That All May Be Edified

This morning I listened to the Elder Jay E. Jensen’s BYU Devotional Speech that he gave on August 16, 2011. Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy introduced the theme of Education Week, “That All May Be Edified,” and focused on we can be better teachers and learners. I felt his comments were applicable for us at Esperanza-- not only to educators with their scholars in the classroom but also for meetings and trainings with the educators.

He said that to edify is to instruct and improve the soul in knowledge generally, He listed five principles that lead to edification:

1. Have an appointed teacher who is recognized as such by the learners.

2. Teaching is governed by order and reverence---"In our society today we see more and more evidences of a drift towards casualness in speech, dress and appearance." Elder Jensen said that it is up to individuals to fix themselves, in turn showing reverence as they create order and set a good example for others.

3. We must teach truths—teach not only what to do but also the principles.

4. Those not speaking must listen-- Listener participation is vital for learning to occur. Some of the ways individuals are able to become diligent learners include: becoming teachable and having a desire to learn; studying, searching, pondering and being a punctual, reverent listener and being open to correction or instruction.

5. Both teacher and listener are learners. “For education to occur, we have different but not superior roles,” said Elder Jensen. “The atmosphere must be warm, open and reciprocal.” He said learning becomes more useful when listeners contribute their own insights and experience. He also advised teachers and leaders to remember they are teaching people, not lessons.

I feel that if we can apply what Elder Jensen shared learning for both Esperanza educators and scholars will be richer and more effective.

Ponderings On Math Instruction

The theme of the Leader-Spring 2011 edition of the Utah NAESP (National Assn. for Elementary School Principals) publication was math. After reading this latest edition I have spent some time pondering on how we might want to approach math instruction at Esperanza.

I tend to feel that it is extremely important to first determine what our goal(s) is concerning math and then what strategies are necessary to help all scholars achieve that goal. It is also important to keep the following points in mind:

• One program is usually not sufficient to do the job.



• Effective teachers draw upon a number of different strategies to meet the needs of their students, strategies that are often gleaned from different programs and resources.



• What works for one group of students according to research may not be appropriate or effective for another group of students.



• No matter how good a program is, it is still the teacher that makes the difference.

Only after we have our goal and know what strategies are most effective with different students will we be in a position to choose an effective program. Yet, even choosing an effective program is not an end. Professional development and coaching are necessary for the program to be implemented effectively.