On Seeing Children Go to School…

Seeing children go to school for the first time is reassuring yet sobering. They leave in part the love of home, the influence of family, and begin a process from which there is no complete returning at any time. They are taught in many ways by many teachers _ taught much that is true, much that proves to be but tentative.

They are exposed to many impressions, many opinions, many personalities _ and give up by small degrees some elements of their child-like innocence, and acquire by small degrees some elements of sophistication _ moving on in life, never again to be precisely the same _ with loving parents knowing they must go, yet wondering _ waiting _ knowing minds must be disciplined, educated, taught and trained, to make their way in the world.

All of this suggests the sobering trust of being at teacher _ a teacher of children _ a teacher of anyone at all. And always there must be the reminder that there is a wholeness in teachers _ and children _ and that one cannot separate mind from morals; one cannot separate teaching from attitude, from appearance, from personality. What totally makes up the teacher becomes part of the pupil. And so the trust of teaching must include humility, dignity, integrity, respect for truth, patient, honest forthright fairness, all together adding up to a far reaching influence upon the pupil _ remembering that what children see in us or feel from us may be as important as what they hear from us. Being a teacher is more than an occupation or profession. It is a sacred trust.

Seeing children go to school for the first day, or on any other, is a good yet sobering sight. God bless them every one _ and bless and touch the hearts of teachers who seek sincerely to teach what will benefit and bless them for everlasting length of life _ for a teacher is not only a source of information; a teacher is a shaper of living souls.