WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22 — The center piece of Education Week is always the weekly devotional. Over the years my life has been blessed by the teachings of Elder Richard G. Scott. As an educator, I have heard and applied his teachings about gospel teaching and learning in the classroom. When I heard that Elder Scott would speak at the devotional, I told my wife and two daughters that this would be a talk that you could study, over and over again.
Sure enough, this talk is an ipod collectibles. He reminded us that we learn by what we hear and feel and that when we write down the things we learn, we signal to the Holy Ghost that we want to learn. Revelation begins to flow as we become an active participant in the learning process. Equal attention was given to the teacher and the learner in this talk. I left with a feeling that I need to act on the principles of this great man the Lord has selected to guide us.
It seems like every year we attend, we gravitate to classes with similar themes. I guess it might be the things that we are searching for help with. Tuesday was no exception. Kevin Hinckley and Mark D. Ogletree both come from the Dallas, Texas, area and presented ideas on how parents can help children in the parenting process. Lately I have personally studied the conversion process and how we can unlock it in our own lives. Brother Hinckley quoted CS Lewis when he said that I pray because I can't help myself. When we develop a daily need for God in our lives we are on our way home.
As an educator, I have always had a personal interest in visiting the sacred places of the church. This summer my wife and I traveled along the pioneer trial and relived the stories of the early pioneers. We have spent thousands of dollars loading up the family and traveling across the country. We have visited over 40 states from Vermont to Missouri and everything in between. While attending W. Jeffery Marsh's class we realized that we missed one of the most important places for church history: the Salt Lake Valley. There are hundreds of sacred sites and many of us go about our busy lives and do not even realize it. Brother Marsh and a team of other researchers are putting together a DVD ROM and picture book called "Hallowed Grounds, Sacred Journeys." This multimedia interactive DVD will allow us to take our own spiritual journeys through the streets of Salt Lake City and relive the sacred events that built this city. I plan on being one of the first people in line when this project is released this fall. I cannot wait to tell my family that our next family vacation is only 20 miles away from South Jordan to Salt Lake City!
I knew I lucked out getting my tickets in advance as people outside the Pardoe Theater were trying to buy tickets from those attending "The White Star." This sold-out event staged the Education Week premier of Doug Stewart's new play. Similar to his masterpiece, "Saturday's Warrior," Stewart showed how both sides of the veil work together to bring those who are struggling to feel the Savior's love for each of us. Although weak doctrinally, this play had an amazing spirit and you left seeing yourself within the play. As "The White Star" begins to visit differerent areas of the church, you certainly would not want to miss out like those waiting outside trying to get in the Pardoe Theater.
Really the best part of Education Week is always the night life. More times than not it includes getting ice cream. Tonight it was raspberry cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies. If this week goes on much longer, I am going to go home fat — physically and spiritually.
But oh, it is worth it!
(Darrell Robinson is from South Jordan, Utah. He has been married for 25 years and is the father of six children ranging from age 19 to 1. He is a professional educator and loves to spend time with his family.)