The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-11-12
TEACHERS RESPONSIBILITY.
(By Miss Eleanor Fox.

of serious thought to the oonscienti
Gus teacher.
/ do not think / make an erroneous
statement when say that the teach
ers responsibility is equally as great
as the parents, for is not the child en-
trusted to the care of the teacher at a
very early age to remain under her
guidance almost until maturity? Is
not the child with the teacher almost
as much as with the parent? Then
how careful we should be in the dis
charge of our duty to the precious souls
whose minds we feed day by day. A
noted teacher once said, ''There is on
ly one thing in the universe that [
fear, either that I shall not know my
duty, or shall not have strength to do
it, There is nothing else that we
should ever fear, but this fear should
not make us cowardly, but "heroes in
the strlfe.'' There is no faithful
teacher who does not realize the great
ness of his or her responsibility, and
this realization should make him more
faithful. thoughtful, and diligent.
He should not allow himself to be
crushed by it, but doing his best day
by day should leave it; there is no
use to worry over results.
The old proverb, GAS is the teacher
so is the school, is generally true.
1t is what the teacher makes it. large
ly reflection of J himself.
If he is prompt, thorough, accur-
ate, or slovenly, turbulant, or un-
truthful, the school will take on the
same character. For good or for evil
the teacher is reproducing himself in
his pupil. 1t u.s. likely that in due
time some of his pupils may become
teachers, so his influence is constantly
widening The writer remembers we'll
that in her first school she rarely I'M
dertook anything in the way of teachN
ing or discipline that she did not
think how some former teacher of hers
would have done, the image Of that
teacher was always before her mind.
Therefore it is most important that
the teacher should be worthy Of irni-
tation in all respects. The faults of a
teacher who is generally strong and
good do more harm than those of
weaker one, because they make a deep
er impression on the pupils; and in
initiating they are as likely to seize
upon his weak points as upon the
strong ones. Perhaps they are more
likely to do so, as unripe minds are
inclined to think that, when they
have caught one or more of the man.
nerisms of one whom they think
great, they ale likewise great. This
being true, what vigils we should
keep over ourselves! We should not
only watch but pray. We need pray
ing teachers! Teachers who take the
lowly Nazarene as an example of
grandest, noblest, aud truest of all
teachers. Without the guidance of
this great Teacher no one should at
tempt to lead the little child into
the mysteries of thought; for what
is the cultivation of the mind with
out that deeper more valuable Guilt
walton of the soul? And how can
one impart nobleness to another un-
less he himself possesses it? The
of hn 10 FRI
of love-love for her Creator and
the Creator of all beauty, deep
and sympathetic love for the chill
dren under her. care. Love begets
love, so loving she will be loved.
Love! love! love! with ''Ex-
celsior" just beneath should be writ
ten on every teachers banner. You
some times, though not often, hear
it said, ooh, anybody can teach little
children. The time is fast waning
when any intelligent person can think
that primary teaching requires little
talent or tact. Nowhere else is it
more disastrous to attempt to build on
poor foundation than in education,
and nowhere else are the results of
bad work at the foundation more GER
tainIy without remedy. Nowhere else
as in the primary school is the pupil
SO open to personal influences, or the
teaching influences so exclusively per-
sonal. In the primary school is the
place to lay the foundation of a sound
character no less the foundation of a
sound intellectual culture. And people
are coming to feel more and more that
a good character is the greatest out
come of good education. Hence the
great responsibility of the primary
teacher. Who is equal to the task of
guiding these little feet? docs not
every perfect flower find its consum-
nation in the child, to minister to
which is the highest Of all human
service and most perfect of all religi
ons 20