Here, I ask that you comment and share your own stories!
I know that each and every person has been affected by at least one teacher on some level. Granted, as you are sitting there racking your brain, you may only be able to think of teachers who have affected you in negative ways. I am aware of the state of our education system today, and I too have my own share of horror stories when it comes to high school experiences. However, this blog was created to focus on POSITIVE student/teacher experiences. Therefore, if you cannot think of an uplifting or heartwarming story, then thank you for your time and patience, but this is not the place to post angry rants about bad teachers.
If you can think of a teacher who touched your life in a positive way, however, then please share your story! It is not necessary to write about near death experiences, how a teacher saved you from becoming a dropout, or how your life was changed forever because of their actions. In fact, most of my positive experiences with teachers can be boiled down into just a few sentences. Perhaps a teacher encouraged me to participate in class, or maybe they inspired me to go to college when their fellow teachers seemed as if they could not care less about my academic future. Your stories need not be thrilling tales of harrowing endeavors on the part of your favorite teacher or teachers. Please just tell me who they are, what they did for you, and why you appreciate having had the opportunity to be in their classroom.
If you feel you need inspiration, please see my postings above this one that summarize some of the inspirational stories of the Freedom Writer Teachers from the bookTeaching Hope.
To post your story, please simply click "__ comments" beneath THIS post. You will be able to view others' comments, and you can post your own on the right side of the page. Thank you so much for participating!
16 comments:
In all honesty, I haven't had an actual high school teacher or college professor that has truly touched my life. I breezed my way through high school while hiding in between the cracks and did not attend college but only one semester to find out it wasn't the right time for me. After I realized that I needed to mature a little bit more before going to college, I joined the United States Marine Corps. The leadership in the Corps is different than that of civilian leadership. A lot of Marines believe that good leadership consists of yelling, screaming, and belittling in order to get things done. I haven't had a teacher that has affected me, but I have had a great leader that left a positive impact on me. The Marine I'm going to tell you about is SSgt Collins. I met SSgt Collins immediately after boot camp where I had been getting yelled at, cussed at, and belittled for three straight months. After everything you do, you get yelled at immediately after without any explanation of what you even did wrong. SSgt Collins was one of my instructors during my time at the School of Infantry. He is one of the best leaders and Marines that I have ever met. He served three deployments (two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan), presidential detail for President Bush, and had been recommended for OCS (officer candidate school) more than ten times by his superiors. SSgt Collins worked with me on becoming a good leader. He showed me that the Corps didn't need as many screaming leaders then they did of ones that could lead by example. He helped me with things I couldn't accomplish in boot camp because I was getting yelled at. The only difference? Encouragement. He encouraged his Marines. He encouraged them to be the best that they could be. Because of this, our platoon graduated with honors. We had zero test failures, a first in the company "H" history. We looked up to him because he gained out respect before he even started leading us. He didn't come in on the first day and scream. Hopefully one day I can become as good of a leader as SSgt Collins and lead a group of my own Marines.
In college I had a teacher by the name of Peter Irwin who taught a business class. He made a difference in my life because for the first time in my life, I felt I had a teacher that really cared for me and wanted me to be successful. He took time to explain things to me and helped me greatly. Because of him, I started my own business which I ran for over 20 years.
I had a third grade teacher in Provo, Utah named Mrs. Smith. I don't remember much about 3rd grade but there was once during the year where she was so sweet to me (it made me cry) and I still remember her face and smile and demeanor. Someone who doesn't overwhelm you with their technical skills or knowledge but makes you feel loved, encourages you and tells you to keep trying even if you are personally driving them crazy, I believe his an immense impact on you, more so than negative teachers.
Mrs. Glass was my 6th grade teacher. Do to circumstances in my home as a child no one noticed that I did not know how to read. Mrs. Glass noticed. In my generation you were pushed from one grade to the next even if you couldn't read but, fortunately for me, Mrs. Glass said enough was enough.
First she brought in her son's comic books. I would "read" them by looking at the pictures and then explain the storyline to her. She would then teach me a few words that were on the pages. The first words I learned were probably "BAM" and "POW".
Eventually I graduated to novels such as Tom Sawer and Huck Finn. (There were no "teen" novels back then.) I stumbled through these as best I could but still remember enjoying them and discussing them with Mrs. Glass.
The last book I tried to read in her class was Stoker's "Dracula". No way... too scary!
Thank you, Mrs. Glass! I'll remember you always.
Ah, high school years.
While most of my memories aren't the happiest, I do have fond ones of one teacher in particular.
Ms. Linn, art teacher extraordinaire! I transferred to her high school in sophomore year. The school was big and unwelcoming. I didn't really make tons of friends right off the bat. But I got really close to her in art class. She saw me and my abilities and encouraged them. I had two years of school with her, however in my first year with her I learned more about art than my whole life combined. She went out of her way to teach my new techniques and encourage me to get into art history. She helped my talents grow. She cared about me, and a lot of her other students too. If it wasn't for her encouragement and training, I wouldn't be where I am today, which is happily attending art school in the Midwest. I've gotten several jobs relating to my major and minor since starting, and am eager to visit her this summer.
I know this is hard to believe but my first grade teacher (Mrs. Sharp)was the one i liked the most that inspired me to be myself and it was ok to make mistakes. I would go to her house after school and read with her to improve my reading skills that are I might say terrible. Not one of my favorite things to do.
Also had a great 6th grade teacher who taught with fun in the class so that it made learning fun and not so serious all the time. Life gets so serious that it is good to have fun in learning. I am who I am today because of all the teachers I had and my parents.
Currently I have a computer science teacher, who makes each senior student fill out every college application that they receive through him, and for alumni will help get jobs in the computer science field whenever any of his contacts has an open position. He helps his students get into colleges and start off careers.
I had a math teacher in high school that i thought was mean. One day, I was late by about 5 seconds and he still made me get a tardy pass. I thought he was being ridiculous. However, I remember how i felt and consequently havent been late to a class scince. Although he is not my favorite teacher, he taught me something very valuable that day, i just couldnt see it at first.
I do have a favorite teacher- her name was Mrs. Anderson and I had her in 3rd grade. She made everything come to life, I can't remember the normal daily stuff but I do remember the big deal that everyone wanted to be in her class for-- the big deal was dressing up like kids from "Little House on the Prairie" days and going to a real one room school house for the day (at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI). We prepared for it all year, it was an ongoing project that she built up. It started by reading a little bit evey day from "On the Banks of Plum Creek". We got so into it- later in the year we all had to bring in coffee cans- we spray painted them silver and used them as on lunch pails on field trip day. We also made maple syrup candy by pouring hot maple syrup onto snow. The day of the field trip we all dressed up and had a great time!
If I had to focus on high school teachers I would pick out either Mrs. Hannett or Dr. Fremouth. I went to Mrs. Hannett's surprise party at the school for 50 years of teaching-- she taught us American Fiction, and while there were torturous moments (like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath)there were also prize moments listening to her description of Lilliputians from "Gulliver's Travels". I mean, who reads "Gulliver's Travels" anymore, and "Ethan Frome" and "All the President's Men"-- I mean she taught us real stuff!!
Dr. Fremouth let us read "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance"- he taught "Theory of Knowledge"-- and I took it as a senior in high school-- Its all about free thinking for me-- if I can just think independently and then discuss my ideas later, then I'm soooo happy.
There were awesome college professors too, Dr. Rautman (Archaeology in New Mexico), Dr. Sauer (Forensic Anthropology in London), Dr. Folke Lindensomethingnorweigan-- I can't remember his last name, but I ended up in the shower next to him at a brothel in Guyana, and his wife Oumati Marajh-- she was there too-- don't worry - its all about Political Theory and Constitutional Development in the British West Indies--
BUT I'll end it there- Sorry if I took too much space- Amy
In fourth grade I was blessed to have Mr. Tremblay as my teacher at Port Orange Elementary School in Port Orange, Florida. He expected great things out of his students and didn't settle for less. We had a spelling bee every week just among our class and also were assigned a speech about once a week if I remember correctly. He had us take and retake map tests of the United States where we had to label the state and the state's capital city. In the fourth grade all of these things seemed crazy, especially considering the easy work all the other classes but all the things he taught me have stayed with me for the past 9 years, which is not something I can say of anything I've learned from any other teacher. He expected a lot because he knew we could do it. He gave me my first few B's on assignments and it pushed me to work up to my potential. He was encouraging and motivating and made a difference in the lives of his students by teaching us what we could me.
I won't say that this experience was life altering, but it definitely demonstrates the lengths teachers will go to illustrate their subject. It was back in 8th grade, and I was learning American History from Mr. Chang. We were learning about the founding of the United States right before the Revolutionary War. Back in that time, it was King George the Third that was oppressing the colonialists in the 13 colonies. Arguments arose over unfair taxation and oppression.
Coincidentally, our school principal was Principal George King. Mr. Chang decided to teach us a lesson that I would never forget. Right after class had started one day, Mr. Chang passed out a letter from our principal, Mr. King. The letter was to go home to our parents, but essentially it talked about the students reduction of rights. Some of the changes included the reduction of lunch time, increase in price of vending machines, and no talking in the cafeteria line. After seeing some of these absurd changes, the class became livid. Several of my classmates became furious as they realized that their rights were being taken away, and that prices were going to increase on favorite snack foods. Kids almost rose up in open rebellion (well not really). Oddly enough, the letter had been signed "King, George".
It turns out the whole letter had been a prank that our teacher set up, none of those changes were going to happen. I was definitely mad at the time, but looking back I can see the brilliance in his exercise. Mr. Chang literally put us in history. King George the Third was oppressing the colonialists, as our principle was "oppressing" us. Mr. Chang put us in the context of the situation. We felt similar emotions to those colonialists, anger and frustration at an overbearing ruler (or Principal for us).
At a time when a lot of teachers were distracted football coaches or unqualified babysitters, Mr. Chang went out of his way to bring a part of history to life. We were the only students at the school who went through the exercise, since our instructor was the only one to put us through it. It left me impassioned to learn, with a completely new realization of history. Seeing through the eyes of the colonialists, the class saw the boring text book come to life in a personal fashion.
It was Mr. Chang's passion and ingenuity that gave me such a thorough understanding of American History.
Mr. Reese taught physics in our small high school, and was not like the rest of our teachers. He lived on a farm, so would often have spent a few hours out plowing his fields before coming to school. He was very smart, but was always looking for fun ways to help us understand physics principles. When learning about electricity, he would tell us stories about wiring the classroom door handle so that anyone late to class would get a small shock when they grabbed the handle. Then of course, he would do it the next day, and some kid would always be surprised.
He brought in a physics olympics program to our school, when there was nothing else related to science that was fun and competitive. I was able to be on a team with a few other kids who liked science, and get some recognition for my abilities even though I was a girl, and in those days, girls didn't "go science or math", especially not in our school. I took advanced physics from him my senior year, one of only three students, and got even more encouragement to help me prepare for my college years pursuing engineering. Without Mr. Reese, I would not have had any other teacher telling me I could be an engineer, and that I should follow my dreams despite what others said. Thanks, Mr. Reese!
My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Sprout, is the teacher that I always think of when I am asked this question. I do not really remember all of the specifics of that last year of elementary school, but I do remember Mr. Sprout's teaching style. Other than the fact that I am pretty sure that I had a slight crush on him, Mr. Sprout's passionate approach to teaching affected me more than any other teacher that I had in school.
I recall that after his class, I actually remembered the things I had been taught, rather than simply discarding them as useless information. I became passionate about Greek mythology and the subject of English as a result of Mr. Sprout's class.
Although I can vividly remember the faces of a few of my other favorite teachers, Mr. Sprout is the only teacher whose teaching style still sticks out in my mind.
I remember two instances in particular that set his class apart from others:
1) During a lecture on how students must become passionate about the subjects they learn in school and never loose focus on achieving academically, Mr. Sprout suddenly became monotone, as if he was as uninterested in his lecture as we were. As one of the only students still paying attention, I watched as he walked calmly across the room, picked up a textbook, and dropped it on the ground. The noise tore all of my classmates from their daydreaming stupors, and they suddenly understood that this English and history teacher was serious when he said that we needed to become passionate about school, and that he would not allow his students to fall asleep or to fall behind.
2) Mr. Sprout handed out directions for an independent activity. At the top of the first page, it stated that we were to preview the entire document from cover to cover before beginning. Also, it said that each set of directions was different, so we should ignore what other classmates did. I read through the directions and laughed when I read what was printed at the bottom of the last page, which stated that I was to sit back, close my booklet, and watch as the rest of my classmates made fools out of themselves. Not only did I learn a very important lesson from Mr. Sprout that day, but I also got to watch as my fellow sixth graders stood on their desks, did jumping jacks while singing, removed their shoes and placed them in their desks, and emptied their backpacks before realizing that this was all a test, and only the most patient and thorough had passed.
I have had a lot of inspirational teachers throughout my life (which is probably one of the reasons why I want to pursue a career in school psychology), but I thought it would be most beneficial to describe my most recent experience with two truly wonderful professors I have in college right now.
I am currently in the Honors College; and one of the other sophomores in our program, Malorie Bullock, died in a motorcycle crash two weeks ago. We all found out late Thursday night about this and were naturally devastated. Two of our professors, Dr. Green and Dr. Gruver, came over to our apartment building and were there to support us literally all night.
They showed us that teaching isn't only an 8 to 5 job; and that they weren't only there to support us academically, but emotionally as well.
Tenth grade world history teacher at Paschal High School, Mrs. Hull, was an inspiration to always motivate and be passionate about your chosen field. One cold dreary day right after lunch in a very hot room, she changed from our history teacher to George Washington throwing a cape around her, a Santa Claus hat on her head, and jumping on top of her desk, she announced to us that we were all frozen fish in the Delaware River and she and her men were off to surprise the Hessians on the other side. She went on with the narrative with such gusto and passion that none of the 38 students in her room ever forgot that brave leader's going across an ice-filled river on Christmas Eve to help further our country's cause. She modeled her passion and taught me to do the same.
The best teacher I ever had was my 5th grade Sunday School teacher, Mr. Earl Miller. Mr. Miller had a shock of white hair and with waves on top, which you noticed after you adjusted to the fact that he was blind. He wore wide-framed sunglasses all the time and used a white cane to tap out a safe path for walking. But he was such an amazing man that you forgot he was blind when he was teaching. He had served as a city councilman for many years and was well-traveled - a Renaissance man who just happened to also be blind.
He taught us how he took notes with his portable Braille writer and showed us how to overcome challenges thorough his adaptations to his blindness.
No other Sunday School teacher in the program ever brought in outside materials for their students, but Mr. Miller did! One of the books he bought us to read and discuss was The Autobiography of Malcolm X; we compared and contrasted the lives of the Black Muslim leader to the one led by Jesus Christ - a fascinating study. Another memorable book Mr. Miller had us read was Charles Sheldon's In His Steps, a book written just after the turn of the century that posed the question to young Christians if they were acting as Jesus would if He were present; in essence, the theme was a forerunner of the contemporary phrase WWJD? i.e. What Would Jesus Do?
Even better than the book discussions were the field trips Mr. Miller took us on outside of our own church! We visited several nearby churches and talked to their religious leaders, but my favorite journey was to a Jewish synagogue; the rabbi there was a close friend of Mr. Miller and delighted us with his explanations of Jewish customs that originated in the time of the Old Testament. Studying that part of the Bible finally made sense to me when I saw it still impacting modern life.
The love of learning that that Mr. Miller instilled in me years ago continues to this day. I have been a Sunday School teacher of 3rd and 4th graders for 6 years now and try my best to carry on Mr. Miller's legacy by expanding my students' knowledge with outside materials and adventures in Christian learning.
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