Surely teaching is a complex art!

* * * * *

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS—­CHAPTER II

1.  What is teaching?

2.  Why is it essential that we get a clear conception of just what teaching is?

3.  Discuss the importance of building the recitation upon a good foundation of facts.

4.  Why are facts alone not a guarantee of a successful recitation?

5.  What is the teacher’s obligation in the matter of organizing knowledge?

6.  Discuss the significance of teaching as an interpretation of truth.

7.  Discuss the teacher’s obligation to discover pupils’ better selves.

8.  What is the relative importance of expression and impression in teaching?

HELPFUL REFERENCES

Betts, How to Teach Religion; Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching; Thorndike, Principles of Teaching; Brumbaugh, The Making of a Teacher; Strayer and Norsworthy, How to Teach.

CHAPTER III

THE JOYS OF TEACHING

     OUTLINE—­CHAPTER III

The Joys that attend Teaching:  Enrichment of the spirit.—­Guarantee of the teacher’s own growth and development.—­Restraining and uplifting influence on the moral character of the teacher.—­Satisfaction that attends seeing pupils develop.—­Inspirational companionship.—­Contentment that attaches to duty done.—­Outpouring of the blessings of the Lord.

Chapters one and two emphasized the thought that the purposes behind teaching impose a sacred obligation on the part of those who aspire to teach.  But lest the obligation appear burdensome, let us remind ourselves that compensation is one of the great laws of life.  “To him who gives shall be given” applies to teaching as to few other things.  Verily he who loses his life finds it.  The devotion of the real teacher, though it involves labor, anxiety and sacrifice, is repaid ten-fold.  Only he who has fully given himself in service to others can appreciate the joy that attends teaching—­particularly that teaching enjoined upon us by the Master and which is its own recompense.

It is difficult to enumerate all of the blessings that attend the service of the teacher, but let us consider a few that stand out pre-eminently.

If there were none other than this first one it would justify all that is done in the name of teaching; namely, “the enrichment of spirit.”  “There is a spirit in man:  and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.”  To feel the thrill of that inspiration is a compensation beyond price.  The Lord, having commanded us to teach (see Sec. 88:77-81, Doc. & Cov.), has followed the command with the promise of a blessing, one of the richest in all scripture.