There
is no “correct” definition of a good teacher. It is subjective to opinion. One
student may find a teacher fantastic while another despises them. Different
teachers will affect different students, but a great teacher knows how to
affect as many as possible. To teach is one thing, to have someone learn from
your teaching is entirely different. A student may choose not to learn, but if
a teacher gives them the chance, half of the battle is over. A good teacher
does more than just instruct. Whether a role model, a coach, a friend, a
counselor, a good teacher is someone who is more than just a teacher to their
students. The first teacher that I will be writing about is my former eighth
grade science teacher: Mr. Peters. I remember his class vividly because it was
where I discovered my love for science. I remember having his class with my
friend Casey, and looking forward to it every day. Mr. Peters connected with
his students, made them laugh, and treated them like adults (at least those who
earned it), which is why he is one of my favorite teachers. The other teacher
that I will be writing about is my former freshmen year math teacher: Mr. Hale.
I won an Outstanding Math Achievement award in his class, and had fun while
doing so. Mr. Hale team-taught with his counterpart, and long time friend: Mr.
McCorkle. He would play off him and use jokes and stories to teach us math
without us even realizing it. Mr. Hale genuinely cared about his students’
lives outside of class. He was constantly involved and in the know with things
going on in his students’ lives. Both these teachers are men I look up to. Mr.
Peters and Mr. Hale are both positive examples of good teaching with very
different styles. While many teachers instruct well, they were more than just
teachers to me.
Mr.
Peters always connected with his students. He would often engage in
conversations with students about topics other than science and form a bond
with them. He would share more
than knowledge with us. Laughs, stories, anecdotes, sarcastic comments good
heartedly directed at one student for the enjoyment of the others. Mr. Peters
always included how science was being used in the real world so that we felt ur
studies weren’t pointless. It’s a big deal when middle school students look
forward to going to a class, and it got to the point where we would be lined up
outside his door before he even got there. Towards the end of the year, there
was a Facebook page created by some of us called Mr. Peters is the Best
Teacher Ever. Mr. Peters was a good teacher, but to some of us, he was also
a good friend. Aside from simply connecting with his students, Mr. Peters made
his class enjoyable. His class was stress relieving, not stress-creating. We
would leave his class in a good mood, and often considering the scientific
principles we learned about that day. I recollect several occasions on which
some of my friends and I would request odd jobs from him in an attempt to avoid
our next class and stay in his. Having a connection to even a single teacher
can make a world of difference to a student.
One
thing many middle school teachers lack that Mr. Peters had was a strong
knowledge of his subject. We could randomly ask him about a topic, and he would
be able to tell us about it, and how it affected the world today. Now, we did
like him enough and were ignorant enough that we probably would have believed
whatever he told us, but the man knew his stuff. As a newfound science geek, I
loved his class. However, even those who were more inclined to the liberal arts
such as English and history always enjoyed his class. I never met anyone who
didn’t. Mr. Peters knew how to get his students interested in learning about
science, and now working towards my Associates of Science, I have him to thank.
Mr.
Hale went far out of his way to get to know his students on a deeper level. He
would talk to them about what they were involved in, he would meet their
parents, and give almost all of them nicknames. Whether he remembers those
nicknames or not, I don’t know. Mine ranged from G-Dub and G-Money to Garrett
the Hit Man (it’s ironic because he can’t walk) Walker when I was on crutches.
Mr. Hale used an interesting technique to teach his students math. Every day at
the beginning of class, either him or McCorkle would tell the class a story. To
this day, I don’t know how many of their stories were true, but it took me
longer than I like to admit to realize that they all somehow incorporated math
in to them. For a group of freshmen, newbies in high school, it was a great way
to teach us.
I
can truthfully say that I have never seen a person so enthusiastic about
learning every day of the week. It was as if he drank three cups of coffee
before every class period. His energy never failed! Hale knew how to charm the
class. Many of us grew to see him as a friend as well as a teacher. If asked
about it, I’m sure he’d deny it, but without trying he charmed the girls quite
a bit too. I’ve really never seen a group of teenage females so focused in a
class. His teaching style was so intriguing that even students who hated math
with a deep passion enjoyed his class. I used to love to go to the front of the
classroom to solve difficult equations with ease. It made me feel like a
genius. Towards the end of the year, ten students per period were awarded the
Outstanding Math Achievement award. While handing out the awards, Hale took to
announcing the winners as a football announcer would. Loud and enthusiastic, he
didn’t seem to have a shy bone in his body.
While
Mr. Peters and Mr. Hale were impeccably different teachers, they had two things
in common: students enjoyed their time with them, and they learned. Students
felt accepted opposed to pressured. Both of these teachers did whatever it took
to help a student, and that’s what a true teacher does. They treated different
students differently, they worked around them, and they put the student before
themselves. I have fond memories of these teachers to this day, and if I were
to ever go into teaching, I would model myself after them.
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