This weekend I got a chance to spend some time thinking about life and a variety of concerns. My church has a General Conference every 6 months and this last weekend was one such conference. During these conferences the church leaders share their thoughts and give direction and guidance to help people to live better lives where they can contribute more to the church and society at large. As the weekend went on, I shared a couple of quotes from the procedings that stood out to me on my twitter account. In particular the following quote really stood out to me:
"Remember, a teacher is also a student." #ldsconf
— Josef (@josefspjut) October 6, 2013
I’ve lived by this idea for much of my life, and more recently I’ve become even more interested in its implications. In my teaching, I’ve tended to do my best to instill in students a desire to teach those around them and to thoroughly understand material as a result. I know I’ve found that I best understand material when I’m able to teach that to others. In fact, I’ve gained a much greater understanding of digital electronics, embedded systems, and computer architecture as a result of the classes I’ve taught in the last year. I may have gained more from teaching than any individual student gained from taking the class. While the initial intent of the above quote concerned the sharing of spiritual knowledge, I personally believe all truth should be shared in a similar fashion. The teacher and the student should both be learning and growing.