Monday, March 12, 2012

Topic of the Week: Memorable Teachers

For this week's discussion, let's reflect on the great teachers that have positively impacted our lives.

Think back on your years as a student, either before or during college.
 Can you recall the best teacher you've ever had? 
What made this teacher so memorable? Was it their teaching style, sense of humor, or the content they taught? What did you learn from them?
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To see what they students themselves have to say, click here.
To read about the strategies of master teachers, click here.

6 comments:

  1. I can only recall as far back as second grade, and between then and now I have had some really great teachers, and also some less than great teachers. I can't really say that any of them were the best, because that then makes teaching a competition, and although I love to win, this is not supposed to be a competition. Our jobs are to educate our students and help them realize their truest potential. Saying that, I can think of three teachers who did just that, helped me realize my truest potential and truly educated me. Mrs. Regina Stanco in 5th grade, Mrs. Karen Landsman in 6th grade, and Mrs. Alanna Kump in my senior year of high school. A major thing that stands out about these three are their personalities. They were all warm and caring to me, and they all made me feel important in class. Even when I did something wrong, or I had a bad day, their class environment helped me move on past my problems. They all also encouraged me to do my best, and to never settle for anything less. I remember in Mrs. Stanco's class, she would read us "The Little Train that Could" and she had a lucky train, her theory was that if you put your mind to something, then you can do it, she taught me to persevere. In Mrs. Landsman's class, not only was she funny but she enjoyed interacting with us all day long. She was the one who pushed me to do better and better every time I did something. Also she liked me because I my mom makes chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries, and Mrs. Landsman LOVED chocolate. Mrs. Kump was my homeroom moderator as a junior and then my Spanish teacher my senior year of high school. It is because of her that I chose to be a Spanish teacher. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met, with the exception of some of my friends in STAR and in St. Vinnys. She knew that I knew Spanish well, but she was always pushing me to do better, and she made the class interesting. These three teachers are my biggest inspirations and when I am teaching my own Spanish class, I hope that I can be half as great as they are.

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    1. Thank you for sharing! There seems to be a common theme here: the teachers you describe are memorable because of their ability to motivate, encourage, and support students. The most successful educators enable students to reach their fullest potential. PS: "The Little Train that Could" is a fantastic read!

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  2. Over the years I have had many great teachers! One of my favorites was my high school Chemistry Teacher. I really admired the fact that he took a subject that may not typically be a students favorite and found ways to get everyone's interest in the subject matter one way or another. This teacher was one of my biggest inspirations to continue and pursue teaching as my major in college, he continually assured me that I had the potential to succeed in anything I invested in. Really going the extra mile in getting to know students and their learning needs made this teacher and class a step above the rest!

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    1. We agree; it's so essential for a teacher to develop a relationship with his or her students and create strategies to make lessons exciting. If the students cannot connect with the material, they will not be able to learn effectively. Your chemistry teacher does indeed sound inspirational. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. The best teacher I ever had was my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Still. She was so sweet, nice, caring, and had a great sense of humor. She didn't yell once and she motivated me a lot. I also liked that she didn't make anything seem boring. She was always on the same pace with things and she made teaching look so easy and fun. At the end of the year, she was making her speech to my class and started crying while saying, "I'm gonna miss you guys. You guys were the best 4th grade class I ever had." I was too little to even feel any sad emotions, but she really was the most favorite teacher I had.

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  4. The best teacher I ever had was my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Still. She was so sweet, nice, caring, and had a great sense of humor. She didn't yell once and she motivated me a lot. I also liked that she didn't make anything seem boring. She was always on the same pace with things and she made teaching look so easy and fun. At the end of the year, she was making her speech to my class and started crying while saying, "I'm gonna miss you guys. You guys were the best 4th grade class I ever had." I was too little to even feel any sad emotions, but she really was the most favorite teacher I had.

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