A lot of the other comments are describing teachers who went on to have successful or talented students, much like the parent. Consider the inverse case, which

A lot of the other comments are describing teachers who went on to have successful or talented students, much like the parent. Consider the inverse case, which probably sounds out of left field to you - the cult leader. Many cults start out with self-help gurus or educators who create closed groups with high demands. Cult leaders often promise special abilities to their students, if they just stick with them. The results are pretty much the opposite of what the parent is describing - the members are lost history and often don't achieve much and the narcissism of the cult leader defines the group. Unlike what the OP is describing - the proper teacher is more or less obscure and the network of students all go onto achieve highly. I guess this is just a long, roundabout way to say that humility and skill amplify much farther than even genuine skill and charisma. Maybe there's something to also be said about the altruism of a good teacher versus the high-demands of a cultic following.