The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-04-13

The First Essential Requisite for
the Successful Teacher Is
Good Character

tne SUCCESSFUL Teacnor II
Good Character
Out in Nebraska, after I had been
a school boy. a county superintend-
ent, Dean Of q College and State
Superintendent this time Ia
which I refer was state Superin-
tendent-there was ia young man
out in the county seat with a
family, wife and three children; he
also had two brothers. one min
lister, and the other a school man
and county superintendent. A COM
plant was brought against this
young man and they asked me to re-
woke his state certificate. Well, I
talked IL over with his Principal
and the County Superintendent, and
we decided this, that ii is better
to help a man when he is down,
than TO kick him when he is down,
but OF course. we must be careful
of the interests Of the children who
are coming in his instruction. So
we said TO this young man, about
thirty years Of age or more, "You
give me your life certificate and I
will put IL here in the vault, and
I will put you on a years proba-
ton. will not follow you nor in
jure you in any way: you can move
away from here. and IL you can
find a place where you can teach
young men and women, in pri-
vate or church school, and at the
end Of the year you can present me
a statement from the pastor Of a
church. from the Sunday School
and the president
Of the board Of trustees. saying that
you have lived right this year, |
will give you back the certificate.
He went and found just such place
as suggested. really did not be-
lieve he would. I was just suggest
ing 10 him something that thought
would be fair and I was giving him
a helping hand. And he lived that
year right and I gave him back his
life certificate without having to put
in the revoke, and he has not fallen
since.
So speak of Character as the
corner stone upon which to build
the work of a successful teacher,
and upon which the qualifications
must rise.
Going right hand in hand with
Character is Proper Conduct. \
great many young men and women
who have good characters thr1 s.
suspicion upon them by improper
conduct. Now, ! shall say some
hing to you young men and women
hat you do not find in Pedagogy. |
I'm going TO talk plainly about
.hings on earth. I speak from
welve years of experience as an
officer, eight years
n the State Department Of Educa-
ion where I was under $4,000
,ond. Now. ! say this to young
men. When you go out to teach
school. he careful of your conduct
oward the young women who are
among your pupils or students il
you are a single man. and Of course.
{ you are a married man you will
conduct yourself properly. I once
Knew the principal Of a four-teach-
II school who fell desperately in
owe with a grammar teacher. but
he did not fall in love with him.
I is no harm 10 fall in love with
'our teacher, or one OF your high
chool pupils. but remember that
Love is blind, and lovers cannot
see,
The pretty follies that they them
selves commit"
like TO stand by the teacher and
government, but sometimes it is best
or all concerned for a teacher TO
esign and get away when they nave
made such a failure as this young
nan made.
Now, | don't want the young wo-
nen present this afternoon TO think
I is just the young men that are
weak in this kingdom Of love. |
new a young woman OF the state
# Nebraska who finished a course
n French and German abroad in
rance and Germany, and allowed a
'oung man, a pupil and student OF
he high school. TO pay her undue
ttention. They became almost in
with each other and acted
cry silly, and the wagging tongues
yagged, and how wagging tongues
Ike 10 wag about what the teacher
oesl And out in a little commun-
ty everybody knows everybody's
BUSINESS. So that young woman
With all her education had TO resign.
TO be Continued
auhsfitutsd