When the average teacher tests herself by these standards, she finds
deficiencies, but they are not discouraging ones, because every
characteristic named by the girls is possible to every teacher.
She can make things interesting if she is interested and takes time to
prepare her lesson material. It is a never-failing source of surprise
to discover what interesting material,—anecdotes, illustrations,
pictures and information,—can be found upon every subject when one is
looking for it.
It is perfectly possible for the average teacher to be “pleasant”—to
carry about with her the atmosphere in which work becomes a pleasure
and difficult problems are just things to be conquered. This
atmosphere of cheerful hopefulness makes everything easy. For many
teachers it is the natural attitude toward life and work, which comes
from constant association with eager, buoyant youth. If it is not
natural it may be cultivated.
“Notes” and “calls”—acts of thoughtful kindness on the part of the
teacher when illness or trouble enters a home, may be small things in
themselves, but they mean much to the adolescent girl, and they bring
their own reward. They also are possible to every teacher.
The confidence of a girl is more easily gained if one, to use her own
phrase, “really likes” her. If a teacher knows her pupil, that is,
sees her as an individual, learns her ambitions, longings, hopes and
fears, she does “like” her. It is almost impossible not to like the
average girl when one knows her. Every teacher can learn to teach
individuals, not classes, and girls, not subjects alone.
The wise men of the past have told us, and experience and observation
have proved, that we grow to resemble that which we admire. Admiration
means imitation, therefore the necessity that those who are striving
to awaken the best in the girl in her teens be those she can and does
admire, and have traits of character she ought to imitate.
There never was a time in the history of religion when so many tools
and such fine equipment for service were ready for those who want to
be skilled workmen, and the teachers who desire the skill to make
their work on Sunday really count in life every day in the week, have
but to begin just where they are and progress as fast as possible.
Bible classes for those who want and need to know more of the Book
they teach are easy of access to many, and courses of study are open
to all. The training class, where the characteristics of the various
ages, and the needs of pupils, and how to meet them, may be
intelligently considered, is possible in any community, and good
correspondence courses are now available.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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