The new schedule

[MustardSeed]

I feel like we need another meeting to discuss the new schedule 😅

I teach GD and a guy in our class who attends every week was gobsmacked to learn that he would be attending Sunday school AND priesthood every week.  
 
I told him it was his fault that we had to spend the entire class time watching the videos.  ☠️🤣

and then we had to go to RS and watch another video and discuss yet again!  Apparently I did not get enough because here I am talking about it again. 
 

Heaven forbid bigger changes than this. 

[BRMC]

We might have forgotten to watch the videos today.

 

[3DOP]

20 minutes ago, BRMC said:

We might have forgotten to watch the videos today.

 

 

1 hour ago, MustardSeed said:

I feel like we need another meeting to discuss the new schedule 😅

I teach GD and a guy in our class who attends every week was gobsmacked to learn that he would be attending Sunday school AND priesthood every week.  
 
I told him it was his fault that we had to spend the entire class time watching the videos.  ☠️🤣

and then we had to go to RS and watch another video and discuss yet again!  Apparently I did not get enough because here I am talking about it again. 
 

Heaven forbid bigger changes than this. 

I know I am giving myself away as old and out of touch. Is it good, or bad, or something else, to be "gobsmacked", according to the current lexicon among our young people?

[3DOP]

I found out Friday night that the young have changed the name of Bombay, India. I don't need to say the new name. I guess I dislike all the name changes and new vocabularies needed to communicate with the young.

But whatever. Enjoy your new schedule and your new words. Sorry that our words (and schedule?) don't work for you. 

[Calm]

Do you mean Mumbai?  
 

If so, then I am smiling as I too have moments where I become aware of novelties to me that have actually existed for 30 years or longer.  

Mumbai became the official name in 1995 according to wiki.  So my guess is it was a bunch of fuddy duddies who changed it to be more consistent with a local version rather than the colonial name.

Edited September 7 by Calm

[3DOP]

10 hours ago, 3DOP said:

I found out Friday night that the young have changed the name of Bombay, India. I don't need to say the new name. I guess I dislike all the name changes and new vocabularies needed to communicate with the young.

But whatever. Enjoy your new schedule and your new words. Sorry that our words (and schedule?) don't work for you. 

Hi MustardSeed.

 I apologize for my rant about new words and names of places. It distracted from the discussion and I am sorry if it seemed directed at you personally.

 

[MustardSeed]

2 hours ago, 3DOP said:

Hi MustardSeed.

 I apologize for my rant about new words and names of places. It distracted from the discussion and I am sorry if it seemed directed at you personally.

 

No worries.  My post was a meaningless rant itself.  
I don’t like being treated or talked to like we are 6 and teaching that class yesterday I felt highly annoyed. 
 

 

[Amulek]

4 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

No worries.  My post was a meaningless rant itself.  
I don’t like being treated or talked to like we are 6 and teaching that class yesterday I felt highly annoyed. 

I was visiting another ward this weekend and fear not - the Elder's Quorum still managed to find a way to make 25 minutes feel like forever. 

 

[BRMC]

23 hours ago, 3DOP said:

 

I know I am giving myself away as old and out of touch. Is it good, or bad, or something else, to be "gobsmacked", according to the current lexicon among our young people?

Time will tell.  Our youth are very "whatever" about most administrative things.  It really depends on the teacher.  If they love the teacher, they are excited to be with them every week.  If they don't, they are mostly ambivalent thus far.  After watching last Sunday, I think we'll have much better discussions with the new format.  There was less "lessoning" and more discussing scripture and concepts.

[MustardSeed]

4 hours ago, BRMC said:

Time will tell.  Our youth are very "whatever" about most administrative things.  It really depends on the teacher.  If they love the teacher, they are excited to be with them every week.  If they don't, they are mostly ambivalent thus far.  After watching last Sunday, I think we'll have much better discussions with the new format.  There was less "lessoning" and more discussing scripture and concepts.

I’d rather hear a lecture than listen to my ward discuss.  It’s the same 5 ladies who need group therapy but come to church instead 😕

[Amulek]

8 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I’d rather hear a lecture than listen to my ward discuss.  It’s the same 5 ladies who need group therapy but come to church instead 😕

I would have added to the videos to say that there is now officially a 3-comment-per-class limit for those who don't know how to stay quiet. 

Also, anyone who walks into class late is required to bring cinnamon rolls the following week.  

 

[Calm]

5 hours ago, Amulek said:

I would have added to the videos to say that there is now officially a 3-comment-per-class limit for those who don't know how to stay quiet. 

Also, anyone who walks into class late is required to bring cinnamon rolls the following week.  

 

I’d vote for you as our next apostle.

[BRMC]

16 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I’d rather hear a lecture than listen to my ward discuss.  It’s the same 5 ladies who need group therapy but come to church instead 😕

I'm with the youth.

[bluebell]

I’m in primary so it’s basically same as usual there.  I’m kind of sad I don’t get to see this all play out!

[Stargazer]

On 9/7/2026 at 2:00 AM, BRMC said:

We might have forgotten to watch the videos today.

 

Me being the ward technology specialist, who has to connect the laptop playing the videos to the chapel PA system and the projector, we definitely did not forget! 

[Stargazer]

Yesterday, the first Sunday of the new schedule actually taking place, after sacrament meeting bishop asked me who's teaching in Sunday School, and I was "Heck, I don't know. I'll find out." I had assumed that this one sister was "it" but she said "No, it's you on the schedule." So there I was, having not even thought about the lesson, already a bit late getting started. So, I dragged in the whiteboard (which I hardly used) and I winged it. It went pretty well, I thought, and there was very decent participation. The topic of discussion (which I will not call a "lesson") was of course several chapters of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Of course, I had to bring up Ecclesiastes chapter 3 by way of The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn"! Although when I mentioned The Byrds, one sister volunteered the song "Mr. Tambourine Man"!

If you're wondering why I was blindsided about the Sunday School lesson assignment, it's because I'm not an "official" Sunday School teacher, but the bishopric member advisor to the Sunday School. I get asked to substitute if nobody else is available (it's a small ward), but got on the actual schedule this time because availability problems with the other teachers. And of course I forgot to look at the schedule. 

[teddyaware]

7 minutes ago, Stargazer said:

Yesterday, the first Sunday of the new schedule actually taking place, after sacrament meeting bishop asked me who's teaching in Sunday School, and I was "Heck, I don't know. I'll find out." I had assumed that this one sister was "it" but she said "No, it's you on the schedule." So there I was, having not even thought about the lesson, already a bit late getting started. So, I dragged in the whiteboard (which I hardly used) and I winged it. It went pretty well, I thought, and there was very decent participation. The topic of discussion (which I will not call a "lesson") was of course several chapters of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Of course, I had to bring up Ecclesiastes chapter 3 by way of The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn"! Although when I mentioned The Byrds, one sister volunteered the song "Mr. Tambourine Man"!

If you're wondering why I was blindsided about the Sunday School lesson assignment, it's because I'm not an "official" Sunday School teacher, but the bishopric member advisor to the Sunday School. I get asked to substitute if nobody else is available (it's a small ward), but got on the actual schedule this time because availability problems with the other teachers. And of course I forgot to look at the schedule. 

I’m the Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward and during my lesson preparation I considered playing the Byrds masterpiece ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ as part of the lesson, but rejected the idea due to the new time constraints.. There were seven specific interesting bullet points I was hoping we could discuss as a class, but due to the new 25 minute time limitation we were only were able to touch on one of them. Frustrating!  Going forward, I’m seriously considering simply choosing some interesting quotes from that week’s scripture reading and offer them to the class members for discussion. Other than reading and pondering that week’s assigned chapters, there will likely be minimal lesson preparation on my part. We’ll see…

[Stargazer]

1 hour ago, teddyaware said:

I’m the Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward and during my lesson preparation I considered playing the Byrds masterpiece ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ as part of the lesson, but rejected the idea due to the new time constraints.. There were seven specific interesting bullet points I was hoping we could discuss as a class, but due to the new 25 minute time limitation we were only were able to touch on one of them. Frustrating!  Going forward, I’m seriously considering simply choosing some interesting quotes from that week’s scripture reading and offer them to the class members for discussion. Other than reading and pondering that week’s assigned chapters, there will likely be minimal lesson preparation on my part. We’ll see…

It does seem that the church is de-emphasizing Sunday School as meeting of primary instruction, and making it a meeting of secondary instruction, in that class members are expected to spend independent time with the scripture passages under study, and then come together to contribute and discuss what we have gleaned from that independent study. The teacher's job is to facilitate this discussion, and to moderate it as needed. 

One of the things that I have been especially concerned for is that old thing called "borrowed light." Heber C. Kimball once said 

“The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand? …

“… If you don’t have it you will not stand; therefore seek for the testimony of Jesus and cleave to it, that when the trying time comes you may not stumble and fall.”

I have always felt that Sunday School was the place to borrow light, but that true conversion and a strong testimony of the gospel was normally only to be had in one's personal study and prayer. And thus it seems to me that the present shortened Sunday School is where one both borrows light from others who share the light they have received, and where one shares the light one has received.

[Danzo]

2 hours ago, teddyaware said:

I’m the Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward and during my lesson preparation I considered playing the Byrds masterpiece ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ as part of the lesson, but rejected the idea due to the new time constraints.. There were seven specific interesting bullet points I was hoping we could discuss as a class, but due to the new 25 minute time limitation we were only were able to touch on one of them. Frustrating!  Going forward, I’m seriously considering simply choosing some interesting quotes from that week’s scripture reading and offer them to the class members for discussion. Other than reading and pondering that week’s assigned chapters, there will likely be minimal lesson preparation on my part. We’ll see…

We played the song for our 8 year old primary class, but somehow they haven't learned yet to appreciate good music.  I guess this means we still have work to do. 

[Tacenda]

I played pickleball with active members this morning and one is a Gospel Doctrine teacher. She didn't teach yesterday but mentioned the technique the teacher had and that was by writing 5 topic sentences and letting the class pick out which they wanted to discuss. He mentioned the first and there were no takers and erased it until they all agreed on one of the 5 and it took the whole time discussing one of the five. Thought you teachers out there might be interested in trying it. 

[teddyaware]

23 hours ago, Danzo said:

We played the song for our 8 year old primary class, but somehow they haven't learned yet to appreciate good music.  I guess this means we still have work to do. 

An interesting point regarding the Byrd’s rendition of Turn! Turn! Turn: When listening to the song’s instrumental interlude one might mistakenly think that Roger McGuinn is simply plucking the individual notes of the song’s melody on his Rickenbacker 12 string guitar, but what he’s actually doing is playing an intricate double-time finger picking banjo solo on a guitar (he’s an excellent banjo player). On the following tutorial video, McGuinn’s famous 12 string guitar solo starts at 2:00.

 https://youtu.be/ZAejkh4rTjs?is=syJeD0trdF7kvxv8

 

 

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by teddyaware