The joy of teaching nourishes one through the love of those one teaches. I do not speak here of sentimentalist affections. He proposes that humanity realizes itself in the milieu of dialogue. Self meets self, giving and receiving. Such engagement is by no means automatic or assured.
Love is the drawing force that fans the flame.
Lest I be taken as far too idealistic or as one who is rhapsodizing as a way of feeling better about what he has done for more than 30 years, I confess that teaching is demanding and sometimes burdensome work. I have moments of beleaguered perplexity, when I wonder what I am doing and what pretenses are keeping me at this craft. Moreover, I say in these reflections that we are to love our students, but I readily confess that this is not necessarily easy. In the end, love cannot rescue bad teaching. Nor does it ensure that every day will be charmed.