Principles of Teaching | Page 7

days of old, and for ages to come will I make
known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things
pertaining to my kingdom;

"Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come
will I show them, even the things of many generations;
"And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to
heaven: and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the
understanding of the prudent shall come to naught;
"For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make
known unto them the secrets of my will; yea, even those things which
eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man."
(Doc. & Cov. 76:5-10.)
This constitutes a promissory note signed by our heavenly Father
Himself. A blessing beyond compare--a dividend unfailing--and our
only investment--devoted service! Companionship with the Spirit of the
Lord! That is what it means, if we serve Him in faith and humility.
"Be thou humble, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and
give thee answer to thy prayers." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 112:10.)
Like all other gifts and attainments, the Spirit of the Lord has to be
cultivated. Teaching insures a cultivation as few other things in life can.
An enriched spirit, then, is the first great reward of the teacher.
A second satisfaction is the guarantee of one's own growth and
development. Teachers invariably declare that they have learned more,
especially in the first year of teaching, than in any year at college. A
consciousness of the fact that it is hard to teach that which is not well
known incites that type of study which makes for growth. A good class
is a great "pace-setter." Intellectually it has the pull of achievement.
The real teacher always is the greatest student in the class. The "drive"
of having a regular task to perform, especially when that task is
checked up as it is by students, leads many a person to a development
unknown to him who is free to slide. "Blessed is he who has to do
things." Responsibility is the great force that builds character. Compare
the relative development of the person who spends Tuesday evening at
home with the evening paper, or at some other pastime, and of the
person who, having accepted fully the call to teach, leads a class of

truth-seekers through an hour's discussion of some vital subject. Follow
the development through the Tuesday evenings of a lifetime.
How easy to understand that there are varying degrees of glory
hereafter.
A third value of teaching lies in the fact that the position of teacher
exercises a restraining influence for good on the moral life of the
teacher. He is sustained by a consciousness that his conduct is his only
evidence to his pupils that his practice is consistent with his theory. His
class follows him in emulation or in criticism in all that he does. "Come,
follow me," lifts the real teacher over the pitfalls of temptation. He
cannot do forbidden work on the Sabbath, he cannot indulge in the use
of tobacco, he cannot stoop to folly--his class stands between him and
all these things. A teacher recently gave expression to the value of this
restraining force when she said, "I urge my girls so vigorously not to go
to the movies on Sunday that I find my conscience in rebellion if
anyone asks me to go."
Many a man in attempting to convert another to the righteousness of a
particular issue has found himself to be his own best convert. He comes
to appreciate the fact that the trail he establishes is the path followed by
those whom he influences. He hears the voice of the child as recorded
in the little poem:
I STEPPED IN YOUR STEPS ALL THE WAY
"A father and his tiny son Crossed a rough street one stormy day, 'See
papa!' cried the little one, 'I stepped in your steps all the way!'
"Ah, random, childish hands, that deal Quick thrusts no coat of proof
could stay! It touched him with the touch of steel-- 'I stepped in your
steps all the way!'
"If this man shirks his manhood's due And heeds what lying voices say,
It is not one who falls, but two, 'I stepped in your steps all the way!'
"But they who thrust off greed and fear, Who love and watch, who toil

and pray, How their hearts carol when they say, 'I stepped in your steps
all the way!'"
Still another joy that attends teaching is the satisfaction of seeing pupils
develop. The sculptor finds real happiness in watching his clay take on
the form and expression of his model; the artist glories