Several years ago, a mentor of mine told me that our students will not remember the curriculum we present to them as their teachers; however, they will remember how we made them feel. This statement had a tremendous impact on me. I reflected on my own teachers growing up. I too did not recall the curriculum any one teacher in particular taught. In truth, I did not recall many teachers. I did remember the two types of teachers at both ends of the bell curve, the great ones and the terrible ones. The more I thought about this I found it sad that so many teachers were (in my mind) in the middle of that bell curve. they had had an opportunity to inspire, influence, or motivate me, but instead simply taught me their assigned curriculum. I wasn't sure which was worse, the teachers who had simply faded into the recesses of my mind or the teachers who were great examples of what not to be.
So my question to you is two-fold:
1) What were the qualities of the great teachers you had in the past?
2) What are you going to do to be remembered as a great teacher who made students feel inspired?
To my fellow classmates: Be joyful! Be amazing! Be remembered!
The qualities of a great teacher were caring, structured, and cared about the community. Every Friday we would play buddy ball with the Special Education class that rarely got to interact with other classes. That was an amazing experience, that carried with the whole class to be caring, open minded, and sensitive.
ReplyDeleteTo inspire a student takes a great many things. The classroom environment, the positive feed back, the scaffolding... Each student is their own person and showing them you care, they can succeed, they have a voice, and the great things in this world. Students can feel inspired to be amazing.
ReplyDeleteLove the topic of your discussion! I agree with everything you mentioned and I also believe teachers I have had, taught from their assigned curriculum. It is sad to believe this because there are so many amazing teachers out there. The few teachers I have had in the past that had an impact on my education had numerous qualities that I can remember. They were always willing to improve and change. They always wanted to make a connection with the students and knew that there was always more room for improvement. They were always challenging the students and found ways to overcome those challenges. As a future educator, I feel as though I will show patience within my students and be open for any challenge to allow growth in their learning. I feel that it is important to make a connection with all of your students so they feel comfortable in your classroom.
The quality that stands out the most among the "great" teachers I have had in the past is passionate. These teachers lived and breathed their subject matter, which in turn inspired me to push beyond my boundaries and reach my true potential. I can only hope to provoke the same reaction in my future students. Creating a community within my classroom and connecting with each student would help to lay the groundwork for an environment where the students are comfortable and able to learn. As I think back to my "great" teachers, I know that I need to have a thorough understanding of my curriculum and convey it with enthusiasm in order to make that connection with my students and push them to achieve more.
ReplyDeleteMindy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that passionate teachers leave great impressions as a great teacher. There are plenty of passionate teachers out there that love to teach their students and go beyond and above to make their students succeed. As a future educator I hope to as well have this type of impact on my students. I also agree with you when you mentioned that connecting with your students really makes a difference when the students are learning in the classroom. Feeling comfortable in a classroom is very important because students are in the same room everyday and they need to feel secure and safe in order to learn and succeed.
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ReplyDeleteMindy,
ReplyDeleteThroughout my life, I have meet those "great" teachers and not so "great" teachers as you mentioned, but there was always something a teacher did that made me remember them. I believe that teachers try to have compassion for their students regardless of obtaining assigned curriculum. While there are those teachers who have more of a passion for their content area and curriculum. Despite those two different spectrums of teachers, I feel teachers need to have a combination of both. As a teacher there are certain qualities that you need to have in order to create an equal balance in your teaching methodology. A teacher needs to be compassionate for their students, always feel you can change your teaching style, and feel comfortable with you are as a teacher in the classroom. Remember why you became a teacher and know everything will be ok. You may have a bad, but you take one day at a time.
Mindy,
ReplyDeleteI want to commend you on the topic of the discussion. As future educators, we all want to be remembered as great teachers that made a difference in the lives of students. In 6th grade, I had an English teacher who knew that I was very behind and was willing to work with me to catch me up. To this day I remember her, Mrs. Spatola. I learned so much from her and if I could tell her something I would thank you for never giving up on me. I believe some great qualities in teachers are patience, understanding, and comforting. Another teacher I remember is my 5th grade teacher Mrs.Vento. She was such a fun and exciting teacher. She really made learning fun. Even after I graduated, I continued to visit her. How do I want to be remembered? I want to be remembered as the teacher that gave each student an equal opportunity. The teacher that never gave up on her students no matter what. The teacher that welcomed them every morning with a huge smile. As Grace stated, remember why we became teachers and what kind of marks we want to leave on students hearts and minds.
I agree that students will ultimately remember how we made them feel rather than the curriculum we present. I can recall all of my teachers names to date, some good some bad. There was one teacher that I had in my elementary school that I believe helped gain success for the later grades. Mr. Doe was able to relate to his students as much as possible. I believe this constructed a great relationship between teacher and student. The student relation and efforts of Mr. Doe used in his teaching style affected the students’ attitudes in a positive way. For example, since I was a big sports fan, Mr. Doe would often relate content to a sporting event. This captured my interest and made me eager to learn from Mr. Doe. I still see Mr. Doe around town today, which inspires me to be the teacher he was. A welcoming atmosphere is what I would like to bring into my classroom one day. A teacher I had in high school always had an open door policy and I utilized it to better myself in difficult situations. The qualities of great teachers I've had in the past include caring about students, connecting and relating to students. I hope to inspire students through my positive experiences from great teachers I have had.
ReplyDelete