One of the great pleasures of life is discovering and becoming friends with people who have a similar philosophy of life – especially when it comes to understanding truth, goodness, and beauty.

We are fortunate if we had the experience of five teachers on a combined high school, college, and graduate school level whose influence on us was greater than simple superficiality.

I spent thirty years in the field of education. Two of those years were in an administrative role, and twenty-eight were in the classroom. During that time I had the opportunity to study not only the philosophy of education but implement it as well.

In the process of the great adventure of being a classroom teacher, you come across individuals and books that have a marvelous impact on your own style and understanding of the art and craft of teaching.  For example, Gilbert Highet first introduced me to viewing teaching as an art, and the truth that all who desired to be great teachers must become artists of their craft. Another who molded my teaching behavior (literally like a potter molding a vase) was Haim Ginott. Ponder this beautiful and critical phrase as it presents the power that a teacher has over the lives of their students (from Ginott’s book Teacher and Child):

“I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Robert Henri was also an important influence on me. Henri was an influential artist, art teacher, and critical force in the American art community during the early 20th century. In his wonderful book, The Art Spirit (1923), I find a brother in arms. He teaches us that our weapons are the tools of our art and our helmet are our words that inspire others to see themselves as artists.

He challenges us:

“Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything, well. It is not an outside, extra thing. When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his [or her] kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible. Art tends towards balance, order, judgment of relative values, the laws of growth, the economy of living – very good things for anyone to be interested in.”

Highet, Ginott, and Henri implore us to see ourselves as people who desire to create beauty, express truth as we understand it, and to always keep the book open in a spirit of charity and goodness. Specifically, the spirit of Robert Henri continues to teach and prod me to create everyday. Maybe he will touch your mind and heart, too.

Painting by Robert Henri (1865 – 1929). This post was edited and reblogged by me on 12/29/2024. Copyright © 2012-2024, Deacon Paul O. Iacono. All Rights Reserved.

Photo of Robert Henri courtesy of the Parrish Art Museum:http://www.parrishart.org/.