Meet a Scientologist: Teachers— and Students—Can Enjoy Life in the Classroom

In a video featured on the new Scientology Video Channel at www.scientology.org, Sam Silver talks about how Scientology fuels his passion and excitement for teaching.

Life and work are happy and fulfilling for Samuel Maurice Silver, a teacher in a private school in Oregon.

Some 20 years ago, 18-year-old Silver was unsure of the direction for his life and rather casually decided to become a teacher. It has turned out to be the love of his life.

Unlike many teachers who find the classroom not just challenging but stressful and fuel for “burnout” that drives many from the profession, Silver has thrived, and so have his students.

Silver’s students come in all shapes and sizes and from diverse backgrounds. They possess varying degrees of interest and motivation as students, at least in the beginning.

But shortly into any given school year, the students come together on what really matters in a classroom: They smile a lot, they accomplish a lot, and they learn.

In his classroom, Silver, a Scientologist, uses the Study Technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and the results emanate from the students. Coupled with his personal burning desire to help every student learn not only facts but how to learn, Study Technology turns even reluctant or previously failed students into eager learners.

Replacing the all-too-typical anxiety before a test, Silver’s students say they are confident going in that they understand the subject and can “think with it.” The aim is not how much they can memorize, but how much they know and can apply. This breeds competence and self-confidence which only increase over time.

The Study Technology Silver applies in his teaching includes methodology to identify when a student has hit a barrier in comprehension and how to help the student overcome the barrier. Sam has the knowledge to help his students overcome problems in the classroom.

Another key factor in Study Technology is that each student works at their own pace, averting that age-old teaching dilemma of whether to accommodate the faster or slower learners. And any student, fast or slow, is able to quickly overcome any difficulty in comprehension and move forward again, using the study methods that correctly identify the exact study barrier and resolve it.

The result? No burnout in Sam Silver’s classrooms. It is less stressful for him, his students, as well as for the parents and administrators counting on the results.

And the palpable love of learning by his students is the joy every teacher dreams of experiencing, and can, says Silver.

View Sam’s video on Scientology.org!

The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International video channel at Scientology.org now total 150 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own YouTube Video Channel. The Official Scientology YouTube Channel has now been viewed by millions of visitors.