A Good Teacher, From a Student’s Perspective

by Ryan Smith

A major concern among young Pagans I’ve seen, and experienced myself, is of finding a good teacher to help guide them on their path. As I have found the fun part is finding a teacher who both knows what they are doing 
and are genuinely in it for the sake of passing on knowledge to the next generation. There can be a lot of trial and error in finding someone who is right for you. Without a clear idea of what to look for this process can lead the intent seeker into a lot of blind alleys or to people who are a bit unscrupulous. For those who have the good fortune to be learning at the feet of someone who only needs to introduce themselves by name and everyone knows who they are get everything you possibly can out of it! For those who do not have that good fortune I’d just like to share some of my opinions based on my experience on what I think makes for a good teacher and what doesn’t so that hopefully you can avoid some serious pitfalls that can emerge on the path.

First we’ll start with something that may surprise a lot of people and sound superficial. How does the prospective teacher present themselves? This probably sounds very superficial to even consider this but there is a degree of truth that first impressions do matter, both how you appear on other people and how other people come across to you. How someone behaves can tell you a lot about the person. 

For some examples do they introduce themselves with a long list of titles some, or many, of which are not English words? Do they, unprompted, drop names of famous authors and thinkers in the community who they’ve met and studied with? Do they rattle off their list of books, accomplishments, and the like as part of their introduction? Most importantly does it feel like they’re compensating for something when they do all of this? If any or all of the above are true you probably have someone on your hands with a bit of an overinflated ego. Regardless of how well-informed and accomplished they are, these are the kind of people where everything is their way. Period. End of discussion. These are the kind of people who are likely to take any kind of questioning about possible inconsistencies in what they teach, their actions, or about subjects not covered very poorly.

This is just one example of how first impressions and how someone presents themselves is very important. If there’s something about how they act and hold themselves that rubs you the wrong way or doesn’t seem to you like something you want in a teacher, find someone else. 

The relationship between a teacher and student in spiritual matters is vital to the process itself. If you are studying with someone that makes you feel uncomfortable just to be around them or makes you have to constantly think or consider what you have to say to make sure you don’t upset them your learning and progress will suffer. Remember, you are looking for a teacher for your benefit, not theirs. If it feels like they get more out of you having them as a student than you get out of them being your teacher then the time spent is not worth it.

Moving on to the next item: do they practice what they preach? Do they talk a lot about how someone should behave and act while doing another? Do they engage in activities or take positions where there might be a conflict of interest? Do they teach as much by instruction as by example? A teacher should embody their ideals by how they live their life. This is not just pie in the sky how it should be prescription but very practical. If someone does not genuinely do as they say then it is possible they either do not genuinely believe in what they are saying or think that what they’re saying are meant for other people, not themselves. Someone who thinks that the rules they teach as a code to live by is something for other people to follow but they are allowed exceptions because of their status as a teacher of this is someone who might not be entirely trustworthy. Anyone who thinks they are above certain rules is someone who is likely to turn on those who put their trust in them when it is to their self-interest and toss any other considerations over the side. This one, unlike a person who engages in obviously self-aggrandizing behavior, can be much harder to catch but is equally bad as an ego-junky. A teacher-student relationship is one where trust is vital. If you are studying with someone who will toss you aside if it is in their best interests how can you be confident in what you are studying? Studying with a teacher who you aren’t sure if you can trust is like building a house without a foundation.

Now for one that is just as important as the rest: how open-minded is your teacher? Do they believe in One Right Way to do things? Are they wiling to experiment, work outside the box, try new things, and entertain questions? There is nothing wrong with a teacher who has a particular tradition they favor or style they prefer. That is just a matter of personal choice. What is the issue here is if they insist on only using Their Way. A teacher who believes that their approach is the only right approach for philosophical reasons and they insist that their students follow it if they want to learn from them is someone who will push their students into a direction that might not benefit the student. Insistence on adherence to The Way for no reason other than, “just because” shows someone who probably is not as smart as they think or claim to be. An intelligent, capable teacher genuinely worthy of respect, if they insist on doing ritual or meditation a certain way, should be able to give you good, solid reasons that make practical sense as to why you should do it. If their answer is “that is just how its done” or something along those lines it would not hurt to find other opinions and sources. The teacher in question might be very capable and informed on what they are teaching you but odds are that is all they know.

For one last big one to look out for is if someone says what they are teaching is easy and you’ll pick it up in no time. Spiritual education, while deep, enriching, and rewarding is no walk in the park and neither is magickal training. A teacher who doesn’t push you to improve yourself or insists that what they’re teaching is easy and will take little or no effort on your part is someone who does not take the subject seriously and neither should they be taken seriously.

Now getting away from the big warning signs to avoid and on to things you should look for in a teacher. The first thing I look for is how they know what they are teaching. If they are well-educated, particularly if they have a degree or two, I consider that a huge plus. Someone who takes the time to really learn, study, and understand a particular subject knows how to study and build up a base of support for their ideas. If they lack a degree of some kind or another don’t sweat it, experience can be just as valuable. Someone who has years, or possibly decades, of experience of understanding can be just as good as someone with a good conventional education. In this case what may be lacking in formal learning is made up for in life experience and solid understanding of the subject in question. A teacher who meets both of the above criteria is a real winner.

The next thing is what have they done in and for the community? Do they put on regular public rituals and services for the general community? Are they a respected author and speaker? Are they with a group that has been active for an extended period continuously without interruption? Have they or do they consistently take a leadership role in the community? Teachers who have regularly given back to their community in some fashion are, in my opinion, some of the best kind out there. They know that knowledge and expertise that is hoarded does no one any good but when it is shared all who receive it benefit. A history of this kind of activity is also a solid indicator of their character. Someone who acts out of genuine desire to help their community is someone who you can be sure will be acting, as your teacher, in a fashion that is to your benefit and enrichment. Now there may be good reasons why a teacher is no longer active. This does not mean you should avoid them. There are many experienced, intelligent people who for whatever reasons have chosen after giving part of their lives to the community to spend time on themselves.

A final thing to look for in a teacher is where do they get their ideas from and how did they form their ideas. Someone who bases their teachings on reason and grounds them in credible sources on the subjects in question are teachers to look for. A teacher whose opinions from more experienced or educated Pagans lead to raised eyebrows is probably one who doesn’t entirely know what they are doing. By the same token if they ONLY base their ideas on what someone else wrote or came up with and don’t inject any personal experiences or revelations into it they might be a bit inflexible and dogmatic. Look for a good balance between the two, personal revelation and experience without solid ground can be a bit suspect but rooting one’s ideas in established lore without any personal experience or experimentation might be too inflexible of a teacher.

Ultimately the most important gauge is what feels most right to you. If you are truly gaining fulfillment from the teacher you are learning from by all means continue. What might be a good teaching style for one person can be completely at odds with what another seeker might be looking for. Above all remember this: “Never take advice on how to live your life from someone whose life is more messed up than yours.”

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Comments

[Tori]

This is a very imformative article! Thank you for sharing your insights.

[Lily]

My way of judging a good magical author (authors are teachers, afterall) is to look at the love spell section. If the spells manipulate personal essence, or are crafted to control someone else's emotions, then I put the entire book away. That is generally my rule, and I've found amazing books that have taught me so, so much!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1492480234]

Tori, I agree. Ryan's article was helpful. I'm sure we'll see more from him!

Yes, Lily you make a great point about authors being teachers too. Your way to see their teaching style is very helpful too.

- Gwinevere Rain

[MaraLight]

Great Article! I wish I had read it before I started learning under the teacher I had. Several of the warning signs here were ones I didn't realize until it was too late! I'm glad this was written to give a heads up, because its very true! Thank you!

-MaraLight