Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-09-16
The True Teacher.

There are some few things that are
necessary to characterize good
teacher. First, his character must
be above reproacb, with that high
standard of integrity and truthful
ness that every teacher and parent
must take as a guide and practice.
He must have sympathy, knowledge,
enthusiasm and common sense. As
a test of qualification his character
must stan first. Upright in all
business nsa ctions, a close compli-
ance i the terms of all contracts,
freedom from all offences against
morality, a close adherence to the
potent influence of example, and a
high grade of culture that can coun-
tenance nothing base or low-these
are some of the qualities that school
boards cannot scrutinize too closely
when seeking out proper person to
place i'll authority. as teacher.
Above all, the teacher must tho
roughly understand the subject to be
taught and be endowed with talent
and magnetism in order to improve
the talents and buoy up the ambi-
tions of his pupils. Lacking in these,
his efforts must prove failure. He
must be a man of wide and accurate
scholarship, which must be sufficient
to meet all the requirements Of the
school, though it should not be OBJ
tanned for the occasion through the
stuffing process.
The teacher should not be an
omniverous reader of everything chat
falls in his way, but he should be an
active reader of good books. Too
many teachers skim the surface, but
do not dive deep enough in search of
the hidden treasures which lie in
deeper water. lie should study
each topic well before he presents it
to the class, so that his pupils may
drink from fresh fountain rather
than stagnant pool. He should be
student as well as teacher and
pursue chosen line of reading and
investigation for his own benefit.
The best teacher is the one whose
whole soul is in the work and his
sole aim to obtain and impart sound
knowledge. He should be a close
observer of the general environments
thrown around his school. He must
know what he is teaching, and not
teach his opinions as truth. His
opinions are but mental pictures ex-
pressing a supposition.
The teacher should never come to
the end of his resources. To avoid
this he should be a reader of educa-
tional literature and a student of
whatever branch he intends to teach.
He should be able to present every
recitation in such a manner that the
pupil may get the best possible re-
suits.
A man without a heart has no
business in the school room. One of
the strongest elements in the life of
the true teacher is sympathy. 1t is
not part of the teachers work to
repress the self activity of the child,
but his duty lies rather in guiding it
SO that it may become prominent
factor in his life. The heart of the
little child heeds to kind words and
deeds as the strings of the violin to
the fingers of the skilled player.
Patience and frmness, working
hand in hand, with no show of
tyrannical rule, with no slackness in
preserving good order, with deep
interest in whatever promotes the
welfare and general good of the
child at school as well as at home,
are some of the necessary require
ments of the teacher who achieves
success.
A good, clever boy can gather a
few rays of light from any fool with
knowledge, but it requires "A skilled
workman to be able to teach. 1t is
a very easy thing to keep school, but
it is a great and noble thing to be a
true teacher.
Jonathan Old Style.
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