12 Virtues of a Good Teacher

Here is the book you need to discover and develop the twelve virtues that St John Baptist de La Salle (1651–1719) , patron of teachers, education reformer, and founder of the congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, determined were most important for teachers. Br Luke Grande, FSC, fleshes out the essence of each virtue as it relates to teaching and how educators can cooperate with God’s grace to actualize the potentialities of students in their charge. You will also learn how to provide an example by how you pray and how you do “ordinary things greatly,” and how “playing the part” and reflecting the poise of a mature teacher will earn you the respect of your students. Moreover, you will see how to be a real, practical example of piety, understanding and respect for your duties toward God without scrupulosity or sentimentality. Best of all, you will learn to teach with genuine compassion and a magnanimous spirit toward every student and to cultivate within them a zeal for learning. St John Baptist de La Salle encouraged his teachers to have “the firmness of a father and the gentleness of a mother,” treating each student with the dignity of a child of God. This classic, desperately needed in this time of educational decline, will help you to see the extent to which you influence students as a teacher and your sacred duty to imitate Christ the Teacher.

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