The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people.

Cross contrasts two views of education: sorting talent versus cultivating it. The “excellent teacher” does not merely recognize already high-performing students (“winners”) but draws out latent capacity in those who appear average. The phrase “apparently ordinary” underscores that ability is often hidden by prior opportunity, confidence, or circumstance. The quote frames teaching as an ethical and practical commitment to growth—raising expectations, providing support, and designing learning experiences that make extraordinary effort possible. It also critiques meritocratic complacency: the hardest work is not selection but transformation, turning potential into achievement through sustained encouragement and challenge.