A Teacher's Influence

How can a teacher have a lasting influence for good on the students?

What makes one teacher stand out above others in the minds of his students? What really makes a great teacher?

The Master Teacher whose influence has outlived and superceded that of all others is Jesus, Who came to this earth and lived among men as an example to show the way. What gave His teaching such power and character?

"What He taught, He lived... Not only did He teach the truth, but He was the truth. It was this that gave His teaching power."

"What He taught, He lived. 'I have given you an example,' He said to His disciples; 'that ye should do as I have done.' 'I have kept My Father's commandments.' John 13:15; 15:10. Thus in His life, Christ's words had perfect illustration and support. And more than this; what He taught, He was. His words were the expression, not only of His own life experience, but of His own character. Not only did He teach the truth, but He was the truth. It was this that gave His teaching power." E. G. White, Education, pp. 78-79.

Mrs. White counseled us to encourage all our teachers, regardless of their subject area, to be the influence that will make a difference in the lives of youth.

"All who teach in our schools should have a close connection with God and a thorough understanding of His word, that they may be able to bring divine wisdom and knowledge into the work of educating the youth for usefulness in this life and for the future, immortal life. They should be men and women who not only have a knowledge of the truth, but who are doers of the word of God.... By their own practice they should teach simplicity and correct habits in everything. No man or woman should be connected with our schools as an educator who has not had an experience in obeying the word of the Lord." Counsels on Education, pp. 138-139.

Teach by Being

Most often what impresses students is not the lessons teachers have carefully prepared and planned, but what they express by their being. As one student said to me once, "You teach us more when you don't think you are teaching us anything than when you are giving your lectures."

Let me share with you some memories of people and incidents which have made a difference in my life. It is not any outstanding class lecture that I remember. It was the impact of what the teacher was and what the teacher sensed as his or her mission which came through. For, like the Master Teacher, some of my teachers saw in their students infinite possibilities, and they awakened in me a desire and a belief that these possibilities might be reached through a union of human effort and divine power. They saw in their students not what they were, but what they might become through God's love and mercy.

Dorothy White: Character for Eternity

In the 1920s Dorothy White (Christian) was principal of the elementary school at Emmanuel Missionary College which is now Andrews University. One day she entered the classroom where the third grade students were at the blackboard writing their lesson. She looked over the classroom. She observed each student for a moment. Then, she stepped up to me and asked that I follow her. She took me to her office. It was not her custom to call students out of class, but I was not afraid, for she had visited in our home. My mother considered her a very special friend.

In her office, she pulled from her file a picture of a third grader's blackboard writing. She handed it to me. The writing was beautiful. Every word looked perfect. Stepping back, she looked at me kindly, "Were you doing your very best as you were writing on the board?"

"No," I answered. "I didn't think it was that important."

"Whatever you do, be it ever so humble a task, give it the best of your ability. Remember you are building a character for eternity."

"Whatever you do, be it ever so humble a task, give it the best of your ability," she answered. "Remember you are building a character for eternity. Your thoughts, your words, your acts should be as perfect as possible. Your guardian angel is always at your side to help you. Every act of life is important, for it reveals your character. Make every moment beautiful for Jesus. Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Then she told me I could go back to my room and to my writing lesson on the board. Her kindness and encouragement have been an inspiration throughout my life.

Miss Luella A. Wells: A Work of Love and Art

My middle years of elementary school were influenced by a master teacher, Miss Luella A. Wells. Every morning as we entered the classroom, we found a new motto artistically written or printed on the board. Contemplating these life principles before us daily, we formed habits of thought and attitudes that called for an appreciation for the beautiful and the noble, for dignity and reverence for life, for a sense of God's abiding presence, for a dedication and love for Jesus, and for a commitment to service to our fellowmen.

She carefully printed her weekly schedule on the board, decorating it with scrolls and embellishments. I tried to imitate her perfect printing. Everything she did was a work of love and a work of art. Her penmanship was perfect Palmer method.

The big boys, who normally were rough and boastful, somehow were different in her classroom. We all knew that the angels from heaven were our unseen invited guests. If someone would forget, her facial expression would remind us that she expected better of us. She was truly a saint. Everyone respected and loved her. We knew she loved us and that Jesus loved us, too.

She was a good ball player and she had fun with us on the playground. Aside from wanting us to master our daily subject matter, she impressed upon our minds that the most important object in life was to sense our privilege of relationship with our heavenly Father. By obeying and loving Him and respecting His messages to us through His Word and His prophets, we would find a fulfillment and peace in life that would be impossible by our own efforts.

When I graduated from college, she sent me a gift which often catches my eye as I work in my kitchen. It is a motto which reads:

Only one life
'Twill soon be past
Only what's done
For Christ will last.

"For me to live is Christ."

Ella King Sanders: A Divine Testimony

One of the college education teachers made a deep impression on my young life. Miss Wells invited Ella King Sanders to speak to us for morning worship. Mrs. Sanders related that while she was a student at Battle Creek College, she and her roommate, Edith Donaldson, were sitting in the Dime Tabernacle waiting for the service to begin. Presently, James White entered walking slowly down the aisle toward the pulpit. His wife, Ellen G. White, was leaning heavily on his arm. She was moving as if in great pain. He helped her to her seat on the rostrum.

After Elder White had begun the service and made a few opening remarks, he helped Mrs. White to the pulpit. She tried to steady herself by grasping the pulpit with both hands. She began to speak. But her voice was so weak that those sitting on the front seats could barely understand her words.

Then, Mrs. Sanders said, she and her roommate both saw an angel touch Mrs. White and as it passed through the open window, she could see its white wings. Immediately, Mrs. White stepped away from the pulpit. In a clear, loud voice that could be distinctly heard all through the Tabernacle she said, "God has sent His angel and has strengthened me." Mrs. White continued to speak without difficulty. She presented a powerful message.

Mrs. Sanders was thrilled with reverence and awe at the privilege of having seen an angel sent from God to strengthen His faithful, but physically weak, prophet. Mrs. Sanders had no question about Ellen White's special work as a messenger of God. She said that aside from her roommate and herself, a few others also reported seeing the angelic light.

Edith had been feeling some bitterness because Ellen White, whom she loved dearly even as her own mother, had to carry on her work from God under such great difficulties. She believed that Mrs. White's healing had been delayed in order that more might witness the power of God in this miracle. Mrs. Sanders' testimony to the divine intervention in the life of God's messenger has remained with me these many years.

Olive Lindberg: God's Presence in the Stars

Our seventh and eighth grade teacher was an amateur astronomer. Olive Lindberg (Roberts) loved the stars. Her enthusiasm was not shared by all of her students. At first, I could not become excited about making up a little booklet describing the planets, constellations and the major stars. However, her weekly emphasis finally won me over. I have been forever grateful to her.

Often when fear would have seized me walking alone on dark nights, I have lifted my eyes to the sky and found companionship with my celestial friends. God's presence is so very near. With the Psalmist David, I thank the Lord: "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike unto thee" (Ps 139:12).

Elder Charles A. Burman: Work for Time and Eternity

A familiar scene on the campus of Emmanuel Missionary College in the 1920s and 30s was Elder Charles A. Burman tending the beautiful flower gardens. He loved God's handiwork in nature. In the classroom he taught with conviction and from experience that God's way is always the best way. The Scriptures were to be studied, their messages learned, and their promises memorized. They are the only one and reliable guide and counsel for our everyday living.

When we had memorized the one hundred texts that we had chosen out of the many he had suggested, it was our responsibility to find him and to recite the verses perfectly and without hesitation. "You can never recall what you have not already learned," he would remind us. "And in the days of difficulty, these promises will help you keep your faith in God and give you deliverance from temptation." It was generally while he was in the flowers that we would recite our verses to him.

In the men's residence hall lobby, his craftsmanship was an object lesson to everyone. He was a furniture maker as well as the dean of men for the college. His table made of small pieces of wood from many lands and of many shapes continues to testify of his dedication to perfection in his every endeavor. His work was for time and eternity. He expected to see his dorm men that he trained and supervised one day in the Holy City.

Not only did he impress students of God's willingness to direct our paths and to give us a sense of His presence, but he also emphasized the danger of curiously trifling with anything that pertains to the devil, his allurements, his methods or his sophistries. Satan is to be feared and to be shunned with a passion, for he is powerful and has had over 6,000 years of experience. We are no match for any of his enticements. "Run as far as you can and as fast as you can from him and cling tenaciously to the Lord and to His Word," he used to admonish. His life and his presence drew us to respect and to reverence the Lord. His example continues to speak to me every time I see his kindly face pictured above his beautiful table in the lobby of Burman Towers at Andrews University.

Mrs. Leona Burman: Teaching Possibilities

His wife, Mrs. Leona Burman, was for many years the principal of E.M.C. Academy, now Andrews Academy. Her teaching methods were dynamic. She was strict and firm but kindly in her discipline. Most of all she taught by example. What she was, we wanted to be.

Of course, we would make mistakes in our grammar and composition classes with her. She corrected every paper she required us to turn in, and she marked corrections with a red pencil. We had to go over each returned paper again and make the necessary corrections. And there would be a day of reckoning, for we would receive no grade unless we met our appointment with her every six weeks. She went over each paper again as we read to her our corrections. If our corrected errors were still not right, she would help us. She would explain how it should be and help us make the correction right there and then.

She was a fun person to have as class sponsor. Not only did she devote the day for our class picnic, but she also spent a major part of the night with us making the preparations for the picnic dinner. She was correcting papers while we did the cooking, but her presence was very much with us.

"With God's help, all things are possible to you. Put your trust in Him and make every moment count for good."

She saw in us possibilities and encouraged us to what seemed impossibilities to us at the time. "With God's help, all things are possible to you. Put your trust in Him and make every moment count for good. You will make it, with God's power," she encouraged. "Time is the essence of life. Do not waste it; use it wisely. Make use of every minute even while you are standing in line waiting. People have become fluent in foreign languages by using the moments that others waste. Fill your mind with useful knowledge and commit to memory the Word of God."

The Need for Such Teachers Today

The Christian teachers I have cited are representative of hundreds and thousands of dedicated, God-fearing teachers who have influenced the lives of God's people. They have had personal association with our heavenly Father and have lived as a testimony to God's truth, His word, and His workings on behalf of the fallen human race. They have patterned their lives after the divine Model: Jesus, the Master Teacher, the wonderful Counselor.

The world needs such teachers today—teachers of dedication, of commitment and of spiritual discernment. It needs teachers with an understanding and love for fallen humanity. It needs teachers who know Jesus and who have patterned their lives after the divine Master Teacher.

"To every teacher is given the sacred privilege of representing Christ. And as teachers strive to do this, they may cherish the reassuring conviction that the Saviour is close beside them, giving them words to speak for Him, pointing out ways in which they can show forth His excellence." Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p. 274.