--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason I love teaching, it's like…" description: "\"The reason I love teaching, it's like being a miner. I find all these undiscovered jewels and, with the right motivation, they're amazed at what they c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/rafe-esquith-15671_amazed_the-reason-i-love-teaching-it-s-like-bei_937432.png" --- # The reason I love teaching, it's like being a miner. I… ![“The reason I love teaching, it's like being a miner. I find all these undiscovered jewels and, with the right motivation, they're amazed at what they can do. I have to show them their capability.” quote by Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/rafe-esquith-15671_amazed_the-reason-i-love-teaching-it-s-like-bei_937432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/rafe-esquith-15671_amazed_the-reason-i-love-teaching-it-s-like-bei_937432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/rafe-esquith-15671_amazed_the-reason-i-love-teaching-it-s-like-bei_937432.png) > “The reason I love teaching, it's like being a miner. I find all these undiscovered jewels and, with the right motivation, they're amazed at what they can do. I have to show them their capability.” [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching is likened to mining, discovering hidden talents and inspiring students to realize their potential. **In simple terms:** Teachers uncover hidden talents and inspire growth. Key Takeaway Encourage curiosity and confidence in learners. Themes education inspiration potential Mood enthusiastic hopeful Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - classroom - mentoring - skill development Key Concepts pedagogy motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can you tailor encouragement to each student? - What hidden talents have you uncovered? A Different Perspective Not all students respond equally to motivation; some need different approaches. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amazed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazed/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Capability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capability/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Jewels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewels/) [Like Miner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-miner-1574598/) [Love teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-teaching/) [Miners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miners/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivation Amazed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation-amazed-1574597/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Teaching Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching-like-638361/) ## Related quotes > [He that in ye mine of knowledge deepest diggeth, hath, like every other miner, ye least breathing time, and must sometimes at least come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/he-that-in-ye-mine-of-knowledge-deepest-diggeth-hath-like-every-other/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) > [Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/writing-is-to-descend-like-a-miner-to-the-depths-of-the-mine-with-a/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [I am a firm believer that every few years one needs to shake one's life through a sieve, like a miner in the Yukon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-am-a-firm-believer-that-every-few-years-one-needs-to-shake-one-s/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [Writer is a miner; he works in the gloomy places like a miner to get the precious material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/writer-is-a-miner-he-works-in-the-gloomy-places-like-a-miner-to-get/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must bleed for me. Therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/rings-and-jewels-are-not-gifts-but-apologies-for-gifts-the-only-gift/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Teaching is almost like an act of prayer for me. I feel that I am present at the intersection of people and ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-brown/teaching-is-almost-like-an-act-of-prayer-for-me-i-feel-that-i-am/) [Erica Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-brown/) > [Teaching is like trying to hold 35 corks underwater at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/teaching-is-like-trying-to-hold-35-corks-underwater-at-once/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Teaching like any truly human activity emerges from one's inwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness-2/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Teaching is like having a bank account. You can happily draw on it while it is well supplied with new funds; otherwise you're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/teaching-is-like-having-a-bank-account-you-can-happily-draw-on-it/) [E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/) > [In teaching, I like being able to present clips from movies on VHS or DVD and then talk about them. That's what this movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-andersen/in-teaching-i-like-being-able-to-present-clips-from-movies-on-vhs-or/) [Thom Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-andersen/) > [As a teacher and parent, I've had a very personal interest in seeking new ways of teaching. Like most other teachers and parents, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-edwards/as-a-teacher-and-parent-i-ve-had-a-very-personal-interest-in-seeking/) [Betty Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-edwards/) > [I have always admired teachers because teaching, like the priesthood, medicine and writing, is a vocation. You don't become a teacher because you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-have-always-admired-teachers-because-teaching-like-the-priesthood/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“...teaching is like playing jazz. Even if you perform the same number over and over, it never comes out the same twice, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-babbie/teaching-is-like-playing-jazz-even-if-you-perform-the-same-number/) [Earl Babbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-babbie/) > [Housework is a breeze. Cooking is a pleasant diversion. Putting up a retaining wall is a lark. But teaching is like climbing a mountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawn-m-brodie/housework-is-a-breeze-cooking-is-a-pleasant-diversion-putting-up-a/) [Fawn M. Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawn-m-brodie/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More by Rafe Esquith > [Teach like your hair's on fire!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/teach-like-your-hair-s-on-fire/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I have students who are PhDs in music who come back and scored the music and teach the kids the instruments that I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-have-students-who-are-phds-in-music-who-come-back-and-scored-the/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I don't think we expect enough of students. They just need someone to show them the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-don-t-think-we-expect-enough-of-students-they-just-need-someone-to/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' I realized then where the problem lay. My students, and so many of our young people today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-happiness-i-realized-then-where-the/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [“Those who celebrate failure will not be around to help today's students celebrate their jobs flipping burgers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/those-who-celebrate-failure-will-not-be-around-to-help-today-s/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I always tell the kids that excellence is like pregnancy. You can't be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-always-tell-the-kids-that-excellence-is-like-pregnancy-you-can-t-be/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [Good teachers are an endangered species because they're giving up because of the tests and everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/good-teachers-are-an-endangered-species-because-they-re-giving-up/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I'd like to give every young teacher some good news. Teaching is a very easy job. Administrators will tell you what to do. You'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-d-like-to-give-every-young-teacher-some-good-news-teaching-is-a/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [You hear terrible stories because there'll be a story about some terrible kid, but most of the kids I work with are terrific kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/you-hear-terrible-stories-because-there-ll-be-a-story-about-some/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [“Everything has become too easy for our young people, and we make things worse by lying to them. We don't help them face reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/everything-has-become-too-easy-for-our-young-people-and-we-make/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I am asking teachers to understand that we must make the education relevant for the children. If they're only working for the tests or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-am-asking-teachers-to-understand-that-we-must-make-the-education/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [“I didn't realize that many people, who may be good people, feel that working in schools is just a job and not a holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-didn-t-realize-that-many-people-who-may-be-good-people-feel-that/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [But to paraphrase Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind, ignorance and mediocrity are forever busy, and the forces of mediocrity aren't content with being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/but-to-paraphrase-henry-drummond-in-inherit-the-wind-ignorance-and/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [With better vision, we sacrifice for students for whom that sacrifice will most likely pay off. I'm sorry to say this, but there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/with-better-vision-we-sacrifice-for-students-for-whom-that-sacrifice/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) > [I want my kids to know that they're just as good and just as American as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, or Dr. Martin Luther…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-esquith/i-want-my-kids-to-know-that-they-re-just-as-good-and-just-as-american/) [Rafe Esquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) [Explore all 42 Rafe Esquith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-esquith/) ## More Amazed quotes > [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [You'd be amazed at pain and tears a single smile hides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/you-d-be-amazed-at-pain-and-tears-a-single-smile-hides/) [Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/) > [“I am amazed at how being with him changes everything for me, socially speaking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-am-amazed-at-how-being-with-him-changes-everything-for-me-socially/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [My father was truly a great man. I remember one day putting my feet in my father's shoes. I was amazed at the size.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/my-father-was-truly-a-great-man-i-remember-one-day-putting-my-feet-in/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. When reading his works I often find myself amazed by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-j-beckwith/j-budziszewski-is-perhaps-the-clearest-and-most-eloquent-natural/) [Francis J. Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/) > [I've never ceased to be amazed at the survival skills of poor children. I've learned how much children can actually do for themselves if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-pearson/i-ve-never-ceased-to-be-amazed-at-the-survival-skills-of-poor/) [Landon Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-pearson/) > [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host but the two or three people of whom I asked his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/as-soon-as-i-arrived-i-made-an-attempt-to-find-my-host-but-the-two-or/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I don't know why, but I'm continually amazed to think that two and a half billion of us around the world are connected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kovacs/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-continually-amazed-to-think-that-two-and-a/) [Gary Kovacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kovacs/) > [The key to contentment is to consider. Consider who you are and be satisfied with that. Consider what you have and be satisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-swindoll/the-key-to-contentment-is-to-consider-consider-who-you-are-and-be/) [Luci Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-swindoll/) [Browse all 776 Amazed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason I love teaching, it's like being a miner. I find all these undiscovered jewels and, with the right motivation, they're amazed at what they can do. 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