A Good Teacher

"How is the Church doing as a teacher?" May God have mercy on our Shepherds who have failed in their duty to catechise the Faithful!

From Crisis

By Robert B. Greving, JD

In November, Holy Mother Church bids us lift our eyes to the end, but how faithfully do we proclaim that life is a preparation for eternity and that failure is a possibility?

The Church is mater et magistra—mother and teacher. And as teacher, she has divided the liturgical year into seasons, each having their own emphasis—their own “curriculum” as it were. In November, the Church has us remember our end. Starting with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, the month is dedicated to remembering the faithful departed. Being a good teacher, the Church keeps the end in mind. 

But I don’t know how faithful we’ve been to this mission. In this respect, I would like to compare what a good teacher does to what the Church should be doing, keeping in mind that by “the Church” I mean all of us. 

A good teacher lets his students know that there are things to learn, that there is a purpose to a class. If the teacher doesn’t teach those things, he is at fault; if the student doesn’t take the trouble to learn them, he is at fault. The teacher can also be at fault if he hasn’t emphasized that purpose enough, and some teachers don’t want to do that. They fear it will frighten away students from taking the class, or they don’t want to be unpopular. The administration may step in.  

A good teacher lets the students know what the standards are, what they must accomplish to reach the next level. I teach, among other things, Introductory Latin. I tell the students what they must master before they can go to Latin II. If I don’t, I am doing an injustice from the outset. Also, I can’t just pass them along. That would be an injustice when they face the Final Exam (a departmental one, not of my making).  

Nor can the teacher shy away from difficult material. If it’s part of the curriculum, it must be taught. The teacher may not like to teach it, but he must or should present all the material and explain it as best he can without coloring it with his own ideas of what’s important and what’s not. But he must hold the line, for it will come out on the Final Exam, and he fails his students if they come to him after the Final and say, “You never told us about that.” 

A good teacher has tests and assessments before the Final so the students know where they stand. It would be nice not to have tests. It would make the teacher’s job much easier, but it would be unfair. He must call his students to task. It can be embarrassing for a student to realize how far below the mark he is, but better that than thinking he is passing when he isn’t. The teacher’s purpose is not to be popular or please the parents. He must be charitable, he must be kind, but he must also be just. 

A good teacher prepares his students for the exam. To that end, he should let them know the types of questions they will be asked. Study guides are helpful. Some students don’t like that; it takes away excuses. They ignore it at their own peril. A poor teacher misleads students by presenting his own opinions rather than preparing them for the exam, especially when the exam is not of the teacher’s making. 

A good teacher lets his students know there will be a Final. There will be tough questions to answer. And, yes, failure is an option. Not everyone can be an honor student. 

A teacher can only do so much, and I think it fair to say that some students just don’t want to learn. It cramps their lifestyle. I remember one time returning tests to my students and one student got a 98 and another a 62. The second said to the first (in all seriousness), “That’s not fair; you studied.” Can’t help you there. 

So, the question during this month of November is, how is the Church doing as a teacher? Are we told there is a purpose to this class of life? Hint: it’s not money, power, pleasure, or popularity. Have we been told the standards, all of them? Do we know what we must accomplish to get to the next level? Are we, as teachers or students, shying away from the tough material because “it’s just too hard”? 

Are we being prepared? By that I mean both are our teachers preparing us and are we preparing ourselves? That, in one way, is what confession should be. I must say that some of my “best” confessions have come from priests who have pushed me; who have asked tough questions; who have said “no” when I wanted to hear “yes.” I realize what I must learn rather than thinking I know it already. 

Regarding that preparation, are we being told how to examine our consciences and what questions to ask? Do we want to know? The teacher fails if he doesn’t tell the student what he needs to know. The student fails if he chooses to ignore it. The Final is not of our making.             

It seems shocking that we pretend there isn’t a Final. “Death and taxes,” as the saying goes. But that is why we should visit cemeteries this month, those places St. Damien of Molokai called “the best book of meditation.” Look at the markers; do the math. Start cramming. 

And the words of Sacred Scripture, as well as the testimony of many saints, are pretty clear that failure is an option. I know people say, “How could an all-loving God allow people to go to Hell?” To which the proper response is, “How could an all-loving God not allow people to be responsible for their actions?” We don’t like the word “judgment,” just as my students don’t like the word “test.” But fear can be a salutary thing. 

Too many funerals look like graduation parties. The Church says, “life is changed, not ended.” But changed into what? There are different options. Hell is not a popular subject, but it does exist. The words of Our Lord and Church teaching are pretty clear on that. Our teachers fail us, and we fail ourselves, if the possibility is ignored. 

Now, there is a big difference between my assessment of my students and God’s assessment of us. I cannot, or should not, judge the student by his “effort.” I have little way of knowing that, much less judging it, and it should not enter into my grade. Some students are naturally gifted, others are not. What matters, as far as the grade goes, as far as my job goes, is whether or not they know the material they should know at the level they should know it. 

God, on the other hand, does know if an individual has been properly taught, what that individual’s capabilities are, and what his efforts have been in response. He will judge accordingly. He will also, though, judge the teachers on their preparation of the students.