I have decided to compile a list for myself and other teacher-friends of important things to do (and NOT to do) to inspire creativity, true learning, even greatness in our students. I am looking for good ideas. What did your favorite teacher(s) do? What did the worst teacher (s) do? What do you wish a teacher had done?
This may be something updated, revised, and revisited here on the blog. So...let me hear your ideas!
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5 comments:
JM - we should talk, I have so many opinions on what a good teacher should do and not do. When I did my student teaching I had a fabulous, dedicated teacher who I worked with. She gave me great advice to carry through to my own classroom. Unfortunately, after teaching just a few years, I left the field to have children. What I did learn, I applied, and it worked; I got great results.
Greatest teachers are a bit like great parents in that they notice how an individual learns, notices progress, challenges them to learn more and achieve more. I just had the other night a dream about my high school math teacher, Mrs. Schwartz. She was an older woman, very smart, and you couldn't fake it. She used to put people on the spot, man, and if you were not getting it or not paying attention or not trying, she'd notice, and your ass was grass. On the other hand, if you were working hard and getting it, she noticed that, too.
Also, convey great ideas to students, challenge them, let them ponder them, let them talk about it, let them write about it, etc.
Great idea to assemble a list. I think the main thing is to have high expectations and make learning interesting and rewarding.
Nan, "your ass was grass" comment brought back a memory for me! My mom used to say to me all the time, "if you don't do this or that, YOUR ASS IS GRASS!" I haven't that expression in ages and ages!!
Hey AnonBlog, I think you're right. We should compare notes.
As a priv. music teacher, I hear feedback from parents and students all the time, about my personal teaching and my students' progress, and I'm always tweaking it...trying new pieces, new styles, new approaches...AND I get an earful of what's going wrong in school. In the job hunting/interviewing stage right now, still subbing, and don't want to lose all I was learning while in grad school. I want to be the teacher kids look back and remember as one who helped them, made them see themselves and the world differently/more clearly/better. I am not satisfied with pre-given labels on kids ("bad student", "lazy," "good student")...I want to inspire each one to personal best, to try new things, maybe change the path they're on.
Quite a few years ago I worked in a learning center and worked 1-1 with some teenagers. There was a particular boy who was around 12 or 13 who nobody wanted to work with. They all said that he was a punk, a trouble maker, a kid who didn't want to learn. I volunteered to work with him and ya know what, he was my best student. He worked for me and tried his best and his grades went up. It was hard at first because he had an attitude, but after so many months I got him to smile and laugh. He knew that I wanted to work with him (it made him feel special) and that I treated him with respect even with his terrible background. That was my success story and the reason why I went into teaching, and it felt good. When teachers label the "bad" kids, the kids know it, so they act out. Treat everyone the same and give those difficult, hard-to-work with students more positive attention and they will remember it forever.
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