The Good Teachers are
the Great Cultivators of Souls

We all know that here is no such thing as static life. Good teachers have the privilege of pointing to the higher life, they are the gardeners in the garden of life. The teachings of childhood are what determine the character of maturity.

We know that people are capable of doing both good and evil and that all human beans develop character as they practice virtue and avoid vice. We know, too, that every normal human bean has opportunity to be fully mentally developed with the right education and the school of life.

Someone once said: "The child is born into the world half angel, half imp. The imp develops naturally, the angel has to be cultivated."

Leading By Example

The real teacher leads by example, shows great responsibility and is always the greatest student in the class.

A good value of teaching lies in the fact that the position of teacher exercises a restraining influence for good on the moral life of the teacher. All teachers should be sustained by a consciousness that their conduct is their only evidence to the students that the practice is consistent with the theory they teach.

Many teachers invariably declare that they have learned more, especially in the first year of teaching, than in any year at college. Teaching is that special type of job which has opportunity for constant intellectual growth.

The Joy Of Teaching

Another great joy that attends teaching is the satisfaction of seeing students develop. The sculptor finds real happiness in watching his clay take on the form and expression of his model; the artist glories as his colors grow into life; the parent finds supreme joy in seeing himself "re-grow" in his child; so the teacher delights to see his students build their lives on the truths he has taught. The joy is doubly sweet if it is heightened by an expression of appreciation on the part of the students. Few experiences can bring the thrill of real happiness that comes to the teacher when a former student, once perhaps a little inclined to mischief or carelessness, takes him by the hand with a "God bless you for helping me find my better self."

The Opportunity To Be Remembered

Two types of teachers are remembered: One to be forgiven after years have softened the antagonisms and resentments; the other to be thought of with honor and gratitude as long as memory lasts.

Between these two is a third and a larger group: those who are forgotten, because they failed to stamp a lasting impression on their students. This group represents the mediocrity of the profession, not bad enough to be actively forgiven, not good enough to claim a place in gratitude and remembrance. There are varying degrees of glory hereafter. As Goethe has said, "Life is the childhood of our immortality."

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