Henry Adams's A Teacher Affects Eternity?
I just received a mass emailing from Julia’s high school, in the name of the principal. Routine business. At the end of the missive was this quote:
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
What does this quote mean to you? If you don’t know its context, you may be in for a surprise.
i-4197b5d0d28c2f1d2aaea2fae1e29524-teacher_affectrs_eternity_shirt.jpg
You see this quote all the time on K-12 educational material as a header, footer, slogan, logo, inspirational message, and so on. It obviously means something good about teachers. Maybe something good about education. The quote is by Henry Adams and comes from his book “The Education of Henry Adams” which sounds an awful lot like a title for a porn movie.
…show more content…
But, according to Henry Adams,
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
OMG. That sounds like bad news. The system of education sucks, the professors suck, the students are getting the shaft, and this will affect the students for their whole lives, and through them society in general, and the course of history itself. Bad teaching, Henry Adams is telling us, ruinz everything for everybody!
But this is not what people think is happening, is it?
A teacher is expected to teach truth, and may perhaps flatter himself that he does so, if he stops with the alphabet or the multiplication table, as a mother teaches truth by making her child eat with a spoon; but morals are quite another truth and philosophy is more complex still. A teacher must either treat history as a catalogue, a record, a romance, or as an evolution; and whether he affirms or denies evolution, he falls into all the burning faggots of the pit. He makes of his scholars either priests or atheists, plutocrats or socialists, judges or anarchists, almost in spite of himself. In essence incoherent and immoral, history had either to be taught as such — or
Filipo Brunelleschi Influence On The Renaissance
462 Words | 2 PagesWhile feudalism and the class system of the European middle ages seemed to guarantee that families would remain in their social strata for eternity, the philosophers of the Renaissance challenged that status quo. They suggested that people could—and should—question authority. For instance, in Erasmus of Rotterdam’s The Education of a Christian Prince, he urged people to, “judge all things on their own merits as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’” Like many of his time who considered themselves humanists, Erasmus believed the study of the liberal arts could help people dramatically change their lives.
Navigating Distant Shores: A Historical Overview By Dr. Ronald Doris
915 Words | 4 PagesThis work guides the reader along a path of history that is often misconstrued
Ira Stoll's Samuel Adams: A Life
748 Words | 3 PagesIn Samuel Adams: A Life, author Ira Stoll begins Adams’s biography with a prelude explaining the purpose of his book: to describe Samuel Adams, tell why history has largely forgotten him, and serve as a reminder for why we should remember him. On the whole, Stoll is true to his promise; he writes of Adams’s life, pulling accounts from Adams’s contemporaries as well as using excerpts of Adams’s personal correspondence and his numerous newspaper publications. Stoll’s research is evident in that he includes the opinions and research of other historians and Samuel Adams biographers. Stoll’s biography follows Samuel Adams from childhood to death, and thus essentially tells of the origins and formation of the United States. The biography is compelling,
Equality And Ambition In Ayn Rand's Anthem
1196 Words | 5 PagesLaws and rules are crafted to prevent advancement and preserve elentless uniformity under the guise of moral righteousness. Here we find Equality 7-2521 on the path to self-discovery, struggling to understand the internal conflict he faces—his desire to learn and create against government indoctrination to force stagnation and conformity. Equality possesses gifts despised by the government: intellectual and psychological strength. He aspires to work at the Home of Scholars, where there is some perceived semblance of education and discovery (9).
Should Huck Finn Be Taught In Schools
947 Words | 4 PagesTeachers normally know what is best for their students.. Students know a lot more than you think they do. Kids probably know more than what their parents think they know, kids are exposed to a lot of different language in high school than normal. Teenagers have internet, cell phones, ipads, and a lot more than their parents did when they were young. Young people don’t realize how good their life is now days that they have.
Thomas Paine Wrote The Age Of Reason
200 Words | 1 PagesThomas Paine, 18th century author of the popular papers entitled The American Crisis, was a devout Deist who, after the Revolutionary War, was questioned about his religion and so wrote The Age of Reason as a response. In many of his writings, Paine would make his writing appear Christian, but he, however, did not believe that, as he explained in The Age of Reason. In this work, Paine shows his antagonism and distaste of all religions, with Christianity being first and foremost. In his writing The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine revealed his true convictions and opinions on all religions. Thomas Paine denied and rejected the truth of Christ by using his earthly reason to understand the supernatural.
Comparing Isocrates And Aristotle Rhetoric
767 Words | 4 PagesAs a result of their philosophy behind rhetoric, they taught rhetoric differently. Regardless of how diverse they were, educators as a whole were judged based
Persuasive Essay: Teachers Should Not Be Guns In Schools
780 Words | 4 PagesTimes are changing, but “teachers, crucially, are not self-sacrificing martyrs” (Jaffe). Even with extensive training, a teacher cannot and
Seven Lesson Schoolteacher
575 Words | 3 PagesThe essay, The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher, by John Taylor Gatto addresses educational curriculum with a cynical truth that transpires around the United States. His brutal honesty grasps the reader by using common sense and a hint of sarcasm to appeal to humor. The main point of his argument in my perception, states that we must develop children to be critical thinkers and not always agree with authority. By allowing the schooling in a child’s development expecting them to not question an adult’s words does lead to a population that has accepted being dumbed down. Following what has been indicated, a direct quote positions people deprived forever of finding the center of their own special genius (Gatto, part III, pars 3).
How Did Thomas Paine Use To Persuade The Author From The Early American And Colonial Period?
260 Words | 2 PagesOne author from the early american and colonial period was Thomas Paine. Thomas Paines purpose was to persuade the public people in England during the american revolution to agree with the idea to break away from Britain and become a new nation. He wanted people to see his views and want to became a free nation. His audience of his writings were the people living in the 13 colonies around 1776 that has the debate of the american revolution and the outbreak of the British rule. Thomas Paines style was very persuasive towards breaking away from the England rules.
New Historicism In Slaughterhouse-Five
1106 Words | 5 PagesHistory does not always convey the absolute truth. It offers only one side of the story. The strong and powerful voices always drown out the sounds of the weak and beaten. The winner’s word will always be taken over the loser’s. The content that lies within the textbooks was not written by the defeated.
Should Teachers Be Paid More
900 Words | 4 Pages“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops” states Henry Brooks Adams, a historian, educator, and author. In today’s society, teachers are undervalued and underappreciated for the huge part that they play in a child, teenager, and adult’s life. Teachers should be paid more because they contribute more to the future of the world than any other career, help students psychologically and financially, and most students in a survey chose that teachers need to be paid more than their annual salary. Teachers contribute more to the future of the world than any other career. They teach students social and intellectual skills needed to be an effective member of society.
Paulo Freire The Banking Concept Of Education Summary
907 Words | 4 PagesThe teachers are storing information into their student’s minds. The students are expected to memorize what they are being told and can recall when they are asked to. Student’s don’t argue or question what they are being told, they just
Analysis Of True Education By Ellen G. White
789 Words | 4 PagesOne of the first quotes that stuck out to me was “[i]n order to understand what is comprehended in the work of education, we need to consider both the nature of human beings and the purpose of God in creating them.” (White, 2000, p. 10). This quote caused me to do some deep thinking on why this would be important for educators. I came to the conclusion that if educators, did not understand why humans are here on earth and why they exist, then more than likely they would not want to exist. The reason being they, perhaps, would not have a purpose or reason to live my life.
The Importance Of The Teaching And Learning Process
1022 Words | 5 PagesA teacher could bring positive or negative energy to the students that someday will bring him to become a teacher to follow or to avoid by the students. The teachers also play an important role in
More about Henry Adams's A Teacher Affects Eternity?
Filipo Brunelleschi Influence On The Renaissance
462 Words | 2 PagesNavigating Distant Shores: A Historical Overview By Dr. Ronald Doris
915 Words | 4 PagesIra Stoll's Samuel Adams: A Life
748 Words | 3 PagesEquality And Ambition In Ayn Rand's Anthem
1196 Words | 5 PagesShould Huck Finn Be Taught In Schools
947 Words | 4 PagesThomas Paine Wrote The Age Of Reason
200 Words | 1 PagesComparing Isocrates And Aristotle Rhetoric
767 Words | 4 PagesPersuasive Essay: Teachers Should Not Be Guns In Schools
780 Words | 4 PagesSeven Lesson Schoolteacher
575 Words | 3 PagesHow Did Thomas Paine Use To Persuade The Author From The Early American And Colonial Period?
260 Words | 2 PagesNew Historicism In Slaughterhouse-Five
1106 Words | 5 PagesShould Teachers Be Paid More
900 Words | 4 PagesPaulo Freire The Banking Concept Of Education Summary
907 Words | 4 PagesAnalysis Of True Education By Ellen G. White
789 Words | 4 PagesThe Importance Of The Teaching And Learning Process
1022 Words | 5 Pages