Stewardship

The term "stewardship" was used widely in PC 101 and PC 102. Stewardship is the responsibility to take care of things and organizations placed in your care. Someone who has this responsibility is called a “steward.” You are a steward. Think about the things in your life for which you have responsibility. These include your physical body, the money you have, the place where you live, the clothing you own, and the people you may care for such as children. When you care for these things or these people, you are being a good steward.Adam and Eve were the first stewards on Earth. They were commanded to take care of the Garden of Eden. After they partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they were cast out of the garden. Their new circumstance came with even more stewardship opportunities. By the sweat of their faces they tilled the ground and worked for survival. They had children born to them and they became responsible to teach and nurture them in the ways of the Lord (see Moses, chapters 3-5). Since then, all of us have been placed upon the earth in various places and various circumstances. Each of us is asked to be stewards in these circumstances and to make the best of them. In the parable of the talents, Jesus Christ taught that being a good steward brings blessings and an increase (see Matthew 25:14-30). There are many kinds of stewardships. This lesson will focus on two stewardships: academic and career.

Academic Stewardship

Academic stewardship is taking care of your mind and developing it over time. It means you do your best to learn. As you move through courses, it means you set aside time to study and complete work. The Learning Model, introduced in PC 101, gives a way to work on your academic stewardship. The Learning Model encourages you to take charge of your own education and be involved in your own learning each step of the way. Here are the three main parts:

• Prepare: Spend time with the learning materials each week and complete assignments.
• Teach One Another: You attend the Gathering weekly and teach one another for an hour, guided in discussion by a lead student. Teaching others what you are learning can also extend beyond the classroom and into your own home, church callings, and among friends and family.
• Ponder and Prove: You reflect individually and with others, like at the gathering. Application activities give you an opportunity to ponder and prove what you are learning. Green "Ponder and Record" boxes appear in this course to help you extend your thinking. You can answer these questions in a learning journal that is optional but highly recommended.

The three main parts of the learning model (Prepare, Teach One Another, Ponder and Prove) are three ways you can be a good academic steward. Being a good academic steward can help you become a better career steward.

Career Stewardship

Career stewardship is developing your talents so you can better serve others over a long period of time. This is usually done in work settings where you are paid. Some of you pay yourselves as entrepreneurs. Those who exercise good career stewardship work hard to become self-reliant. While some of you don't plan on working for pay at this time, you can still work hard in volunteer and family settings.

You can perform your career stewardship better if you perform your academic stewardship well. Read the following examples from real students. In each example, the student was a good academic steward, and that helped him or her become a better career steward.

• Esteban was a PathwayConnect student in Europe who studied hard. The course material he studied helped him get a new job at a call center that tripled his annual income, even before he finished PathwayConnect. He plans on continuing his studies so he can increase his ability to provide for his growing family.
• Cho applied what she learned about spreadsheets in her PathwayConnect courses to her current job in a home for elderly patients in the United States. Her boss was amazed at Cho's ability to use certain features of spreadsheets and asked Cho to teach her. Cho was happy that she had an opportunity to teach her boss and demonstrate her skills. She was glad she took the opportunity to talk to her boss about her new skills. She felt confident this would lead to future opportunities for promotions, a raise in pay, or both.
• Marta was a PathwayConnect student and full-time mother who learned she was an inspiration to her teenage daughter. After she saw her mother studying diligently for weeks, the daughter resolved that she too could do it, and her efforts in school improved. Marta and her daughter grew closer through this experience.
• Greta was a GS 170 student who wasn't planning on getting a job soon, but the resume skills she learned allowed her to help her husband get a better job. Later on, her Church leader asked her to come and present on how to use LinkedIn. Greta continued to spread her career stewardship knowledge and in the process developed herself so she would be better prepared to get a job should the need arise.
• Jasmine took what she learned in PC 102 about running a business, and applied it to her own business selling baked goods in the Philippines. She felt empowered to better define her business model, track sales data, and predict revenues.

By being good academic stewards, these five students became better career stewards. Here is a review of what they did:

• Esteban applied what he learned to get a higher paying job.
• Cho impressed her supervisor and improved her chances of getting a raise in pay or a promotion.
• When Marta studied, she inspired her daughter to do better in school. Marta strengthened her relationship with her daughter because of this.
• Greta shared her job finding skills with people she knew who needed it. This led to her husband getting a better job.
• Jasmine improved her ability to operate her business.

Your goal, like the students above, is to increase what you have been given over time so you can serve others better. This can increase your ability to earn money so you can be more self-reliant. Even if you don't plan on having a job at this time, your ability to add value like this will help you if your circumstances suddenly change and you are forced to seek employment. Remember, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).

Conclusion

Being a good academic steward can help you be a better career steward. Seek to understand this relationship so you can have an increase in both areas. Through all of this, a third stewardship is important: spiritual stewardship. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites prepared for war against the Lamanites by fortifying their cities. However, they also looked towards Heavenly Father and his prophets for direction and strength (See Alma 49). Continue to make the Holy Ghost a partner in your academic and career stewardships, and you will have divine help to fulfill your mission upon the earth.

Check My Understanding

Answer these questions to see what you remember from reading the text above.

1. What is stewardship? ANSWER
   x

   Stewardship is the responsibility to take care of things and organizations placed in your care.
2. What are the three main parts of the Learning Model? ANSWER
   x

   The three main parts are Prepare, Teach One Another, and Ponder and Prove.
3. How did Marta inspire her daughter to improve in school? ANSWER
   x

   Marta inspired her daughter by studying diligently, which motivated her daughter to also excel in her own studies.

W02 Gathering Prep

 

What will you do this week, in preparation for the gathering, to exemplify the Learning Model principle of “Teach One Another?” Prepare yourself by reviewing what it means to be a good steward. Before the gathering, choose someone to teach the difference between academic and career stewardship.

Ponder and Record
After reading this lesson, ponder the following questions. If desired, record your thoughts in a learning journal.

• What are some examples of things or people for which you have stewardship responsibility in your life?
• How do you take care of these stewardships?
• How can getting an education help you take care of these stewardships even better?