Those Who Can, Teach

Unbound sponsor Larry Livingston discusses the ways teachers inspire students to want to learn and introduces a way for students in the USA to learn about the world.

Years ago, I got into an argument with a friend about the origin of the saying, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” I had studied theater in college and happened to remember that it was a line from a play by George Bernard Shaw. So, ironically, I won an argument about a saying that disparages teachers because of knowledge that was imparted to me by a teacher.

With all due respect to Shaw, that saying is nonsense. The role of a teacher isn’t just to convey information about a subject but to inspire students to want to learn. That’s not something a person settles into because they can’t do anything else. It’s a vocation.

As this school year ends, it’s a fitting time to express appreciation for the incredibly important — and increasingly challenging — work teachers do to help form the minds and hearts of young people.

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Unbound's School Partnerships Support Teachers

One of the ways Unbound supports teachers is through school partnerships. Unbound’s Global Classmates program serves to broaden U.S. students’ knowledge about the world to help them grow into caring, responsible, faith-filled adults.

Years from now, the young people of today will remember some of the things their teachers taught them, but they’ll remember much more about who those teachers were. They’ll remember their energy, enthusiasm, and love for what they taught.

And, contrary to that unfortunate quote from George Bernard Shaw, they’ll remember their teachers not as passive conveyers of knowledge but as passionate and committed “doers.”

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Please pray with Unbound:

Loving God, bless those who teach. May they be dedicated to imparting knowledge and wisdom to those in their care. May we recognize those who continue to teach us, and may we pass on that learning to those who look to us as teachers. And may we all be guided by the true teacher, your Son Jesus, whose love knows no bounds. Amen.

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