Perhaps no other calling in the Church is as demanding - or as rewarding - as that of a teacher. Those who teach well inspire others to live righteously and impart the "good news" of the gospel to all around them.

Some may feel overwhelmed by their teaching responsibilities. Even though these teachers may struggle with doubts about their abilities to inspire others, they make things better for us each week by prayerfully fulfilling their callings and assisting us in our gospel studies. Often their influence extends beyond the classroom.Each week, as we attend the three-hour schedule of meetings, we find ourselves in either a teaching role or a student role. Ultimately, how we succeed as both teacher and student may well determine how we succeed in life.

To those who say "Oh, I'm just a teacher," President Ezra Taft Benson had this counsel: "Do you know of anything more important than being a teacher - touching the souls of the children of men? What did the Master spend His life doing? He was just a teacher, teaching human souls, inspiring them to live righteously. There is no higher calling than that. Whether it be done in the mission field or here at home with a group in a Primary class, they are all eternal souls that we work with." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 306.)

Effective gospel teachers share common traits that include:

- A love of the Lord. They emulate Him in their actions toward their students, seeking to develop His attributes. They are genuinely concerned about their students.

- An appreciation of the scriptures. They find time each week to not only prepare their lessons by using the standard works, but also they frequently turn to the scriptures to nourish their own souls.

- A love of the gospel. They love the Church and bear testimony often about the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that they are teaching.

- A respect for authority. They seek to follow the course outline, explaining, inspiring and lifting others, not criticizing the curriculum or those who preside over them. They seek counsel from their leaders and implement those ideas in their course work.

- A consideration of others. They make sure that classroom discussion is wide-ranging and inclusive and not dominated by a single individual or group. They seek to edify each student. At the same time, they are aware of time constraints and keep the class focused.

- A reliance on the Spirit in their preparations and in the classroom. Each class opens and closes with a prayer to invite the Spirit in and validate that which has been taught.

As gospel teachers, we need to present well-prepared lessons, teaching from the scriptures. We need to be careful of imposing our own ideas and opinions onto our students. We need to teach by the Spirit and to live by the Spirit. We need to set the example.

"Your responsibility is to live as you teach," President Benson advised Church members on another occasion. "Be consistent in your life with the message you declare to your students. The majority of you have provided strong, commendable examples of what a Latter-day Saint life and home should be. How many students have been induced into righteous decisions because of the examples of their . . . teachers." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 316).

President Harold B. Lee counseled in the April 1973 general conference. Church members, "You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You must be sure, if you would rescue the man, that you yourself are setting the example of what you would have him be. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul."

But not all responsibility rests with the teacher. We, as gospel students, need to come prepared each week to support our teachers in their callings. We should be familiar with the course of instruction. We should have read ahead in the scriptures or other materials under discussion. We should be willing to participate in class, assisting with the lessons when called upon, lending our voice to eternal principles and building up one another. We should not find fault with a particular lesson or concept.

Both teacher and student edify each other and build up the kingdom of God.

May God bless those who teach, that they may be able to inspire and to plant faith in the hearts of their students and give them the assurance, confidence and peace of mind that can be theirs through knowledge and obedience.

"Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you." (D&C 88:78)