Teaching and Service

Teaching has also been a part of the story and values of Cumorah Academy. Our effort is to emulate the characters of the Savior Jesus and His attributes. Teaching played a vital role in His ministry: “And he opened his mouth, and taught them” (Matthew 5:2). Inspired by the example of the Savior and moved by a willingness to connect with the local community, a group of students engaged in a service project directed to teach English to students at a local school.

Before moving on, it is important to clarify one context that is typical of Cumorah Academy’s vocabulary: when the students step onto campus, they are divided into five groups where they’ll stay until the end of the semester. Each group has the name of an important character from the scriptures. The group, led by Álvaro, a student from Argentina, is the Isaiah group (named after the prophet of the Old Testament).

Isaiah’s group felt the prompting for this project after reflecting on how they could serve the local community. They saw in teaching a huge opportunity to showcase the standards of Cumorah Academy and our desire to bless and uplift those around us.

These are the members of Isaiah’s group:

• Álvaro – Group Leader (Argentina);
• Marcos Junior (Brazil);
• Alvin (Portugal);
• Naomi (Peru);
• Oleksandra (Ukraine);
• Anamaria (Colombia);
• Carina (Portugal);
• Iker (Spain);
• Heela (Afghanistan);
• Victor (Brazil).

Background of the Service

The school was located in Vlašim, quite far from the campus. The Cumorah Academy students prepared and trained to deliver remarkable service to the locals. The school has classes with different English levels, and our students taught the classes of levels A2, B1, B2, and C1.

Needless to say, the importance of English in such a globalized world cannot be overstated. Research has shown that English is the most spoken language now, with numbers increasing daily. For success in any career, fluency, and confidence in this language will be vital for the progress of anyone in the marketplace. That’s the reason our students decided to teach English.

Preparation for Teaching

After receiving approval to teach in the school, Isaiah’s group started planning the classes. They split their members so they could teach four classes simultaneously. Planning and performing would be vital to engage young learners. Our students from Cumorah would apply what they learned in Public Speaking and Leadership classes: they would engage the audience, tailor their message according to their age, deliver activities, and make them feel comfortable during the whole class.

Engaging with Students

On March 8th, the school received our students. Along with them, our team of interns was also assembled to be part of this important day: Miriam (Photo and Video Intern), Delton (Content Creation Intern), and Mary (Business Intern).

As mentioned earlier, Isaiah’s group would be teaching four classes at the following levels: A2, B1, B2, and C1. Marcos Junior, a student from Brazil, was at the helm of teaching the A2 students. The class would be 90 minutes in length, divided into two classes of 45 minutes with a 5-minute break. Marcos said: “We started the first part by introducing ourselves and then played a vocabulary game with words they could use on trips and in restaurants. After the break, we started a quiz related to our countries. We had candies, chocolates, and prizes for all.”

The students loved the class! Álvaro joyfully commented on Marcos’s performance: “Marcos Junior did excellently. He brought a lot of fun into the classroom. After the class, students were taking pictures with him and everyone said that they loved his energy.”

Teaching and Inspiring

In a quick interview on our Instagram page, one of the school teachers expressed how this initiative impacted their students. This is a sign of how small efforts to serve may make someone’s day. Inspired by the Savior’s example, Isaiah’s group engaged in teaching as a way to inspire the community and the rising generation. One generation inspires the other.

As the scripture in Matthew says, from the very moment the Savior opened His mouth He would be teaching, our Cumorah Academy students also opened their mouths and taught others. They used their talents to serve the young generation on a day full of learning, fun, engagement, and remarkable memories.

We couldn’t be more proud of our students.

You can watch a little about this and other service projects our students worked this semester below:

Written by Fernando L. Ferreira Junior.

Supervision by Kamila Uberto Fullmer