The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-04-14
lac Teacher as a Student,

me ieacher as a Student.
There is truth expressed by an
old adage which, although old, a S
long as human nature is the same
will have 90 be impressed on the
minds of men. 1t effects them in
all the relations Of life, and is &
maxim for all classes, the states.
man and the plow boy being equal
ly objected by it: physician heal
myself" There has always been
to me Il kind of sarcastic scorn in
those words, and justly so, for in
that short sentence is depicted
what the Bible calls a hypocrite, to
me the most hateful, the most dread
full name in our strong English
tongue. See if a teacher cannot
profit by a few minutes bordering
over its meaning.
Oar continual admonition to our
pupils is "study, study. study" abe
constant in your devotion to your
books" Cry to learn all you can"
Are we ourselves students? Can
we honestly impress upon the minds
of Others the Importance and ncces.
sity of study, when we ourselves
apparently get along very we'll
without studying? L say appar-
emily, for the faithful teacher must
DC a student. A man who does not
love books cannot teach others to
love them. That would be an
anomalous condition Of affairs
And he who loves books must from
force Of circumstances be a student
of them.
Let your pupil feel that he is
working with you not for you. An
ovcrseor will get almost twice the
work out Of his laborcrs if, instead
Of merely directing their labor, he
lays his hand to the shovel and
works with them. They have then
not only his preccpt, but also his
example.
a teacher cannot win the respect
of his pupils unless he is a worker.
The business of a backwoods teach
CT of fifty years ago was to hear
lessons, and especially to WELD the
bush. II lie did these things his
duty was fulfilled. But the birch,
although by some considered a great
power. mot after ali win to the
wieidcr true respect from his put.
pills. 1t may ovcrawc them, but
that is an evil rather than a good.
Superior mental training and cul
ture alone command respect, and
wherever these exist success will
follow. General information will
not Of itself do the work, although
very necessary in its place, for the
duty of our schools is not to turn
out what are commonly called
"walking encyclopedias" but to
make thinkers out of human ami
mails. a school must thel G fore be
controlled by a thinking man.
Again, teaching is no longer 4
byway to other professions, or the
makcshilf of q lazy and ]nsucccss
full lawyer or doctor, or a means Of
subsistence TO a broken down
preacher. 1t has itself become a
profession, and has its literature as
well as medicine or the ministry.
1t has also like them its laws of
success and failure, just as comprc.
hcnsivc and almost as thoroughly
classified.
You ask a successful lawyer the
secret Of his professional success,
and he will tell you, continual and
~unceasing study of his law texts.
lis whole life has been a lie of
study. Inquire into the reasons
why SO many fourth class lawyers
and doctors ill orr towns and coun.
try, and You will find that in nine
cases out Of ten the true cause Of
their failure is neglect of their
books. So the teacher who has
any ambition to rise in his profess
sion must be a student, a worker.
lt it not enough for him to have a
diploma from some college. That
1 some cases represents much, but
somStimes amaunts to little. He
must study, as the lawyer, the thco-
ries on which his profession, as a
profession, is based and become &C.
quaintcd with prccedents as exem.
pliiicd iii the lives and teachings Of
the worlds great teachers.
/ have been speaking altogether
of the study Of books. There is
another study, equally as deep and
equally as important TO the teacher,
and that is the study Of human ma.
ture in all Of its phases, more cspe.
clally in child nature, but I cannot
now more than give credit to its
Importance.
We have many faithful teachers
to whom what ] have written will
be useless, but there are some whom
| would urge to study more, make
yourselves fit examples for those
under your care. AS we were told a
few weeks ago III this column by
IL whom | am sure knows the
truth OF her words, "Study is work,
study is agony" But unlike some
other tasks dcvolving upon a teach.
er, it brings with it its own reward.
10 j : m thoroughly in earnest it
becomes no longer labor, but the
truest pleasure.