Look at my handsome hubby posing in front of the Seminary building at Logan High. There he is, standing all awkward and hoping that no students walk by while his wife documents this milestone. Why am I making him pose so I can take his picture in front of this lovely building? Well, because he is student teaching seminary here! Yay!
Kole has wanted to be a seminary teacher for some time now but it wasn't until this last spring that we got the good news that he would have the opportunity to try it out. We are so happy!!! Busy busy busy, but happy!
Now, for anyone who doesn't know about Seminary, it is a LDS religious education class that high school students can take. Seminary is attended by normal kids and taught by normal people who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the term in other Christian denominations often refers to schooling which prepares and enables someone to hold a leadership position in a church, LDS seminary is more general gospel education to strengthen and prepare teenagers for the many various Church and life positions they will have throughout their lives. Its purpose is "to help them understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple and prepare themselves, their families and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven. In Seminary, kids learn the doctrines and principles as found in the scriptures and words of the prophets. They are taught in a way that leads to understanding and edification. Teachers help kids fulfill their role in the learning process and prepare them to teach the gospel to others." That all sounds pretty fancy but think of it as an everyday spiritual boost to help kids be edified, uplifted and inspired to live the gospel.
Each year the curriculum is focused on one of the standard works of scripture: the Old Testament of the Bible, the New Testament of the Bible, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants. Since there are four years of high school, kids should be able to cover each work of scripture before they graduate. This year they are all going over the Old Testament.
Living in Utah with a highly Mormon population means that most highschools have an LDS Seminary building right near campus so kids can take a seminary class during a free period in their school day and then they don't have to travel. In other parts of the country and world, LDS kids can take seminary too but they often have to attend seminary in the early morning before school since most schools don't incorporate free periods to allow seminary to be part of the regular school day. They also don't usually have seminary buildings near campus so most kids attend seminary in a home or Church buliding.
Outside of Utah and other places with compact LDS populations, seminary is taught mostly by unpaid volunteers. But in Utah and other areas with highly LDS populations, seminary is a paid position because it is a full-time job. There are enough LDS students to fill classes so that seminary teachers can teach class all day long just as a normal school teacher would. Unlike typical callings in the Church that are unpaid and can be filled by whomever the Lord says to call, being hired as a seminary teacher is completely seperate from other Church service. Being a seminary teacher is a career whereas other Church callings wouldn't be considered a career. Full-time seminary teachers work for the Church and additionally they serve voluntarily in other Church callings during their free time just like other Church members. You don't have to hold any specific calling or position in the Church to become a seminary teacher nor does becoming a seminary teacher directly impact any future callings someone will have. It doesn't put you on the fast track to becoming a prophet or apostle. But it does keep your focus centered around Jesus Christ and that is helpful no matter what calling you have. People become seminary teachers because that's what they want to do with their lives. They love the gospel and they love the kids and they want to make a difference for good in their lives. In all this, the Lord is the one who ultimately decides who should be trusted to teach His children in such a special and ongoing way.
To be hired on full-time you can't just walk off the street and fill out an application or hand in a resume to become a seminary teacher. When you work for the Lord and for His Church, it works a little differently. You have to meet certain requirements to show you are prepared and serious about it. First you have to attend and graduate from college to even be considered. You also have to graduate from Institute (which is like Seminary classes but for college students but with a lot more depth and breadth). You have to know, understand, and believe the gospel before you can be ready to teach it to the youth of the Church. You then have to take special institute classes that are specifically geared to help people prepare to teach seminary. You must also meet certain standards of conduct (past and present) and strength of testimony. From there you are given an opportunity to teach real high school students in a real seminary class for a ten day trial. During those ten days, people who are over the seminary teacher program of the Church evaluate you. If the Lord tells them that you have potential and He wants you to do further teaching, then they select you to student teach for a whole school year. That is the step Kole is in now. He gets to teach this whole school year. People will continue to evaluate him throughout this school year. If at the end of the year, the Lord tells these people that he should become a Seminary teacher, then that is what happens. On the other hand, if the Lord says "no" then that's the end of it. We know it is a longshot. Of the 1000 people that start the program to become a seminary teacher, less than 5% will be hired on as full-time seminary teachers each year. But we are hopeful that this is the direction the Lord wants our lives to go it.
But we know it is going to be a super busy year (and cross your fingers... life). Kole's day starts around 5:30 in the morning so he can be ready in time to start teaching at 6:40. He teaches three classes each day. He then goes to his normal job at American Family Insurance until 5:30 (which is really great that they are so flexible with this whole thing) and then some days he does landscaping work for his mom's office on top of that. Then he comes home and has to prepare lessons for class the next day and find time to spend with the family. And then the cycle repeats day after day. Of course if he got hired on full-time he would be able to use parts of his work day to prepare lessons and he wouldn't have to work 3 jobs. We know that we are just going to have to buckle down this year and make it work. It is going to be a hard year with lots of work and a lot less sleep than we would like but we can't help but think it will all be worth it. Who would think that all this craziness would make us so happy?
