TEACHER. - One who expounds and explains a science or an art so that others may learn. Whatever the subject matter of the teaching and whatever the level of culture it belongs to, the teacher must always keep before his eyes two fundamental tasks: to instruct and to educate. Both are essential, not only because of that requirement of human unity which cannot admit a culture of the intellect that is in conflict with, or even neglects, that of the will; but also because the perfecting of one faculty is a condition for that of the other.
In relation to this twofold task of the teacher, his moral duties are distinguished.
As an instructor: a) he must have a great love of truth and must possess a thorough command of the subject matter of his teaching. Since the vastness of knowledge no longer permits an encyclopedic culture today, the teacher's formation is also necessarily specialized. He must not, however, be ignorant at least of the fundamental problems of the other disciplines, especially those of philosophy and religion. b) Besides possessing knowledge, the teacher must also know how to communicate it. This task, even if it is in part the fruit of natural gifts and of the teacher's early formation, must nevertheless constitute the constant commitment of the preparation immediately preceding the lesson, with the aim of making it clear, interesting and active on the part of the pupil, who must be regarded as an intelligent collaborator and must be stimulated and helped to discover for himself the truth that the master proposes to him. Aids for this stimulation and help are: the wise choice of textbooks and the careful assignment and correction of homework. c) In evaluating academic progress, both during the year and at examination, the teacher must keep away from the two opposite excesses of a severity that discourages and a leniency that encourages idleness and superficiality.
As an educator: a) he must first of all remember that teaching itself is but a part of education. And therefore on fitting occasions let him not fail to call attention to the moral aspect and moral implications of the questions treated. b) Furthermore, he must take care to go before with example, translating first into his own conduct what he inculcates by word. c) Since only a religious vision of life and of its tasks can give a formation answering to the true ideals of life, it is natural that religion, especially in the earliest classes, should have a place of particular importance and that every teacher, whatever the subject he teaches, should not only not assume negative attitudes, but should not even limit himself to a so-called agnostic position; rather, he should present his teaching as within a religious framework. It is well known, moreover, that in this field, between a positive and a negative attitude, there is in practice no neutral conduct. d) Education further requires in the educator a knowledge of the pupil that is as integral as possible. e) In dealing with pupils the teacher should maintain a wise balancing of authority and freedom, which allows the development of the pupil's personality and aptitudes in a climate of spontaneity. f) Besides with the pupils, the teacher must maintain good relations with their families, since he in part takes their place and perfects their work. Cordial relations must also exist between every teacher and the other colleagues who, more or less closely, share with him the responsibility of teaching and education. It is all too natural, then, that among the many who take an interest in the school problem, teachers should be the first to feel its full importance and therefore to intervene, when necessary, with their own competence in order to guarantee a regulation conforming to the sound principles of a Christian pedagogy.