In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this word our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the truth. Habits of self-control are formed and strengthened. The infirmities of childhood—fretfulness, willfulness, selfishness, hasty words, passionate acts—disappear, and in their place are developed the graces of Christian manhood and womanhood. (CT 207.1) MC VC

If your students, besides studying God’s word, learn no more than how to use correctly the English language in reading, writing, and speaking, a great work will have been accomplished. Those who are trained for service in the Lord’s cause should be taught how to talk properly in ordinary conversation and before congregations. Many a laborer’s usefulness is marred by his ignorance in regard to correct breathing and clear, forcible speaking. Many have not learned to give the right emphasis to the words they read and speak. Often the enunciation is indistinct. A thorough training in the use of the English language is of far more value to a youth than a superficial study of foreign languages, to the neglect of his mother tongue. (CT 207.2) MC VC

Let the school be conducted along the lines of the ancient schools of the prophets, the word of God lying at the foundation of all the education given. Let not the students attempt to grasp the higher rounds of the ladder first. There are those who have attended other schools, thinking that they could obtain an advanced education; but they have been so intent on reaching the higher rounds of the ladder that they have not been humble enough to learn of Christ. Had they placed their feet on the lower rounds first, they would have made progress, learning more and still more of the Great Teacher. (CT 208.1) MC VC

The instructors will find it greatly to their advantage to take hold disinterestedly with the students in manual labor, showing them how to work. By co-operating with the youth in this practical way, the teachers can bind the hearts of the students to themselves by the cords of sympathy and brotherly love. Christian kindness and sociability are powerful factors in winning the affections of the youth. (CT 208.2) MC VC

Teachers, take hold of the schoolwork with diligence and patience. Realize that yours is not a common work. You are laboring for time and for eternity, molding the minds of your students for entrance into the higher school. Every right principle, every truth learned in an earthly school, will advance us just that much in the heavenly school. As Christ walked and talked with His disciples during His ministry on this earth, so will He teach us in the school above, leading us beside the river of living waters and revealing to us truths that in this life must remain hidden mysteries because of the limitations of the human mind, so marred by sin. In the heavenly school we shall have opportunity to attain, step by step, to the greatest heights of learning. There, as children of the heavenly King, we shall ever dwell with the members of the royal family; there we shall see the King in His beauty and behold His matchless charms. (CT 208.3) MC VC

Value of the Common Branches VC

In education the work of climbing must begin at the lowest round of the ladder. The common branches should be fully and prayerfully taught. Many who feel that they have finished their education are faulty in spelling and in writing, and can neither read nor speak correctly. Not a few who study the classics and other higher branches of learning, and who reach certain standards, finally fail because they have neglected to do thorough work in the common branches. They have never obtained a good knowledge of the English language. They need to go back and begin to climb from the first round of the ladder. (CT 215.1) MC VC

It is a mistake to allow students in our preparatory schools to choose their own studies. This mistake has been made in the past, and as a result students who had not mastered the common branches have sought to climb higher than they were prepared to go. Some who could not speak the English language correctly have desired to take up the study of foreign languages. (CT 215.2) MC VC

Students who, on coming to school, ask to be allowed to take the higher studies, should first be examined in the elementary branches. I was talking with a teacher in one of our conference schools, and he told me that some had come to this school with diplomas showing that they had taken some of the higher studies in other schools. (CT 215.3) MC VC

“Did you examine every such student,” I inquired, “to find out whether he had received proper instruction in those branches?” (CT 215.4) MC VC

“Why,” said the teacher, “in all these cases we could not give the students full credit for the work done in the past, as represented by the diplomas. Their training even in the common branches had been very defective.” And thus it is in many instances. (CT 216.1) MC VC

Teachers should be careful to give the students what they most need, instead of allowing them to take what studies they choose. They should test the accuracy and knowledge of the students; then they can tell whether they have reached the heights to which they think they have attained. (CT 216.2) MC VC

One of the fundamental branches of learning is language study. In all our schools special care should be taken to teach the students to use the English language correctly in speaking, reading, and writing. Too much cannot be said in regard to the importance of thoroughness in these lines. One of the most essential qualifications of a teacher is the ability to speak and read distinctly and forcibly. He who knows how to use the English language fluently and correctly can exert a far greater influence than one who is unable to express his thought readily and clearly. (CT 216.3) MC VC

Voice culture should be taught in the reading class; and in other classes the teacher should insist that the students speak distinctly and use words which express their thoughts clearly and forcibly. Students should be taught to use their abdominal muscles in breathing and speaking. This will make the tones more full and clear. (CT 216.4) MC VC

Let the students be made to understand that God has given to everyone a wonderful mechanism—the human body—which we are to use to glorify Him. The powers of the body are constantly working in our behalf, and if we choose we may bring them under control. (CT 216.5) MC VC

Before attempting to study the higher branches of literary knowledge, be sure that you thoroughly understand the simple rules of English grammar and have learned to read and write and spell correctly. Climb the lower rounds of the ladder before reaching for the higher rounds. (CT 219.1) MC VC

Do not spend time in learning that which will be of little use to you in your afterlife. Instead of reaching out for a knowledge of the classics, learn first to speak the English language correctly. Learn how to keep accounts. Gain a knowledge of those lines of study that will help you to be useful wherever you are. (CT 219.2) MC VC

The instruction which the Lord has sent us, warning students and teachers against spending years of study in school, does not apply to young boys and girls. These need to go through the proper period of thorough discipline and study of the common branches and the Bible until they have reached an age of more mature and reliable judgment. (CT 219.3) MC VC