The influence of Teachers
This is a follow on post from the cell phones in class post. One of the comments I received cause me to reflect on the influence teachers have.
Chris left this comment:
I like what you said about respect your students’ privacy. My seventh grade math teacher confiscated a note I was writing in class and read it aloud to a class of 28 boys and 2 other girls. I still feel the pain and mortification some 40 years later. How can we expect our students to show respect for us and each other when we can’t model the same.
I can remember both positive and negative teacher actions that are still vivid and sharp 25 years on.
I would hate to be remembered as the teacher who did……. It certainly has happened, and its not a comfortable feeling. I hope I have more positives than negatives.
As teachers we have a huge, often unimaginably huge influence on our students. We are sometimes/occassionally/often a single point of stability in a sea of chaos and turbulence that surrounds our students.
IF we walk in to our classes with bias, pre-conceptions, assumptions, attitudes or poor practices, what are we teaching our students?
So much of teaching is now not “here is X lumps of knowledge“, it is:
- teaching thinking processes
- teaching and supporting critical thinking
- developing attitudes to learning and relationships
- teaching attitudes & values through positive role modelling
- and more
Yes, we teach our core subject areas (particularly in senior secondary) but more importantly we also teach the unquantifiable but hugely important attitudes and processes; creativity and critical reflection, and hopefully a love of learning & curiosity.
Teachers are important….
September 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
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September 11th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
The dedication and passion my teacher displayed, when I was young, made me interested in that subject for a few years and subconciously inspired me, up to now, to aspire for excellence in things I like to do.
On the other hand, the racist stereotyping of another did made me more sensitive but also encouraged me study the accused more carefully and temperate my conclusion after meeting many very nice people too.
My conclusion was that teachers need to be balanced individuals on top of being proficient in their core subjects. They need to be passionate and yet temperate, idealistic and yet pragmatic, and most important of all believers and not lukewarmers.
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