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My former teacher that did the most to inspire me was Ms. Jane Davis. Ms. Davis was my high school Accounting I and II teacher. It was after taking her classes that I decided to get my undergraduate degree in accounting. The one thing I admired most about her then, and even more so now, was her ability to manage her classroom. She was very self-confident. She was strict and demanding at times. However, she made the lesson interesting so that we “wanted” to learn it, as much as any high school student would want to learn anyway. She just had a very special way about her that is hard to explain. She would allow us the freedom to have fun, laugh, and cut-up with each other. Yet at the same time, all she had to do was give us a look and we all got quiet. She was always in control of her classroom. I really respected her in many ways. If there was only one lesson learned or one thing that I could take with me when I become a teacher, it has always been, and will always be, Ms. Davis’ classroom management skills. I think about her all the time.
ReplyDeleteMr. Dickenson was my favorite teacher in high school. He was the Art teacher and he did a really good job. Not only did he push me to really do excellent art but he also really just made you want to be a better person. I had a tough time during high school with a few personal problems. When no one else seemed to understand, he did; and he actively took time out of his day to just ask about mine. If a teacher could be that great, that's what I wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteHe was an excellent teacher. He was funny and interesting. He made you really care about learning about art and producing art. He didn't give you a bunch of pointless busy work--which most of us hate. He gave you assignments that were important and understandable. I try to do the same in my room. I try not to make the class overly serious and I try to limit the busy work type assignments. I haven't been teaching long, but I am getting better.
I also try to just be friendly and caring with the students. He made me feel like he cared, and I try to do the same. I see these kids more everyday than their parents; I should respect that kind of bond.
My high American history teacher was very inspiring to me. He assigned us a project to research our family name. Since this was before the time of educational technology, he took us to the Morristown library which at that time had one particular room with the books we needed. He spent quite a bit of time making sure we found the correct books. He showed us by his care and concern that he wanted us to be successful adults and proud of our ancestory.
ReplyDeleteMy high school typing teacher was also an inspiration to me. Once again, this was before the time of word processing, so we learned to go to the next line of type by listening for the bell at the end of the line. This teacher was also the club sponsor for one of the service clubs that I participated in. At the end of the school year when awards were presented, she would always cry because she was so proud of us.
I was in the last 8th grade class of a K-8th grade school before it changed to two schools (K-5 and jr. high). We had a Science teacher named Mr. Price. He had many animals in the classroom (iguanas, snakes, etc...), but the things I remember most were the experiments. He had a way of making the experiments fun, but we learned the "whys" of the experiments, too.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge in the classroom today is to do just that - make a learning environment that is fun. Not that everything needs to be fun, but it helps.
Once my 8th grade class got to high school, I remember the Science teachers there got so tired of hearing about Mr. Price and how all of us loved his classroom.
My third grade Social Studies teacher, Mr. Sparks inspired me to want to learn more about the Presidents. We would watch videos about a different President and discuss their relevance to America, and also do our own presentation about a President. Even back then he used different technology to teach. I enjoyed learning from videos, discussions, and other Presentations. The class involvement helped me to come out of my shyness and feel a part of the learning. I will use these different techniques in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher who has inspired me the most has to be one of my sport management professors. He went above and beyond to make classes interesting by incorporating and assigning projects that were relevant to our daily lives. He also was very understanding. For example, if you did bad on a test, but normally did well, he would pull you aside after class to see if everything was okay and then allow you to retake the test. When I become a teacher I hope to be as creative and understanding as he was!
ReplyDeleteThe teacher that inspired me the most was Mrs. Heath, my high school business teacher. Ironic as it seems because, I am now a high school business teacher.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Heath always had a smile and showed enthusiasm in the subject matter. She is the reason why I majored in accounting/business in college. I took my first accounting class in high school and absolutely loved it.
When the opportunity arose that I could possibly become a high school business teacher, I jumped at the chance. I hope to be an inspiration to my students as she was to me. I try to offer a smile and words of encouragement no matter what is going on in my life. I realize that some kids do not receive this at home. I want my classroom to be a "safe place" for learning. If my students enjoy themselves in the process, what more could I ask for?
An eighth grade math teacher - Mrs. Cox. She gave students a lot of respect. Listened to what they had to say. She was the best math teacher I ever had (in fact, maybe the only really good one I have had).
ReplyDeleteHigh School music teacher - Mrs. Good. We are still friends. She was very demanding. That's doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of a music teacher. She inspired everyone to appreciate music and gave confidence to many people who had talent.
I'll be demanding but fair. I'll respect what students have to say.
My favorite teacher is Mr. Brad Bull. I took his Human Development class my sophomore year at Carson-Newman and felt like he really taught me a lot about life. He had each of us dig into our past and discover things that we hadn't realized about ourselves. He would pick one important deep thought to challenge us with during each class. And he didn't accept surface level answers, but he made us think and discuss in such a way that we will never forget those important concepts.
ReplyDeleteHe took the time and was interested in getting to know each of his students and did a good job of letting us know he cared. He treated us like adults and shared stories from his heart. I hope to have this much of an impact on my students. I want my students to know that I am "being real" with them and teaching them knowledge that they will pull from later in life.
Kay Berry! She was my sixth grade science teacher. She was the one who planted the seed. It was from her that I gained a desire for all things natural. She made the ideas of plants, animals, and cellular respiration come alive and I've been adicted ever since.
ReplyDeleteAfter obtaining my MAT I hope to go back to that school and teach science side by side with Ms. Berry. She was a great inspiration and I owe her many thanks!
One of my favorite teachers growing up was my ecology teacher in high school. I really enjoyed the subject matter, but more than that the teacher was great. In this class we had lots of projects and hands on activities. The project that I remember the most was a video that everyone had to create about a species on the endanagered list. This was a national competion that everyone in the class entered. Also we got several chances to go experence the eco system we were learning about. I really feel the reason this teacher stands out to be is because she really tried to make the information personal. I learn better with hands on work, and this class really did that.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher that most inspired me was Mrs. Conely, my 5th grade teacher. I had moved around alot and had not attended school on a regular basis until late in my 2nd grade year and was far behind the other students. She, however, gave me the encouragement and extra attention I need to help me succeed. I actually made straight A's that year and from then on out through my general educational years. Mrs. Conely made me feel special and that I could do!
ReplyDeleteThe teacher that done the most to inspire me was Dr. Joey Melhorn a professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Dr. Melhorn was the only professor at UTM that I actually looked foward to going to his classes. Dr. Melhorn was a great classroom manager and although his classes were hard to me, he did everything he could to help every student succeed in his class. Dr. Melhorn was a good motivator, he had the mindset that anyone could accomplish anything they set their minds to as long as they didn't care to work at it. I hope that when I become a teacher I can do as good as Dr. Melhorn to motivate my students to set thier goals high but not to be afraid of the work that comes with it.
ReplyDeleteI had a ton of great teachers in hs and college. My greatest teacher was my dad. He was a Ph.D. in physics from Purdue. He worked at the lab in Oak Ridge on operations. He was very bright at math. So when i was a kid he would check my math homework. He would even check the show the work part not the answers. Whenever i got a problem wrong he make me do it again till i got it right. He never told me where i went wrong. One day as a kid he took me back to Purdue his former professors had asked him to guest lecture in their classes. after the class he went to his lead professors office. at one point a young lady appeared clearly upset. my dad told me to leave the office. she was upset as she didnt understand the math. She complained about how hard it was and how she could never get nor understand it. My dad finally spoke up and asked how many hours she had spent. she said 1 and that she got frustrated and quit. My dad said in response to this " You will find that education is about learning the things you dont know.". that stuck with me. Afterwords the girl asked for a drop out form and they gave it to her. My dad was actually upset and took me outside. He said to me that education is about challenging yourself. If you already know it you arent challenging yourself. Just rember Jonathan to always challenge yourself.". My dad died in october 1998 from cancer. His professors are still at Purdue and i would visit with many of them on a regular basis. Prof. Refienberger rembered this day well and repeats it to all his Graduate students. At the end of every conversation he would ask me if i had challenged myself to learn . My dad always dreamed of teaching but never was able to. He inspired me not to just challenge myself but others as well. I will ask my students this same question on a regular basis
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