Do you know
anyone who is a shepherd – a real, live shepherd with a bunch of sheep to
manage? I recently read an article about the shepherds in Switzerland who are
losing many sheep because of the growing wolf population, which is a protected
species there. The wolves are having a feast. Imagine being a shepherd in that
situation. It’s not easy, but they’re doing the best they can in this
centuries-old profession. The same could also be said of teachers today. It’s
not easy, but they’re doing the best they can in this centuries-old profession.
When Jesus
in the Gospel of John (10:10-16) talks about shepherds, it sounds as if he knows
what he’s talking about, comparing the good shepherd against a hired man who
doesn’t really care about the sheep, running away at the first sign of a wolf.
The good shepherd, on the other hand, knows his sheep and cares for them, even
to the point of being willing to lay down his own life for them. That’s a very
dramatic statement! I doubt if the sheep really appreciate how much they are
cared for by the shepherd, and what the shepherd does to protect them, to lead
them, and to care for them. But the shepherd doesn’t mind. He is happy to be a
shepherd, and all he wants is to be a good shepherd.
De La
Salle, in one of his Meditations, compares the teacher to such a shepherd,
somebody who understands students individually and also knows exactly how to
best guide each one, treating students with great tenderness, and adapting
instructions to what the student is able to understand. I think that we all
know of, or remember, a teacher who did something like that for us. This was
the teacher who looked at us as a “somebody,” a person who was distinctive and
had unique gifts and talents and interests and motivations. This was the
teacher who quite obviously cared about us, although he or she didn’t make a
big fuss about it. They just showed their care by how they treated us and what
they did to help us along the way.
Many
successful people, when they are interviewed and are asked how they became so
successful, often begin with the phrase “Well, there was this teacher…” The
thing that made a real difference in their life was one specific person who was
able to touch something inside of them, something that made them want to learn,
something that opened up their capacity for wonder, for exploration, for
knowing and doing more than they had thought possible before. Such teachers
were teachers in the way that Jesus and De La Salle talk about. They were
shepherds of the souls of their students. For most students, I doubt if they
really appreciate how much they are cared for by the teacher, and what the
teacher does to protect them, to lead them, and to care for them. But the
teacher doesn’t mind. He or she is happy to be a teacher, and all they want is
to be a good teacher.
All this is
worth thinking about. Teachers are called to be shepherds of souls. Especially
in a Catholic school, they bring Jesus and the Gospel alive for their students.
For some, they may be the only Gospel that their students will ever read.
Teachers
don’t look for thank-you cards. That’s not why they became teachers. But it’s
really nice when students do thank them, even if it is a bit awkward and
different, and even if it doesn’t happen often or right away. The point is to
be grateful. When a student – present or
past – does express gratitude, teachers are genuinely touched and remember it
for a long time afterwards. And I think that students remember also. Teaching
blossoms in mutual gratitude.
