School started for my children this week. In the last several weeks children across the country have reported back to school so by now most children are off of summer vacation and back to their routines. As my children are in elementary school their respective teachers are very important to their daily lives. Teachers had a profound effect on my life.
This makes me wonder how influential teachers were to you. As a student and then as a teacher I saw the teacher/student relationship to be of vital importance in making education successful as well as helping children develop into lifelong learners and critical thinkers. In addition, I always found that since teachers were around the children for a larger percentage of the day than parents, the teacher had a strong social influence on the student as well. I was always cautious but forthcoming in my role.
Did you have a favorite teacher (s) who you still remember fondly? Do you have one who still incenses you? What did you learn from your teacher that went beyond the subject matter? What life lessons were you taught, tips that you took away, and styles that you mimic?
As a former teacher and parent of two school-aged children, the dynamic between students and teachers fascinates me still. Reading your experiences would strengthen my understanding considerably. I humbly ask you and encourage you to reply. Thank you!
My Geography teacher Colin Brooks was probably the most influential on me, he taught me to write my examination answers clearly, concisely and to assume my readers new absolutely nothing about the subject I was writing about. Lessons that have stood me in good stead ever since I learned them in 1974.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall having any particular favourite teachers but there were several I respected more than others including my art teacher Peter Upton who was leftfield in a very right of centre environment and my Physics and Chemistry Teacher Alan Kirk who with the benefit of hindsight always seemed to keep an eye out for me.
I kept a low profile at school so I can't say any teachers ever incensed me though I know that is not so true for many of my contemporaries.
'knew' even Doh!
ReplyDeleteCoach Ekerle. He was my freshman ecology teacher, then my senior year I had an extra spot for whatever class I wanted to take, I saw that he was teaching Life Science, so I jumped at having another class with him. He loved e material, he loved the kids and you could tell. I always responded better to those types of teachers. I had the opportunity several years ago to visit with him, now a class counsellor, to express my appreciation to him. I explain that I had homes hooked my children and loved teaching science because he loved it and passed that onto me. He said that I had made his entire teaching career worth it. He got puffed up a little and said that he was going to call his wife and tell her. While I'm sure he is a fantastic counsellor, I'm a kittle sad to know he isn't in the classroom anymore.
ReplyDeleteMr. Emig. He was my 7th grade science teacher. He too made science so much fun. He wanted us to do well. He certainly cared for me. I had made a wrong choice in boyfriend in 8th grade. He looked at me one time, shook his head with a look of disappointment. That has stayed with me all these years. He clearly cared.
In college I had a great English 101 teacher, who after failing her class the first time (I didn't go to finals), pulled me aside after the first class (retook the class with her) and said to me that I was "sitting on the fence flapping my wings, we both know what you are capable of and I want to see you off the fence and flying this semester." Wow! How many teachers would do that?