The Chatam Sofer used to point out that in the Tefillah (prayer), we end by saying, “Petach libi beToratecha”: “Open my heart, beToratecha, with your Torah.” The Chatam Sofer explains that every heart wants to learn Torah. The problem is that sometimes the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) locks the heart. Sometimes ADHD locks the heart. And it is the job of the Rebbe (teacher) to figure out how to open it.
There was once a gathering of students who came to the house of Rav Shlomo Freifeld. They noticed a frame on the wall in his simple house. In the middle of the frame was a black background. He had a key framed on the wall. Now they knew their Rabbi was not a rich guy. This was not a key to a vault in Switzerland. This was not “break in case there’s a sale on Birkin bags.” Right? What does this key do? They said, “Rebbe, what do you have that needs to be under lock and key already? Why are you framing this key?” He said, “I put it in my house so that every day I walk in and see it on the wall. And I remember that there is a key to the heart of every one of my students. And if they’re not learning, and if they don’t love it, and if they’re not excited, stop! Therefore, it’s mine. I did not yet figure out the key to their heart.”
So you want to know why a pedagogue is called a nurse? Because, just as a nurse understands that, for the child they’re nursing, this is the most natural thing in the world—the child is desperate to nurse. It needs to nurse. If you feel that way about your teaching, then you’ll figure out a way to be able to get through...