Schoolteachers commonly sow the first seed into the hearts of children. They first season them. As the seed is, such will the crop be; as the first seasoning is, so will the flavor continue to be. If they sow no good seed at all, what harvest can be expected? If they sow a corrupt seed of rudeness, lack of self-control, irreverence, superstition, and any wickedness, the crop must correspond to that. But if they sow the good seed of education, civility, and piety, there is great hope of a good crop. From this it follows that they are of great use and may bring much good, not only to the children themselves and their parents, but also to the church and nation.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Raising Children, 179.