"We shape our environments, there after they shape us."
- Winston Churchill

As teachers it is our responsibility to provide the right kind of environment for learning and teaching, and hopefully this is applicable to the lives that are in the class room and not just the curriculum taught there. In my high school there were all different types of teachers, sadly a lot of them were not ideal.

I had this history teacher that, on the first day, we sat down at our desks, and he stated that he was handing out a piece of paper with the syllabus, class room rules, and that there was no need for talking in his class. If I turned in all my assignments and did not disrupt the class I would get a good grade. From that day forward he put notes up on the projector for us to copy while he lectured from the notes the whole class period. My impression from the first day was accurate; this class was a waste of time. As blunt as my teenage self could be I was right in this assumption. The most I took away from that class was a grade; no lasting impressions besides boredom, and no life lessons besides how not to teach.

Obviously teaching shouldn't feel like babysitting but it definitely shouldn't feel like prison; for the teacher or the student. I really liked what we discussed in class with the moral dimensions because its such an obvious, but understated thing, that teaching is a moral endeavor. Teachers are the ones that walk the halls with the students and see most of everything that students encounter every day. Also every moral dimension could be applicable to any type of class.

"How do you bring in Faith, without bringing in faith?"

This balance is difficult for some teachers but my most influential teachers were the ones that were solid moral examples in their class rooms. And as we discussed in class, example is the best way to demonstrate faith without talking openly about it. Teaching faith doesn't have to be a discussion on the Bible but any moral dilemma can be solved with standards many Christians would deem acceptable. As Later day saints we are told to live in the world not of the world, and as a LDS teacher this has to be more prevalent in places like high school when kids are just figuring out where they stand on moral issues. I know that teaching is a moral pursuit but as i say it I wonder what percentage of teachers actually realize their position of influence.