Someone sent me this article about what students remember most about their teachers. It is a letter written from an experienced teacher to a new teacher as she watches the new teacher stress about lesson plans and all the things she has to keep up with. The more experienced teacher's purpose is to help the new teacher step back and realize that students aren't going to remember lesson plans or crafts, they are going to remember personality. They will remember their third grade teacher because she was caring and compassionate and available.
As I reflected on this article, I realized that the author is right. I remember excellent teachers, not necessarily because of their lesson plans, but because of their personalities. Interestingly enough, if I liked a teachers personality, I almost always thought of them as good teachers as well.
What do you remember about your good teachers? What made them great?
Citation
Gard, Lori. "What Students Remember Most About Teachers." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Citation
Gard, Lori. "What Students Remember Most About Teachers." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
I remember my second grade teacher's name was Mrs. Lawrence and she was so kind and caring. She also introduced me to my first chapter book ever and I loved it so I guess all in all she helped me find my love for reading. Did by chance any of your teachers you didn't like make an impression because of their personalities?
ReplyDeleteI love my last semester's STA teacher Ms Fritz. She was a easy-going and considerate person. On the beginning of last term, I experienced a really hard time to take her class due to the language. She could tell that I was worried, so she comforted me and patiently taught me classroom knowledge by using simpler words. To be honest, her class was a little more complex than other STA classes. Because besides projects, I was supposed to do some work analysis and PPT throughout a semester, which means more time are needed to spend. I ended up a 4.0 on that class and I appreciate her a lot. She is the best foreign teacher I have since I came here.
ReplyDeleteQiuqiu, I'm really glad that you had a good teacher to help you. It's always exciting to 4.0 a difficult class. Compliments and help from teachers can really mean a lot. I remember feeling honored when a teacher offered to write a letter of recommendation for me without me having to ask. She did it because she recognized that I was a good, hard working student. I notice that I am most drawn to teachers when the recognize me for being a good mature student and give me additional responsibilities or allow me to have a little more freedom. I am always more motivated in classes where I don't feel like I'm being babysat.
ReplyDeleteSam, you asked about a teacher I didn't like and their personality. I can remember one teacher that I just absolutely couldn't deal with. He taught freshman algebra in high school and I can say with certainty that teaching was not a gift for him. I did, however, really like his personality. He was such a nice guy, always trying to make people smile or laugh. It just so happened that teaching was not a strength of his.