The habits and principles of a teacher should be considered of even greater importance than his literary qualifications. If he is a sincere Christian he will feel the necessity of having an equal interest in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual education of his scholars. In order to exert the right influence, he should have perfect control over himself, and his own heart should be richly imbued with love for his pupils, which will be seen in his looks, words, and acts. He should have firmness of character, and then he can mold the minds of his pupils as well as instruct them in the sciences. The early education of youth generally shapes their characters for life. Those who deal with the young should be very careful to call out the qualities of the mind, that they may better know how to direct its powers so that they may be exercised to the very best account. {3T 135.1}

En lærers vaner og principper bør tillægges endog større betydning end hans boglige kvalifikationer. Hvis han er en oprigtig kristen, vil han indse nødvendigheden af at have den samme interesse for sine elevers fysiske, sjælelige, moralske og åndelige opdragelse. For at kunne øve den rette indflydelse bør han have fuldstændigt herredømme over sig selv og hans eget hjerte bør være fyldt med kærlighed til eleverne, hvilket vil vise sig i hans blik, tale og handlinger. Han bør besidde karakterfasthed, da vil han både kunne tildanne sine elevers sind og undervise dem i de boglige fag. De unges tidlige opdragelse præger som oftestderes karakter for hele livet, Den, der har med de unge at gøre, bør alvorligt søge at kalde åndsevnerne til virksomhed for bedre at kunne forstå at lede disse evner således, at de bliver benyttet på den allerbedste måde. Vejl f menigh bd. 1 side 262-265]