So You Want To Become A Work Teacher .......

Generally, when someone says they'd like to become a Work teacher, it's a sign that they're not ready.

In order to be able to teach the Work we have to have above all a sense of our own littleness, our own inadequacies in the light of the vast and awe-inspiring teachings of the Fourth Way. We need humility, for humility is the number one requirement both for learning and for teaching the Work.

Someone who's actually ready for this difficult task will feel great diffidence. They'll question whether they really are ready, whether their knowledge and understanding are enough to be able to help students. They won't mind admitting their own ignorance when students ask questions they can't answer; they'll say they don't know and will refer the question to their own teacher, and they will be grateful for all the help their teacher can give. They won't boast or brag about their achievements, for in the light of the Work as a whole they will know they are very small indeed.

Therefore, they won't let the position go to their heads; quite the reverse. Each time a real teacher conducts a Work group, he remembers his own powerlessness, and prays for the help of Conscious Humanity. He doesn't stand on his dignity and doesn't demand any kowtowing from members of his group, although he does ask that they show respect to the role of the teacher and towards the Work as a whole, and he sees whether they have the right attitude by the questions they ask, and the observations they bring.

You don't just wake up one day and decide to teach the Work! No, you must first be asked by your own teacher, who will see when a student is ready to begin taking on limited responsibilities. The teacher may already know of one or two newcomers who could form the start of a small, beginning group for the novice teacher. Or he may suggest that the student try to find a few possible candidates among her own acquaintances, or perhaps put up a small notice in a public library or bookshop.

It's vital that the beginning teacher maintain close contact with her own teacher throughout the process. She will in any case be a continuing student, going to regular Work meetings or maintaining the relationship with her teacher through phone calls and emails. The constant support and help of one's teacher is absolutely necessary when one first begins to teach the Work. Without it, the novice teacher is doomed to fail. And if the student does not continue to work on herself with her own teacher, she will not last long when she herself begins to teach; she will stagnate and be no use to her students.

The whole lineage of the Work is brought into play when a new teacher starts out; energy is passed down the line from Conscious Humanity through the student's own Work teacher, and then on to the new students. The beginning teacher must acknowledge that she is merely a link in the chain, that she needs help. And she must be able to generate her own energies to pass on to the students in her group, in addition to what is received from higher up.

When the student teacher has collected a nucleus of beginners - which should be no more than three or four, at the very most - she will make sure that her own teacher is kept fully informed about the potential students. Normally, the Work teacher will meet all the potential new students before the group gets underway, to make sure that they are all suitable candidates for the Work.

A novice teacher won't necessarily be able to judge this; the new students must all be Good Householders, and they must also be mentally stable and well grounded, so that the Work won't harm them at all, and neither will any of them harm the group or the novice teacher. Damage can and does happen. Vetting is extremely important. If distance is a problem, the newcomers need to be interviewed by the supervising Work teacher by phone or Skype, at the very least; otherwise they cannot be allowed into the new group.

When the group gets underway, the novice teacher keeps her own teacher fully informed about each meeting. She lets her teacher know what has been read, what observations have been given, and what new task has been set. She normally sends her teacher written notes, keeping copies for herself so that an invaluable record is formed. The notes are there for both her and her teacher to refer to when discussing the progress of individual students, as well as the novice teacher's own development.

By doing this, the novice ensures that she is teaching the Work as it was passed down to her by her own teacher, not deviating or distorting it in any way.

The supervising teacher will normally attend the new group meetings from time to time, and will invite all members to take part in a Work weekend at least once a year, more often if this is practicable.

After a year or so, the novice teacher will have gained enough experience and confidence that she will be able to carry on and enlarge her group, and will be equipped to continue teaching the Work as long as may be necessary. She will always keep her own teacher well informed about the group, and will always make sure that written notes are sent. As time goes by, however, less time will be spent discussing the progress of the new group; the novice teacher will become a seasoned leader in due course, and can handle most of the problems herself, without referring to her teacher.

The supervising teacher will always be available for consultations, however, and if he spots a problem that the new teacher hasn't noticed he will be able to help her nip it in the bud before it spoils the group's work.

Why do we need to keep this accountability? Why can't the teacher just get on with leading the group as he or she sees fit?

The answer is clear. The Work is a hierarchy. We are always answerable to our own teachers, and the help they give us is even more necessary if we ourselves become teachers in turn. We must always remember that we are responsible to Conscious Humanity when we take on the position of Work teacher. We owe it to them to swallow our pride - which in any case will always spoil our own work if we don't let go of it - and ask for help. Only someone willing to ask for help, and to act on it, is worthy of becoming a Work teacher.

It isn't easy. It's the most difficult task I've ever undertaken, even though I taught at University level for many years and was used to planning lessons, helping students, and directing groups. The Work demands all these skills and more: it demands our own continual spiritual work, because we dare not rest on our laurels.

We become accountable not just to our teacher but to our students, too, and we owe it to them and to the whole hierarchy of Work teachers who came before us, stretching all the way back to Gurdjieff himself, to maintain the legacy they bequeathed us, and to advance its knowledge in the present world.

Teachers are always looking for students who they believe can carry the Work forward after their own retirement or death, whichever comes first.

But it is a huge responsibility; it is very taxing; it demands that the potential teacher be able to work at a sufficient level to generate enough energies to support her students as well as for her own personal work; and there is no guarantee of success.

Most Work students will never become teachers, and this is no disgrace. We are all here to learn. And one good student is worth an infinite number of poor teachers.