Preparation
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with the faulty, trying ones that the character is tested, and it is proved
whether the teacher is really qualified for his position.
Great is the responsibility of those who take upon themselves the
guidance of a human soul. The true father and mother count theirs a
trust from which they can never be wholly released. The life of the
child, from his earliest to his latest day, feels the power of that tie
which binds him to the parent’s heart; the acts, the words, the very
look of the parent, continue to mold the child for good or for evil. The
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teacher shares this responsibility, and he needs constantly to realize
its sacredness, and to keep in view the purpose of his work. He is
not merely to accomplish the daily tasks, to please his employers, to
maintain the standing of the school; he must consider the highest good
of his pupils as individuals, the duties that life will lay upon them,
the service it requires, and the preparation demanded. The work he is
doing day by day will exert upon his pupils, and through them upon
others, an influence that will not cease to extend and strengthen until
time shall end. The fruits of his work he must meet in that great day
when every word and deed shall be brought in review before God.
The teacher who realizes this will not feel that his work is com-
pleted when he has finished the daily routine of recitations, and for
a time his pupils pass from under his direct care. He will carry these
children and youth upon his heart. How to secure for them the noblest
standard of attainment will be his constant study and effort.
He who discerns the opportunities and privileges of his work
will allow nothing to stand in the way of earnest endeavor for self-
improvement. He will spare no pains to reach the highest standard of
excellence. All that he desires his pupils to become, he will himself
strive to be.
The deeper the sense of responsibility, and the more earnest the
effort for self-improvement, the more clearly will the teacher perceive
and the more keenly regret the defects that hinder his usefulness. As
he beholds the magnitude of his work, its difficulties and possibilities,
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often will his heart cry out, “Who is sufficient for these things?”
Dear teacher, as you consider your need of strength and guidance,—
need that no human source can supply,—I bid you consider the
promises of Him who is the wonderful Counselor.
“Behold,” He says, “I have set before thee an open door, and no
man can shut it.”
Revelation 3:8
.