone but my plant got it right. I went over to my plant and praised her for her correct answer, and placed a star sticker on her face. I mentioned to the class how surprised I was that they were unable to get the right answer! I showed the next card, and was surprised when I had to give out three star stickers. I praised each one for getting the "right" answer as I gave them their stickers. It only took 5 flash cards to get the whole class to give me the "right" answer.
I then read Mosiah 29:26-27 "Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law- to do your business by the voice of the people. And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgements of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited the land.
I asked the kids what had been demonstrated, and they summed it up quite nicely. I told them that they had sold what they knew was the right answer for a STAR STICKER! I should have said, you sold your integrity for the price of a sticker. We then went on to talk about courage, the point of the lesson, and I ended with my testimony that the world will only get louder in calling good things evil, and evil things good, and tempting them with star stickers to agree with them. I encouraged them to stand strong against such influences, and to not sell their eternal salvation for star stickers.
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