As the new school year looms (three more weeks?!?! until we go back here, but I know many of you are back to school already), I’d love to hear your memories of good teachers. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a classroom teacher, either; teachers come to us in many ways.
I had a high school history teacher for two years who didn't just teach history as a set of facts to memorize and forget. He really engaged his students with the idea of historical thinking and how to think about the past in a new way. While he was older and did lecture from an actual lectern at the beginning of each class, he ask us to engage in the material and events in a lively Socratic-style discussion for the rest of class. He was one of the reasons why I did become a teacher.
He sounds wonderful! You just reminded me of my AP US History teacher, who definitely had been telling the same history jokes for decades, but really helped us see historical figures as real people, and ignited my interest in history for the first time.
I was lucky enough to have one of my favorite teachers for three years running in grade school (advantages of going to a tiny school!). She shared my love of language and encouraged us as readers and writers. I realize now that her approach was similar to the Writer's Workshop model outlined by Lucy Calkins, which has been widely criticized. But for me, it was heavenly - I deeply appreciated the opportunity to share my writing with my peers, and have it taken seriously. My teacher was also a master of differentiation - a necessity in a mixed-grade classroom. It was a rude awakening to get to junior high and realize that everyone was just expected to follow along at grade level, no matter what. It didn't make sense to me then, and it still frustrates me how rigidly age and grade levels determine what so many kids have access to.
Teaching writing is complicated and it sounds like this teacher was probably gentle enough to frame critical feedback with care. Differentiation is so difficult as a teacher but that's amazing that your teacher was able to do that. She probably had to learn quickly with the mixed-grade classroom. And how lucky were you to get her for three years!
She used to “publish” our books - they lived in a little “library” in our classroom. I will never forget the pride I felt in seeing the names of several of my classmates on the check-out card at the back of MY book!
That was my favorite part of elementary school Language Arts - each year we'd write a story and work with a volunteer parent who would help us revise our stories. Then we'd illustrate them and they'd get "published" (ie covers laminated and comb bound). But letting other classmates check-out your own book--that's gold.
I had a high school history teacher for two years who didn't just teach history as a set of facts to memorize and forget. He really engaged his students with the idea of historical thinking and how to think about the past in a new way. While he was older and did lecture from an actual lectern at the beginning of each class, he ask us to engage in the material and events in a lively Socratic-style discussion for the rest of class. He was one of the reasons why I did become a teacher.
He sounds wonderful! You just reminded me of my AP US History teacher, who definitely had been telling the same history jokes for decades, but really helped us see historical figures as real people, and ignited my interest in history for the first time.
I was lucky enough to have one of my favorite teachers for three years running in grade school (advantages of going to a tiny school!). She shared my love of language and encouraged us as readers and writers. I realize now that her approach was similar to the Writer's Workshop model outlined by Lucy Calkins, which has been widely criticized. But for me, it was heavenly - I deeply appreciated the opportunity to share my writing with my peers, and have it taken seriously. My teacher was also a master of differentiation - a necessity in a mixed-grade classroom. It was a rude awakening to get to junior high and realize that everyone was just expected to follow along at grade level, no matter what. It didn't make sense to me then, and it still frustrates me how rigidly age and grade levels determine what so many kids have access to.
Teaching writing is complicated and it sounds like this teacher was probably gentle enough to frame critical feedback with care. Differentiation is so difficult as a teacher but that's amazing that your teacher was able to do that. She probably had to learn quickly with the mixed-grade classroom. And how lucky were you to get her for three years!
She used to “publish” our books - they lived in a little “library” in our classroom. I will never forget the pride I felt in seeing the names of several of my classmates on the check-out card at the back of MY book!
That was my favorite part of elementary school Language Arts - each year we'd write a story and work with a volunteer parent who would help us revise our stories. Then we'd illustrate them and they'd get "published" (ie covers laminated and comb bound). But letting other classmates check-out your own book--that's gold.