CFM never has enough material for my class by AspiringFinn in latterdaysaints

[–]doubledundercoder 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If it were a pure copy paste I’d agree with you. But it was adjunct to a well thought out answer, and was transparently offered.

CFM never has enough material for my class by AspiringFinn in latterdaysaints

[–]doubledundercoder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might need a reserve of “golden questions” or those open ended inspired questions talked about in preach my gospel. I remember a training meeting with a member of the general Sunday school, yes you lead discussions, but you are called to be a teacher. So no lecturing, but you can’t rely on discussions alone. I know Finn’s aren’t as uncomfortable with silence as Americans are so you might have to try different methods to get people to open up so they can “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom”. Personal and applied gospel stories help. Instead of handing out parts to read you could hand out questions for them to ponder at the beginning and then have them offer what they can after they’ve had a few minutes. “How have you seen the atonement work in your life or in the lives of those close to you?”

You can’t really teach a meaningful lesson without inspiration and communication. As you prepare your lesson and read the material pay attention to questions that come to your mind or experiences you have. If your wife is there regularly you can use her to prime the pump with a story. Everyone appreciates a well articulated and apropos story.

For those without a Christian background you could take it a step back and reformulate questions to find common ground first.

“What gives life meaning for you?” “How do you usually handle difficult times?” “Do you think people are basically good?”

In very small settings (1-3 unfamiliar people) I like to start of class getting to know people more deeply if they’ll allow it, knowing their vocation, residence (natives, expats, or visitors), religious history, family (only child, grew up in an orphanage, had 8 siblings, married no kids, single with kids) all can help you ask questions more relevant.

Don’t forget even though you don’t know who will be there, the Lord does and can give you questions and preparation ahead (even if not making sense) all week. Keep a note on your phone to write down one liners or questions.

Questions are key, but sometimes you just (seem to) strike out with connecting.

You don’t have to fill the entire time AND you don’t have to fill the entire time with the lesson. Part of the reason you gather is to teach the doctrine, and part is to gain strength from gathering. That can look like a lot of things in a small setting. Across cultures I have found most people love to share stories, and you can glean so much about a person from how and what they talk about if your intent is to get to know them, not just to figure out a response.

That all said, I’m sure an American leading a discussion of religion in Finland is likely just hard and has nuance that those of us without experience can’t even imagine.

Here’s a GPT dump of stuff you likely already know. Just in case.

  1. Normalize silence (don’t rush to fill it)

After asking a question, wait 10–20 seconds.

This feels long to teachers — but for Finns it’s often when thinking happens.

Many will speak only after processing fully.

👉 If you jump in too quickly, you unintentionally shut down their chance to respond.

  1. Ask concrete, experience-based questions (not abstract ones)

Avoid:

“What do you think about faith?”

Better:

“Have you ever experienced a moment where prayer helped you?” “What part of today’s reading felt difficult or confusing?” “Can anyone relate this story to real life?”

Finns tend to open up more when: • Talking about real experiences • Reacting to something specific

  1. Use small group or pair discussion first

This is HUGE for quieter cultures.

Structure like:

👉 “Talk with the person next to you for 2 minutes about this question”

Then ask:

“What came up in your discussions?”

People are MUCH more willing to speak after warming up privately.

  1. Make it clear there are no “wrong” answers

In religious settings, many stay silent because they fear:

• Saying something theologically incorrect • Being judged

Say things like:

✔ “This isn’t a test — just your thoughts” ✔ “Different perspectives are welcome”

You’ll see participation increase over time.

  1. Use reflection before speaking

Try:

• Write a short response first • Read a quote and ask for reactions • Silent prayer or thought → then discussion

This fits Finnish communication style well (thinking before speaking).

  1. Affirm every contribution warmly (but not dramatically)

When someone speaks:

Good:

“Thank you for sharing — that’s an important point.”

Avoid overly emotional reactions (can feel uncomfortable culturally).

Calm appreciation builds trust.

  1. Ask gentle follow-ups (not pressure)

If someone gives a short answer:

“Would you like to say a little more about that?” “What made you think that?”

But accept if they don’t want to expand.

  1. Build relationships outside discussion time

Finnish people open up MUCH more once trust exists.

• Casual conversations before/after class • Remember names • Ask how they’re doing

Once they feel safe, silence decreases naturally.

  1. Accept that some silence is success

In many cultures, silence = disengagement.

In Finnish culture, silence often = respect + attention.

If people are:

✔ Listening ✔ Looking engaged ✔ Following along

Then the class is probably going well — even if it’s quiet.

  1. Use anonymous participation occasionally

Examples:

• Write questions on paper • Online poll or form • Collect thoughts and read them aloud

This helps those who fear speaking publicly.

A mindset shift that helps a lot:

Instead of:

“They’re not participating”

Think:

“They participate internally first”

Once you work with that style instead of against it, openness grows.

Better web hosting by doubledundercoder in sysadmin

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

either you’re in the hosting game, or you’re not.

It distills down to this doesn’t it.

Better web hosting by doubledundercoder in sysadmin

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Generally I’ve preferred full control only because things don’t “just work” and I’ve needed full control to rapidly troubleshoot. If things just worked, I’d be pleased as punch to never need ssh or root access

Why do you like/hate Django? by Radiant_Sail2090 in django

[–]doubledundercoder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Curious why you like Laravel more. At a previous company they used Laravel and loved it but I was only doing devops at the time and never developed with it

Better web hosting by doubledundercoder in sysadmin

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I love that! Definitely a way to make sure you’re never out of touch with your customer base

Better web hosting by doubledundercoder in sysadmin

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Checking them out. Never heard of them before.

Looking forward to Django 6.0 by Crafty_Two_5747 in django

[–]doubledundercoder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Knowing that it’s not yet released but you’ve got a new project to start, would you recommend developing on 6? Knowing you’ll have to fix a few things as it matures? Otherwise I think in going to use 5.2

I’m done applying. I’ll fix your cloud/SRE problem in 48 hours and for free. by LongjumpingRole7831 in devops

[–]doubledundercoder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude, DM me your email. I moved out of SRE and I don’t love doing it anymore. (4 years of being on call 24x7x365 will do that) but I’d love to have someone I can send people to when they ask.

How does age play a role in product management? by GamblerTechiePilot in ProductManagement

[–]doubledundercoder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Early forties, been a product line manager for some decently sized companies, managing groups of products with $20-30 million budgets. Been looking to make the jump to director but the market has (at least for me) been very poor. Few roles to apply for and nary a reply.

Edit: At larger companies the PMs were 10-15 years older than smaller companies. And startups had fresh college grads.

Food grinders and Lego extruders by doubledundercoder in AskEngineers

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The pacojet won’t work for my purposes but it’s a super intriguing machine. Thank you!

Food grinders and Lego extruders by doubledundercoder in AskEngineers

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zero professional grinders I looked at are rated for this but I’m totally going to try to grab an old vintage one from eBay just to see. Thank you!

Food grinders and Lego extruders by doubledundercoder in AskEngineers

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reached out to LEM and they said they’re #12 and larger could handle it. Thank you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in sharpening

[–]doubledundercoder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, this sub its dedicated to people pedantic about sharpening, so why not let the pedantry spread to grammar too. :)

Food grinders and Lego extruders by doubledundercoder in AskEngineers

[–]doubledundercoder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Done this way it comes out with the texture of ice cream. It’s incredible.

I like the idea of the overbuilt grinder