What I do have is a quote from this afternoon's staff development session where our academic coach said- and I quote- I wrote it down word for word- "Who here has experienced Harry Wong?" I'm 12 in my head- what could I do?
Other than that 30 second quote, the rest of the day was full of what Mr. Sophanne called the Kumbyah of back-to-schoolness.
"Think back to your favorite teacher- what were the qualities that made him/her your favorite? Share them with the people at your table. Now think back to your least favorite teacher and do the same. What qualities do you want your students to remember you as having. Make a list- staple is shut- I'll give them back to you in January and you can check your progress."
This was a meaningful activity the first time I did it. I even remember reflecting a little the second time I was asked the same thing. Today I just reached back into the file folder of previous answers and watched everyone else reflect.
As I recall, "jaded" wasn't one of the redeeming qualities but brutally honest may have made the list. I scored a 50%.
That being said, I wanted to put a positive spin on the wasted day so I'm having a give-away. I like that better than the word "contest" Tell me a story in the comments about your best or worst teacher and I'll randomly draw on Labor Day. The prize? I like to make it easy on myself and fun for others so it will be a $25 gift card to my favorite
I can't really keep track of the "if you post it on your blog-send somebody-extra entry" business so everybody gets one chance but if you spread the word, there will be more stories and that might be nice.
14 comments:
When I was in 6th grade, I had a teacher who, over the years, decided that the best way to make sure his students were always paying attention was to scare the bejeezus out of them. He would walk around and teach, and suddenly jump at a kid, smack their desk and yell a question at them. I startle really easily and he practically had to peel me off the ceiling on a daily basis. Why he thought this was the best teaching method was beyond me.
My other memory of this same teacher is from first grade. On my first day of school ever (I skipped kindergarten), I couldn't find the bus to take me home. He was on bus duty that day and realized my bus had left already, so he drove me home after all the buses had left. We lived about a mile away and he could have just called my mom, but he knew that my mom had a baby at home and it would be easier to drive me. That tempers my bad memories of him. (And holy crap, I just realized that this happened almost 30 years ago!)
I would have to say my favorite teacher was Mr. Cobb, my sophomore English teacher. He introduced me to Kafka and Arthur Miller. I am grateful to him for opening my literary vistas at a very pivotal time.
I can't think of one least favorite teacher. I was pretty lucky and the only ones that I didn't like were insane, so at least they were interesting. BTW, your title is wonderful;-P
Oh, my. Now THAT'S funny. No story here - just wanted to say thanks for the laugh.
Wong, ha ha! Worst teacher: 5th grade math teacher who told me I was stupid.
Best: high school English teacher who took the time to encourage my writing and urged me to "just write" and find my own style. He also introduced me to my favorite genre: depressing Southern fiction. 25 yrs later I am still in touch with this teacher.
I had several truly great teachers, and I'd love to tell you about all of them, but it's easier to tell you about my least favorite. Sadly, she was my first grade teacher. She was about a million years old, never married, no kids. The first day of school, we were sitting in a circle listening to the record player (wow, I just dated myself), and I stretched out my foot a little and accidentally bumped the record player. The needle jumped and she yelled at me. I was a very shy and was absolutely mortified. I don't think I spoke in class the rest of the year.
Qualities in my best teachers: Thorough knowledge of the subject matter, high expectations for all students, and equal treatment of everyone in class.
Qualities of my worst teachers....the opposite of the best ones. Sadly, I had too many of the worst types in my school days.
But I do remember one particularly good teacher whom I adored....he was smart and had high expectations....UNTIL he told me one day that a girl should not show up the boys by being too smart or she wont get a boyfriend. My answer was...well thats HIS loss then!!!! (that was in 10th grade. I did find a smart boyfriend and we will soon celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary)
Love the title! Like most of us, I had many great and awful teachers, so I'm going to pick the one that semi inspired me to be a music teacher. It's not what you think. No Mr. Holland's Opus here. My elementary music teacher had lost the ability to connect with students. I'm a firm believer that there is absolutely no reason a child should hate going to music class. THAT is the teacher's fault. I really think she just taught past her prime. Now. That said, her content and lesson plans were outstanding. I stole quite few of them and used them in my own classroom. She was a very nice person, just couldn't handle kids in the 80s. (Imagine if she were teaching now? I think she'd freak out with some of the stuff I saw in the classroom.)
what an awesome opportunity to think about and thank some of those fantastic teachers i was lucky enough to have. so many that it's hard (impossible?) to choose just one as my favorite. even hard to pick the most influential! but stephen bailey, my eighth-grade social-studies teacher, was probably the best mix of both. he did an amazing job of making sure that i felt encouraged to participate, though i was in a class of smarty-pants boys and might otherwise have tended to stick with flirty and likable. he taught me that i had a subtle, strong understanding of the legal system and justice and injustice; that i could grasp, with insight, thomas hobbes, john locke, and other political philosophers; and that i could contribute—both to class and to my community. i am convinced that his influence was seminal in my later majoring in philosophy (with emphasis on social and political) and getting my law degree. i've tried lots of times to track him down to thank him, but never to any avail. so this will have to do for now :) yay you!
One of my best--my third grade teacher, Mrs. Meeks. She challenged us and only praised us if she truly meant it. You knew if you got a good grade that you truly did a good job and that meant a lot.
My worst, I'll be nice and not name him, was my high school physics teacher. We used to do group competitions in class and if an all girls group was winning he would recalculate the points so the boys team won or at least tied them. He also never bothered to try and tell my sister and I apart even though we had him in different class periods.
Ooooh! A contest! Let me think...
Best: too many to name, but one of my favorites was my super-super-progressive 5th grade teacher Mrs. DiCroce. She got us all fired up about and involved in politics and social movements. Not bad for an elderly small town teacher in the early 1970s.
Worst: I can think of just a few, but one does stand out - my Data Structures and Algorithms professor (undergrad.) He didn't really like students asking questions, and if you asked one that didn't meet his standards of excellence, he would freeze you out with his cold, cold stare. Think Snape. ook.
we had the same thing, almost verbatium, only with the giggles about harry wong.
i was more pissed off at the statement "you teachers should only be spending one to two days a week with your upper tier kids and 3 to 5 days a week with your lower tier students." So i raised my hand and said, "so the Upper Tier students only need to come to school one day a week??"
No wonder no one likes me there.
Best: Mrs. Rubadella... Fondly called Mrs. Rub-A-Dub-Dub...6th grade teacher. She only taught half the day, but inspired a huge love of great literature by reading it to us after recess every day. We all sat in raptures listening to her. She was a great storyteller.
Worst: My HS Geometry & Calculus teacher. He was a basketball coach. If you weren't his male athletes you got no help. He belittled every female in class.
My worst teacher was my first grade teacher, Mrs. McCormick. She was horrible I remember that I had drawn a picture for open house and only color the sky blue across the top. At open house she told my mom and dad that I was retarded because the sky didn't go to the ground.
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