On Teaching: "The Confident Teacher"

It's always comforting to be in the presence of confident people, and this is especially true of confident teachers. A teacher is a leader, and everyone wants to be with leaders who appear confident -- who seem quietly certain that they know precisely where to go and how to handle any situation. Being in a class with a confident teacher inspires the same confidence in a student. You feel comforted knowing that, if the teacher is strong enough to overcome any obstacle on the path to success, perhaps you are too. To use an analogy, having a confident teacher is somewhat like spending time at a place like the Grand Canyon. Because the canyon is so overwhelmingly impressive, you -- just by being near it for a few days -- begin to feel impressive, too. The quiet, immeasurable greatness of the place unassumingly takes you over and lends you a greatness of your own. A confident teacher can be that kind of "grand canyon" for his students. Without bluster or ostentation, teachers who are in touch with their own inner strength can open up vast reserves of strength in their students. Just by being around these confident teachers, students will begin to realize what high mountains they can climb, what vast canyon they can explore.