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Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students
Christian teacher will pray for and with an erring student, but he will
not get angry with him. He will not speak sharply to the wrongdoer,
thus discouraging a soul who is struggling with the powers of dark-
ness. He will let his heart ascend to God for help, and angels will
come to his side to help him in lifting up the standard against the
enemy; thus instead of cutting off the erring one from help, he will
be enabled to gain a soul for Christ.
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Public Exposure of Wrongdoing
Great care should be shown in regard to making public the errors
of students. To make public exposure of wrong is harmful in every
respect to the wrongdoer and has no beneficial influence upon the
school. It never helps a student to humiliate him before his fellow
students. This heals nothing, cures nothing, but makes a wound that
mortifies.
The love that suffers long and is kind will not magnify an indis-
cretion into an unpardonable offense, neither will it make capital of
others’ misdoings. The Scriptures plainly teach that the erring are to
be treated with forbearance and consideration. If the right course is
followed, the apparently obdurate heart may be won to Christ. The
love of Jesus covers a multitude of sins. His grace never leads to the
exposing of another’s wrongs unless it is a positive necessity.
We are living in a hard, unfeeling, uncharitable world. Satan
and his angels are using every means in their power to destroy souls.
The good that a teacher will do his students will be proportionate to
his belief in them. And let the teacher remember that it is the most
unfortunate, those who have a disagreeable temperament, who are
rough, stubborn, sullen, that most need love, compassion, and help.
Those who most try our patience most need our love.
We shall pass through this world but once; any good that we
can do, we should do earnestly, untiringly, in the spirit that Christ
brought into His work. How can students who are greatly in need of
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help be encouraged to press on in the right way? Only by treating
them with the love that Christ revealed. You may say we should treat
them as they deserve. What if Christ treated us thus? He, the Sinless
One, was treated as we deserve, that we, fallen and sinful, might be
treated as He deserved. Teachers, treat your unpromising students as