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, F.S.C., 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.

In page after page, you will be inspired by practical advice and reflections, including:

• Four prudent ways of establishing a well-run class - and dramatically reducing disciplinary problems
• Six "fallouts" of impatience in the classroom - and the best way to guard against it
• Techniques for establishing consistency, discretion, and "fair play" among students
• How to overcome pride, make God the center of your classroom, and accept guidance
• Two surefire ways to enkindle a love of learning within students and appreciation for small gains
• The pursuit of wisdom - knowing when to act and how to await God's help with trust

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. Jean-Baptiste 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.

Br. Luke M. Grande, F.S.C. (1922-2006), was born in Minneapolis and was a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He received his bachelor's degree in English from St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota, in 1944, his master's degree in English from Loyola University in Chicago in 1948, and his doctorate in philosophy from Saint Louis University in 1956. He had a distinguished career as an English, religion, and Latin teacher at De La Salle Institute in Chicago, Central Catholic High School in Vincennes, Indiana; Christian Brothers College in Saint Louis; and Christian Brothers College in Memphis. He was president of Christian Brothers College from 1964 to 1970. He later taught at colleges in Florida. He was a prolifi c author and wrote and published books of poetry.