This article is a translation, with accompanying comments, of an address given by Paulo Freire in 1985. Freire deals with his vision of the virtues necessary in a teacher. He considers eight virtues, the final one underpinning the others. For Freire, this final virtue--the necessity of reading the text from reading the context--means that critical discussion in the classroom (or other space dedicated to education) is recognized by the students as relevant to their lives. If this is achieved, the other virtues mentioned in the address can be developed by the teacher, in an ongoing process of critical reflection with students. These virtues are all discussed in terms of the resolution of profound tensions which are present in all situations of learning and teaching.