Taken from the manual "Teaching: No greater call"
LOVE SOFTENS HEARTS
A new teacher was having problems with
some misbehaving class members. She sought advice from a member of the Sunday
School presidency, and he suggested that she conduct an experiment.
She was to select a disruptive class member and then show that person in five
different ways that she cared about him or her. A few weeks later, the leader
asked the teacher how she was doing. She reported that the person she had
selected had stopped misbehaving, so she was in the process of selecting
another class member. After two more weeks the leader inquired again. The
teacher said that she was having difficulty finding someone to work with. When
he asked her a third time, she told him that she had selected three different
class members, one after another, and that when she started to show that she
cared about them they had ceased being disruptive. In each case, love had
softened a heart.
The Power of a Teacher’s Love
As we show love for those we teach, they become more receptive
to the Spirit. They become more enthusiastic about learning and more open to us
and others in the group. Often, they awaken to a renewed sense of their eternal
worth and a greater desire for righteousness.
The children in our primaries want
to be loved. Pray and work with your primary to know their names and interest.
A little bit of attention goes a long way for a little child. I know that as we
invest our time & attention into these special spirits our primaries will
be a more reverent place.
