Course XLIV - Teaching 15: Directors Teachers of Offices

From his entry to the House of Ordination, the Son is initiated in usual manual works in Community. Although the Sons must know how to realize any indicated work, usually they learn some specialized work. Generally, this task is in charge of Directors who in these cases are also teachers of offices in the Community.
The Teacher of Offices performs a very demanding function, because usually he is more in contact with the Sons, even with the Seminarians. At the same time that efficiency and celerity in the works, he teaches observances, behavior and spirit of recollection.
During his teaching, he neither has to be extremely watchful nor has to abandon totally the Son; he must supervise with intelligence their works and will not hinder the free operation of natural powers of the soul, but at the same he must orientate, guide y discipline them.
When he teaches a work, it is not convenient to impart every explanation, knowledge and detail in one go. This not only confounds, but also may embarrass the Son. It is convenient to impart general indications in a way concise and concrete, and later to see how the Son manages them. He will realize by himself many details and means: no better teacher than personal experience.
This is why the Teacher of Offices will impart strictly indispensable indications during the period of manual work, and will prohibit the Sons any futile comment or question. He must leave any clarification or complementary consideration for due time and keep strictly the spirit of silence during the period of manual work.
Often you may observe how those Sons that are prone to importune conversations have a poor performance in their tasks: a restless mind spends uselessly its energies and is unable to concentrate entirely its attention on the fulfillment of its duties.
Certain Sons learn all quickly. As to them, few words and much observation. Often they use their ability to do contrary things to your indications.
Although they work well, first they must obey and second they must do. But, at the same time, the Teacher of Offices can learn from them new forms to face the works.
Certain Sons follow conscientiously any indication, but are not properly flexible to adapt your indications to eventual needs.
You must be very patient with these Sons, and it is not convenient to teach them many things in one go, but to wait and see how they achieve their ordinary task.
Sons: get used to listen carefully at every indication, and if you do not understand something, ask about it at that moment. Strive and work. Avoid any distraction.
Mistakes, breaks, omissions and imperfections during the work are produced rather by lack of careful attention than by inability.
A Teacher of Offices must know how to teach the tasks and neither wastes time nor makes waste time to the Sons. It is unnecessary to control continuously a Son to know how he works. A watchful and alert Teacher knows what and how every one is working, and does not move from his place; he observes and at a glance sees all.
Here is the motto of a Teacher of Offices: “To teach quickly and well”.
Over all, a Teacher of Offices must be a good organizer.
To teach a work is not only to teach how the Son must move his hands, but also to know how he may make good use of tools, of materials and, very especially, of time.
A good organization achieves not only this, but also excellent performance of the Sons. A Teacher of Offices must know in the beginning of the day not only what to do during the day, but also how to develop works during the week and the month: he must have a plan. In the same way, the Son should know beforehand what he must do.
In this way, works are not interrupted by unexpected events or by lack of materials or tools, and the Teacher of Offices does not waste time seeking work for those who finish their own task and do not know what to do.
Moreover, this will be useful because the Sons will go to work with every necessary material for the day and will not need to seek later those elements that they deem necessary.
Work gives good results when the Sons do only one thing: to work.
To arrange, clean, seek and ask questions do not mean work: everything must be prepared in such a way that the work may begin and end on time, not doing anything else during this period.
A Teacher of Offices must teach how to work in order. Where there is order, there is efficiency. When every thing is at its place, nothing is lost or damaged; the order disciplines the mind and gives speed to the hands.
The Sons must be responsible for their materials and tools. Just whoever knows the value of a thing knows how to take care of it.
To take care is not only not to break or damage. Many times, materials are broken because the Sons do not know how to use them on due time or kept them in an improper way. The Teacher of Offices must teach that all is valuable, even the most insignificant thing; the spirit of poverty trains your hands to make good use even of those apparently useless things. To teach how to work is to teach how to create. The Teacher of Offices must teach the Sons how to be self-sufficient. Of course, certain works require collaboration of several Sons, but everyone must be a self-sufficient unit in his specific task. However skilful is a Son, he does not know how to work if always he needs help.
In team works, tasks must be distributed in a way that every one may develop his efficiency to the full. If certain Son makes a specialized work, never you should distract him from his task or assign him works that any other Son can make.
When you distribute works, keep also in mind the physical condition of every one, and do not overwhelm the fittest with heavy tasks. In this sense, a Teacher of Offices must remember that manual work is an excellent physical school and he must make good use of it to form strong and healthy Sons.
Master of Offices: works must continue without any interruption until their end. When a work is duly orientated, it progresses with minimum efforts by inertia.
When works are made with tools of the Community, the Son should be responsible for them and for their provision and withdrawal in accordance with needs, and for their condition when these tools are given back.
Likewise, in these cases do not take tools of the Community for tasks that you can make with your own elements. If Sons are authorized to possess personal tools is for their more efficient performance in hands of every one, but never will be motive of attachment and selfishness.
When the Sons receive allowances for personal expenses, they must know how to manage them wisely and with spirit of poverty. You not only manage your allowances by buying or saving, but also in accordance with their eventual use.
Allowances do not aim at granting money to the Sons for their free use, but at an appreciation of the cost of things through that money, at discernment about their real needs, and at an effective practice of Providential Economy.
Sons should not have personal needs; their needs must be incorporated in the Work of Cafh. Do not make difference between what you have and that of others; allowances are a way of managing possessions of the House, and the difference established by what is personal and what is common is just for practical purposes of the Community.
Sons must manage their money not as something that belongs to them, but as managers of possessions of the Community, and in that way they have to consider all that is assigned to their personal use.
The Son in charge of the kitchen must request every night from his Superior the menu for the following day.
Those Sons who do not make specialized works will deal with their tasks in common at the hall of assembly or where the Superior indicates. If the work permits it, they should sing psalms or recite prayers.