Teaching moments — MTC plays major role in lives of instructors
Their work responsibilities vary greatly, and before gathering together on this January afternoon for an interview with Mormon Times, they'd never met.
But they all speak the language of shared experience.
There are smiles and sighs when the teachers are asked how much influence the job has over their lives. Valori Infanger expresses slight embarrassment that her friends, so accustomed to hearing her stories, know the names of the missionaries she teaches.
Brandon Sunday laughs about how he apologized to a young woman, also an instructor, for talking too much about the MTC during a recent date. Joseph Sorber and Michelle Aedo both make reference to the fact that their respective spouses maybe hear too much about the MTC.
"I'm always thinking about the missionaries," Aedo said. "They're just always in my thoughts."
It's all part of a job where the uniqueness of the work commands a level of commitment and responsibility that is embraced by those who work there and rewarded with the same fulfilment they felt in the mission field.
The teachers share a laugh when discussing the good-natured teasing they get from peers, like being asked if they're the elder's quorum president or whether it's OK to listen to the radio in their presence.
"They expect a level of spirituality from me," Sunday says with a joking tone.
And, no, they don't all wear their nametags around campus.
The truth is the young adults who teach missionaries are typical college students dealing with academic and social pressures. They register for classes and endure finals week. They balance checkbooks and sometimes run into car problems. While some are married, some are looking for a spouse and may experience the occasional breakup.
But bringing those concerns into the MTC is not an option.
For Aedo, who recently graduated from BYU with a degree in speech therapy and completed her final semester as an MTC instructor, the workplace was a haven from everyday life.
"I love the fact that you can leave it at the door," she said. "You don't have to think about (your problems). You shouldn't, so I don't allow myself to."
Sunday, a Russian major from Centerville who served his mission in Yekaterinburg, Russia, says he'll use prayer as a means of blocking out distractions.
Recent comments
Amen to all the inputs from other teachers, it's the most demanding…
Former Teacher (Bro. Chan) | Jan. 30, 2008 at 2:19 p.m.
Thanks for the article. I worked at the MTC while at BYU and for…
Karl Doller | Jan. 27, 2008 at 3:54 p.m.
I attended the LTM from April to June 1978. The instructors were…
Force | Jan. 26, 2008 at 12:49 p.m.
