The Virtue of Silence for the teacher

At first glance it may seem contrary to speak about silence as a virtue for the teacher.  Several times this past week I have run across articles insisting this very thing however.  The first was in an essay by Brother Agathon,  The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher.  Reflecting upon St. Benedict's counsel to avoid letting our words come rushing out, but rather to speak true and weighty words, he says:

Silence is a virtue which leads the teacher to avoid talking when he must not speak and to 

speak when he should not be silent. 

 This virtue, therefore, includes two functions.  It teaches the art of being silent, and that 

of speaking opportunely.  Thus, it causes one to avoid two opposite defects which it condemns: 

taciturnity and loquacity. 

...experience shows that the teachers who talk a lot are hardly listened to, and 

that little account is taken of what they say.  But if they speak rarely and to the point, the 

students pay attention to what they are told, like it, remember it, and profit by it."

Many years later Charlotte Mason gave similar advice to the home-teaching mother:

"The Mother must refrain from too much Talk.––Does so wide a programme alarm the mother? Does she with dismay see herself talking through the whole of those five or six hours, and, even at that, not getting through a tithe of the teaching laid out for her? On the contrary, the less she says the better; and as for the quantity of educational work to be got through, it is the fable of the anxious pendulum over again: it is true there are countless 'ticks' to be ticked, but there will be always be a second of time to tick in, and no more than a single tick is to be delivered in any given second.

...The mother's real difficulty will be to keep herself from much talk with the children, and to hinder them from occupying themselves with her. There are few things sweeter and more precious to the child than playful prattle with her mother; but one thing is better––the communing with the larger Mother, in order to which the child and she should be left to themselves. This is, truly, a delightful thing to watch: the mother reads her book or knits her sock, checking all attempts to make talk; the child stares up into a tree, or down into a flower––doing nothing, thinking of nothing; or leads a bird's life among the branches, or capers about in aimless ecstasy;––quite foolish, irrational doings, but, all the time a fashioning is going on: Nature is doing her part..." (quoted here)

This same sentiment leads Kolbe Academy to say:

Insistence upon self~activity should be directed toward forming in the student the habit of independent study and reading directed toward interest in scholarly pursuits. 

Instead of alienating the student from the teacher silence and self-activity instead contribute to "a cooperative effort" between the two. 

Our goal is not to abandon the child but to allow him the joy of discovery born from ruminating on a subject. We should discuss, yes, but not lecture. As Jessica Hulcy of Konos has said, every homeschool mother needs two things - a gag and a set of handcuffs, not for the children but for herself.  It is tempting when teaching to view oneself as the font of all wisdom.  More is caught than taught however and our students benefit more when we introduce them to facts and ideas and then step aside to let that wisdom work its magic than when we talk them to death. We must weigh our words and be certain they are likely to contribute to understanding rather than muddy the waters with chatter. 

“Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom."

Comments

[Donna Marie]

ooh this is wonderful! I think I need to read this a few times...

I was just reading last night How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk it involves being silent in the right places and listening with full attention. It forces us to ck our attitude (that preaching that we do without the words added) I see this is all so related. We are teachers for everything...oh, no pressure there!...

[Marcia]

Great post! Blessed Antonio Rosmini said Adore. Be Silent. Rejoice. It seems that so many of the greats have been trying to tell us to keep our mouths shut. Now to just try and live it.

[Brenda]

Hi Kim,

You might enjoy http://www.opusangelorum.org/audio_conferences/spiritual/audio_spiritual_dw.htmy Fr. Basil Nortz's "On Holy Silence" -