(Reflections by A Senior on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Reserve–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

Lastly, a specific teacher that resembles John Baptist de La Salle’s virtues is Mr. _____. Mr. _____ has come to withstand and disprove many beliefs and nonsense in class. He can tolerate many people especially me. In that class I’m a really bad student because I goof off with my friends in the class. But what I think makes him reserve is that fact that he tolerates me.  However, he understands that I am a very aware person when it comes to the topics we cover in class. He can relate to many of the students and has a great relationship with them, but in moderation and content. That is why I believe Mr. _____is a symbol of the virtue reserve.

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)