"As a current teacher of the Sunbeams, the Mormon class for three-year-old children, I was curious about the new Primary manuals for the new year, which are meant to supplement the church-wide home-study program of “Come, Follow Me.” So I went to the meeting we were asked to attend for our ward, part of the regular “teaching training” sessions that are held once a month.

I was . . . “disappointed” might be the kindest way to put it. No wonder so few of the Primary teachers ever attend these meetings. No one seems to have any interest in the needs of young children. All of the suggestions for teaching were for adults and youth.

I brought up my concerns with our Primary President, who assured me that once I had the manual in hand, I’d see how to use it.

Well, that wasn’t what happened. When I saw the manual, I was even more confused. We’re moving from 40-minute lessons to 20-minute lessons each week, yet the manuals have a LOT more material to cover, especially doctrinal material. I like the focus on Christ rather than faith-promoting stories about the pioneers, but I also felt a bit like someone read through the scriptures to find pat answers to particular questions about Mormonism instead of reading to see what the scriptures actually had to say for themselves.

It seemed clear to me that no one is thinking about three-year-olds. These lessons are so far over their heads, it’s silly. ...

I suspect that people at church headquarters already know that there’s a problem with these lesson manuals for Sunbeams. I suspect they are already at work on better material for this age group. But in the rush to get the new curriculum done quickly for 2019, the Sunbeams have been forgotten."

https://religionnews.com/2019/01/05/the-new-mormon-primary-manuals-were-not-designed-with-real-children-in-mind/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2019 11:04AM by Amyjo.

"Russel wants me for a sunBEAM, to learn nothing new each day..."

I see the same thing in the public schools. Curriculum is written by people who havn't been inside a classroom in years, or who lack experience with a given age level. School teachers learn to adapt and edit, and I suspect Mormon Primary teachers will as well.

It seems whoever is assigned to teach the Sunbeams are nothing more than glorified babysitters to three-year olds.

Without actual lessons to go on, that is what they'll be doing, is improvising and entertaining rather than instructing.

In a way it will be doing the children a kindness because it will shorten their brainwashing and indoctrination lessons by that many more.

It also makes it plainer to see how quickly Russell Nelson rolls out his ideas without gathering the steam behind them to implement changes gradually through careful planning.

Amyjo Wrote:
-
>
> Without actual lessons to go on, that is what
> they'll be doing, is improvising and entertaining
> rather than instructing.
>

That's what should have been done all along. The idea of any major structured religious instruction for three-year-olds is ludicrous.

Have they updated those object lessons in the manuals?
Usually the story was something like how young Ezra.T. Benson learned the importance of obedience when old Bossy milk cow suffered because Ezra disobeyed father and went fishing instead of doing the milking as he was told to do.
Stories that today's urban kids can't relate to at all.

I spent over a decade in Primary before I left the church and I'm a trained elementary school teacher as well. In my opinion, LDS Primary has NEVER been designed for children of any age. The constant emphasis on reverence and sitting still and listening is not what most children do well. Children need lots of participation and activity to remain attentive.

Thankfully Primary is now shorter, but I remember the days when I taught Sunbeams and the Primary President only wanted the three-year-olds to attend part of sharing time. That meant that I had 10 little ones in a classroom the size of a closet for over an hour. We had snacks, sang songs, played games and had a three minute lesson, but it was still the longest hour of my week. The Primary President learned that I was spending most of my time on supplemental activities instead of following the manual and she had the nerve to tell me that I should only be using the manual. I just laughed.

Is anything designed with REAL PEOPLE in mind?

This person went to a meeting to find out how to use a lesson manual for three-year-olds and was disappointed?

We are talking about three-year-olds! Go to any preschool and watch what they do with three-year-olds and do that. Who would wait to see a lesson manual? That's the problem with emphasizing obedience and installing a Stasi system of gossiping and backbiting; ordinary women are so terrified of making the slightest, most insignificant, mistake, they lose all of their common sense. ("I'm perfect in every way. Now I'm going to criticize the new program for not addressing the three-year-olds adequately in the new lesson manual." Sheesh.)

As for want2bx, a leader of a volunteer organization who dares criticize a volunteer for failing to follow an approved lesson-plan for a group of three-year-olds deserves worse than being laughed at. (Even so, I bet you caught hell for it).

Self-righteousness will be the death of the cult. Turning women into such navel-gazers has got limited competitive advantage in the modern world. Women obsessing about minutia while the world passes them by. While over in the real world, women are unbinding their feet. More and more, Mormon women are turning themselves into stumbling blocks. Since the cult exists only to serve its royalty, eventually, when they become an embarrassment, these common women will be discarded and mocked, despite their sacrifices.

Replace Jesus with Jar Jar Binks and put this video on loop: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tJQhtbu584A

It starts before Sunbeams. I taught nursery--babies 18 months to three years! The first manual had short lessons with topics like: Sun, Moon, and Stars. and God gave us healthy food to eat. I could work with that. One January, precious correlation handed me a manual that had lessons like: Joseph Smith was a prophet. and, I have a spirit. Yeah... those 18 monthers were really into that stuff. This was about 2003. Please tell me they haven't made it worse.

They should have some dittos made up of a faith promoting game that 3 year olds love. Pin the tail on the donkey!

Imagine the hours of fun as preschoolers squeal in delight as they attempt to pin the tail on President Nelson.

This is insane.

Children three years and below aren't capable of learning through instruction. Can you teach a three-year-old to read? Yes. Should you? No. It is emotionally destructive.

Kids that age learn by playing. They should be given toys, engagement by adults, encouragement to share, encouragement to explore what the toys present.

It is utterly absurd to use nursery as an opportunity to "teach." This program was designed by old men who think every minute must be structured and exploited from birth to death. They have no understanding of how the human mind, and emotional wellbeing, develop.

My wife and I taught Primary also and We supplemented the Primary Manual and we incorporated other Christian Religions Ideas to help teach the Sunbeams. We me and my wife were told by so many parents that there kids still remember stories and parable recreations that we did. This is 7 years ago.

The Sunbeams is one of the funnest groups to teach. Whoever thought they are unteachable never had them for a class.

Clearly no "prophet" behind this.
Or preschool professionals