FRIENDS AND TEACHERS

OF FRIENDS AND TEACHERS

Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.
Chinese Proverb

They say that if you have but, a handful of true friends in your life, you are a lucky man. My experience tells me that if you have had a few great teachers, your life will have been further enriched. And if, by some rare occurrence, you have had the good fortune to have known a great teacher as a friend, it is a rare thing indeed.

In my own life, I have known only a few great teachers, and even fewer that I have called friend. Surprisingly, none have come from my school years, and only a few from my work years. That would leave my father and the lord in my personal life, and several of my martial arts teachers that have left an indelible mark in my consciousness.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William A. Ward

A teacher has great knowledge, but also must be able to pass on that knowledge, so many will never choose to teach. To share one’s knowledge can be both a burden and a joy, and is one of the noblest pursuits. Many will never begin that life long journey.

A teacher usually has great passion, but must kindle that passion in the student. The best of the teachers, is yet a student. Learning still, sometimes from his teacher, but usually from his teaching of his students.

By watching them, and answering their questions, he obtains a deeper knowledge of the subject that he is teaching. By observing and correcting the student, the teacher perfects his craft. By repetition and careful explanation the teacher isolates and examines the finer points of his art.

The teacher expands, enriches, and refines his art. He inspires his students to learn. They leave with not only the knowledge but a passion for the subject.


“In the end…I think that I would have lived a life worth living..If my children would remember me as “teacher and friend”.
P.I.B.