Succeed in School: Lesson 193

Taking Responsibility for Your Learning

Avoiding Excuses and Taking Action in Education

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

At 19 months old, Helen Keller contracted a disease that left her blind and deaf. Helen, however, refused to use her situation as an excuse. Helen’s teacher taught her to communicate. First, she would hand her an object. Then she would use her finger to write the object’s name on Helen’s hand.

Helen went on to graduate from Radcliffe College in 1904 with a bachelor of arts degree, becoming the first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree.

You will face challenges in your learning too. However, as you take responsibility for your learning, you can overcome those challenges and achieve unthinkable things.

Lesson Purpose: To help you recognize actions that can help you take responsibility for your learning.

Learn How

Responsibility for our learning

President Russell M. Nelson and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught important truths that are helpful to remember when we may be tempted to make excuses for poor choices in school.

Education is yours to obtain. No one else can gain it for you. Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn. For us as Latter-day Saints, gaining an education is not just a privilege, it is a religious responsibility. (“Will You Choose to Increase in Learning?,” New Era, Sept. 2014, 2)

education, responsibility

In matters both temporal and spiritual, the opportunity to assume personal responsibility is a God-given gift without which we cannot realize our full potential as daughters and sons of God. (“Free Forever, to Act for Themselves,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 18)

education, responsibility

Dig Deeper: Watch the video “Inspiring Short: 100 Percent Responsible” (3:22).

Taking responsibility helps you become like Christ

The scriptures contain examples of people who took responsibility and others who made excuses and avoided responsibility.

In the case of Goliath, which one is David?

Israel was at war with the Philistines. A Philistine warrior, Goliath, issued a challenge. He said that if one of the Israelites defeated him in single combat, then the Philistines would surrender and be servants to Israel. But if Goliath won, Israel would be servants to the Philistines. For 40 days Goliath came and challenged the Israelites to battle. King Saul and Israel’s army were afraid. David came to deliver food to his brothers who were soldiers in the army. He heard Goliath defy the armies of Israel (see 1 Samuel 17:1–25).

Read 1 Samuel 17:32, 37–40. Tag the passage with attributes of the Savior you see David demonstrating as he took responsibility to fight Goliath. You might tag them as “persistence” or “love.”

An example comes from the parable of the talents.

In this parable, a man left three servants in charge of different sums of money (talents). When he returned, he asked them to report on what they did with the money he gave them. (See Matthew 25:14–15, 19.)

Read Matthew 25:18, 24–28. Use one color to mark the reason the man with one talent gave for not investing his talent and the consequence of his choice. Now read Matthew 25:16–17, 20–23. Use a different color to mark how the men took responsibility for what they were given and how they were rewarded.

Responsibility for my learning

Like Helen Keller, David, and the two righteous servants, you can achieve great things by rejecting excuses and taking responsibility. The following chart identifies common excuses and ways to take responsibility for your learning.

Add to the chart by completing the following phrases at least twice in your notebook.

• An excuse I have used to avoid responsibility in my schoolwork is .

• A more responsible action I can try is .

Excuse	Taking Responsibility
Excuse I did not turn in my assignment because I do not understand how to do it.	Taking Responsibility I did as much as I knew how to do. I will ask for help on things I do not understand.
Excuse I did not study for my exam because I was spending time with my friends.	Taking Responsibility I will choose to study before spending time with my friends.
Excuse My mom forgot to wake me up, and I was late to school.	Taking Responsibility I can set an alarm to wake myself up to get to school in time.
Excuse An excuse I have used to avoid responsibility in my schoolwork is .	Taking Responsibility A more responsible action I can try is .
Excuse An excuse I have used to avoid responsibility in my schoolwork is .	Taking Responsibility A more responsible action I can try is .

Commit to stop using excuses and start using at least one method of taking responsibility for your learning. Pick a specific date. Share with a friend or family member what you will work on, and ask them to follow up with you about your commitment on that date.

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you recognize actions that can help you take responsibility for your learning.

Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:

• The excuses you will stop using and the method you will use to take responsibility for your learning.

• Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.

• Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?