Oh my goodness... I've had so many amazing teachers, it's hard to pick. Okay, so here are a few:
second grade, Mrs. Northworthy (I'm spelling her name wrong) was awesome because when you did something exemplary for that day, you got the giant stuffed scooby doo to sit next to you ALL day. this thing was HUGE and awesome, and it was taller than me when it sat next to my desk.
sixth grade, Mrs. Hughes rocked because she was our Language Arts teacher and she made everything interesting. We had a weird unit on advertising and whatnot, and we were separated in groups where we came up with our own products and a way to market them. my friends and I made P.E.E.K. pops (so named for the initials of everyone in our group) and we made a commercial/skit thing and t-shirts. She came up with the most inventive assignments and it was always fun.
English teacher in high school, Ms. White, who was fantastic and supportive and nurturing. We had a poetry unit where she picked poets for each student that she thought we would like. She was awesome to hang out with as well. Same goes for my math teacher then, who I had for four years, and he put up with me being a smartass and my friends and I playing tetris and he had this amazing ability to make me understand math. I was never so good at math as when he was teaching me. He made it understandable and even interesting.
Then college... so many professors that were interesting but weird, but then along came my advisor who I clicked with, and we still talk and she's encouraging me and we would go for coffee or drinks. She's a lot of fun with a horribly good memory that always recalls every embarassing story I've ever told her.
This is so long but seriously, I understand that you're frustrated and anxious and I can only imagine how hard it is, but there have been teachers who've changed my life, who've given me confidence in my skills and made school bearable when whatever melodrama was going on with my friends.
There were some who sucked or were boring or ill-tempered, but for the most part, they all were dedicated and inspiring individuals who I remember today, and I have no doubt that you're such a teacher. Teachers rock!
You are so great! *smooches* All of these made me smile, some of them made me laugh... which is awesome, because I tend to get overly-dramatic this time of year (heh, in case that wasn't obvious). Thanks for the reminder that there are reasons why I keep my job--aside from the glamour and great pay, of course. *g*
I particularly liked hearing about your math teacher--since I'm the only French teacher I have the same students for a minimum of two years. Frankly I think it's awesome. Some of the students who really annoy me in the beginning are among my favorite students by the time they finish with French.
In a rush today, but I wrote this back in wisteria_'s delurking day back in April. One of the questions was, "Pay a compliment to someone from real life." I wrote:
"My second grade teacher. She doesn’t know it but she shaped my life in so many ways. Other real-life people, I’ve told them what they’ve done for me. But I may never find this woman. I really loved school, really loved this teacher. I thought maybe I was making it all up, but I recently I found my report card from her and saw all exclamation points in her comments. She really loved me and thought I could do anything. Don’t ever think being a teacher doesn’t make a difference. It does."
I thought maybe I was making it all up, but I recently I found my report card from her and saw all exclamation points in her comments. She really loved me and thought I could do anything. Don’t ever think being a teacher doesn’t make a difference. It does.
Oh, that's fabulous, thanks for finding your quote and sharing it with me. (I have a few report cards hanging around and they make me smile now. I also had a crush on my fifth grade math teacher, which also makes me grin.)
And yes, seventh-grade grammar really is important. Hee.
Aw, this is going to seem weird since I've had so many wonderful teachers, but I really remember my first grade teacher. She was so loving and supportive. I was a voracious reader even back then and she actually called my mom one day to say, "You need to take this girl to the library. NOW." And my mom was puzzled--didn't the school have a library? And she said there weren't enough books in the little one at school to contain me.
So I got to go to the huuuuge public library and check out twenty books at a time, every week. Sigh. I love her. And I really do think that changed my life.
I also remember when I had chicken pox she actually came by my house and brought me a book. :D
PS one of the best things I was ever told in college, while wrestling with languages: "Grammar is indeed logical."
What an awesome first-grade teacher you had! Thanks for sharing that with me. (So when do classes start again for you?)
"Grammar is indeed logical."
Heh. Except when it's not. Gah, I can't imagine teaching Latin grammar--declensions and cases and the like. I have no idea what ancient Greek would be like, but I'm guessing it's not fun either.
It's the only language I was any good at in school which is why it was both my favourite lesson taught by my favourite teacher - Miss Lambert. It probably helped that we were using the Satyricon, quite possibly the filthiest Latin text ever allowed in schools which generally encouraged the tiny little latin class of an all-girls Catholic high school to learn better so we could read the dirty bits. :-)
quite possibly the filthiest Latin text ever allowed in schools which generally encouraged the tiny little latin class of an all-girls Catholic high school to learn better so we could read the dirty bits.
That's both amusing and not surprising at all. Heh. As for Latin, I've never studied it myself but the Latin teacher used to ask for advice on how to teach declenscions and cases and I'd just give him a blank look. (It's hard enough teaching the idea of masculine and feminine nouns to my students--and those are totally the fault of those Romans.)
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second grade, Mrs. Northworthy (I'm spelling her name wrong) was awesome because when you did something exemplary for that day, you got the giant stuffed scooby doo to sit next to you ALL day. this thing was HUGE and awesome, and it was taller than me when it sat next to my desk.
sixth grade, Mrs. Hughes rocked because she was our Language Arts teacher and she made everything interesting. We had a weird unit on advertising and whatnot, and we were separated in groups where we came up with our own products and a way to market them. my friends and I made P.E.E.K. pops (so named for the initials of everyone in our group) and we made a commercial/skit thing and t-shirts. She came up with the most inventive assignments and it was always fun.
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Then college... so many professors that were interesting but weird, but then along came my advisor who I clicked with, and we still talk and she's encouraging me and we would go for coffee or drinks. She's a lot of fun with a horribly good memory that always recalls every embarassing story I've ever told her.
Reply
There were some who sucked or were boring or ill-tempered, but for the most part, they all were dedicated and inspiring individuals who I remember today, and I have no doubt that you're such a teacher. Teachers rock!
Reply
I particularly liked hearing about your math teacher--since I'm the only French teacher I have the same students for a minimum of two years. Frankly I think it's awesome. Some of the students who really annoy me in the beginning are among my favorite students by the time they finish with French.
Reply
"My second grade teacher. She doesn’t know it but she shaped my life in so many ways. Other real-life people, I’ve told them what they’ve done for me. But I may never find this woman. I really loved school, really loved this teacher. I thought maybe I was making it all up, but I recently I found my report card from her and saw all exclamation points in her comments. She really loved me and thought I could do anything. Don’t ever think being a teacher doesn’t make a difference. It does."
My feelings haven't changed. :-)
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My answer: "It doesn’t matter how you do in seventh grade math in later life. Seventh grade grammar however, is important."
I don't think my feelings have changed on that one, either.
(This icon is not me now, but me as a kid. Wasn't enough room on the icon to write that.)
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Oh, that's fabulous, thanks for finding your quote and sharing it with me. (I have a few report cards hanging around and they make me smile now. I also had a crush on my fifth grade math teacher, which also makes me grin.)
And yes, seventh-grade grammar really is important. Hee.
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So I got to go to the huuuuge public library and check out twenty books at a time, every week. Sigh. I love her. And I really do think that changed my life.
I also remember when I had chicken pox she actually came by my house and brought me a book. :D
PS one of the best things I was ever told in college, while wrestling with languages: "Grammar is indeed logical."
Reply
"Grammar is indeed logical."
Heh. Except when it's not. Gah, I can't imagine teaching Latin grammar--declensions and cases and the like. I have no idea what ancient Greek would be like, but I'm guessing it's not fun either.
Reply
It's the only language I was any good at in school which is why it was both my favourite lesson taught by my favourite teacher - Miss Lambert. It probably helped that we were using the Satyricon, quite possibly the filthiest Latin text ever allowed in schools which generally encouraged the tiny little latin class of an all-girls Catholic high school to learn better so we could read the dirty bits. :-)
Reply
That's both amusing and not surprising at all. Heh. As for Latin, I've never studied it myself but the Latin teacher used to ask for advice on how to teach declenscions and cases and I'd just give him a blank look. (It's hard enough teaching the idea of masculine and feminine nouns to my students--and those are totally the fault of those Romans.)
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