2. Teachers that Value Their Students

World Scripture

Confucius said, “From the very poorest upwards—beginning even with the man who could bring no better present than a bundle of dried flesh—none has ever come to me without receiving instruction.”
Analects 7.7 (Confucianism)

I teach young children, and I treat the children of the poor exactly the same as the children of the rich. Those that cannot afford to pay, I teach without charge. Since I am also a fisherman, to encourage those who do not wish to come and learn I give them each a fish to take home.
Talmud, Taanit 24a (Judaism)

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
Luke 13.6-9

The sage always excels in saving people, and so abandons no one; Always excels in saving things, and so abandons nothing. This is called following one’s discernment. Hence the good man is the teacher the bad learns from; And the bad man is the material the good works on. Not to value the teacher Nor to love the material Though it seems clever, betrays great bewilderment.
Tao Te Ching 27 (Taoism)

There are four types of men: The man who has knowledge and is aware of it is a scholar—follow him. The man who has a great deal of knowledge but is not aware of what he has is asleep— wake him up. The man who knows nothing and is aware that he knows nothing is ignorant—teach him. The man who knows nothing but is not aware that he knows nothing is a devil—avoid him. Al-Ghazzali, Ihia’
Ulum el-Din 59.1 (Islam)

The Master said, “Only one who bursts with eagerness do I instruct; only one who bubbles with enthusiasm do I enlighten. If I hold up one corner and a man cannot come back to me with the other three, I do not continue the lesson.”
Analects 7.8 (Confucianism)

Socrates to Ischomachus: “Does teaching consist in putting questions?” [Ischomachus replies]: “Indeed, the secret of your system has just this instant dawned upon me. I seem to see the principle in which you put your questions. You lead me through the field of my own knowledge, and then by pointing out analogies to what I know, persuade me that I really know some things which hitherto, as I believed, I had no knowledge of.”
Socrates, in Xenophon, Oeconomicus (Hellenism)

Much Torah have I learned from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but from my students most of all.
Talmud, Taanit 7a (Judaism)

Even when walking in a party of no more than three I can always be certain of learning from those I am with. There will be good qualities that I can select for imitation and bad ones that will teach me what requires correction in myself.
Analects 7.21 (Confucianism)

That which gives a sage his sageliness is fondness for learning and inquiry from inferiors. Take Shun: From the time when he plowed and sowed, exercised the potter’s art, and was a fisherman, until he became emperor, there was no time when he was not learning from others how to practice goodness.
Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

God does not demand that you exist for Him; rather, He says that He exists for you, His creations. Who are true parents: those who want their children to live for them, or those who live for their children? Likewise, who is a true teacher, the one who tells his students that they come to class only so he can earn a salary, or the one who says, “Even though you cannot afford to pay tuition, I will still teach you.” A true teacher loves his pupils regardless, and would even sell his own suit to get money for a student's tuition.
(104:210, May 6, 1979)

When you meet someone, do not treat him casually. Always consider whether he or she can teach you something. Have a hungry mind, eager to learn something new from him or her. You should discern right away whether to relate to that person as your subject partner or as your object partner. By attending to this point, you are always ready to learn.
(76:132, February 2, 1975)

When a teacher gives an exam, he usually asks a few questions that he thinks the students do not know. If he has a class of 50, he gives a very tough problem to pick out which of his students is truly the best. The professor will make a special relationship with the student who solves that difficult problem. From then on, he will greet that student warmly and encourage him. If he puts forth a problem to you that nobody else was ever able to answer before and you find a way solve it, it becomes the basis for you to become his successor.
(66:45, March 18, 1973)

God has been merciless to me. God opposed me every step of the way as I climbed up from the very bottom. Yet I endured it all because I knew that without me, God would be all alone. I passed all the tests, and now God believes in me. It is the same with you. If a doctoral candidate writes an excellent dissertation, then his professor will say, “You have taught me something new; now you are my teacher.” The professor and all his colleagues will approve of you and even boast about you. Will you do likewise, so I will be able to praise you through all the ages?
(320:250, April 16, 2000)