The first one was my grade 9 math teacher. Every single class he would bring his guitar and play a tune for us for the first 3 or 4 minutes of class. To this day I still don't know the "educational" purpose of it. Maybe it was to calm us down, get our attention, maybe it was even some form of pavlovian conditioning, or maybe it was just the fact that he enjoyed playing the guitar. Either way it was memorable. One other thing that he did, whether on purpose or not, was he constantly made errors and mistakes. He would write up a problem on the board, start doing it, and then halfway through he would realize that he was doing it wrong and he would start over. It provided some much needed laughter and comfort in knowing that not everyone is perfect.
The second one was my grade 12 math teacher. The way she taught was very structured, organized, simple, and for the most part pretty standard. Nothing to fancy, nothing to dull. But the main thing I remember is that she presented the concepts in such a clear way that I rarely found myself looking in the textbook or going on the internet for a better understanding. Maybe the concepts were just easier in grade 12? Or maybe I just started trying harder? But I find it weird that I struggled so much in grade 8 but had no problems in grade 12. If there is anything I have gained from her, it's that sometimes less is more. I think as teachers we often get caught up and want to do too much. From a students point of view this can be overwhelming and stressful so we need to take a step back and keep it simply. Although my grade 12 teacher may have been pretty "standard," the clarity she provided was unlike any other.
It was great reading about your two memorable teachers. I think having poise in your repertoire of teaching skills, as in your grade 9 teacher, is so valuable. Being able to laugh off mistakes allows students to feel at ease, and still respect you despite your blunderings.
ReplyDeleteYour grade 12 teacher reminded me of my grade 9 teacher in that she was structured, clear, and ordinary. Sometimes it is not necessary to have a teacher that keeps the class afloat with humour, or in other words, be unique. A teacher can be just as effective and memorable if they are good at what they are doing and can convey any material they wish to teach in an effective and efficient manner.
Your grade 9 teacher is definitely a character! I have been struggling to find a way to relax the constantly tense students in math classes and it seems doing something non-educational may be the answer.
ReplyDeleteThe statement "we need to take a step back and keep it simply" made about your grade 12 teacher just made me recognize that all the teachers whose class I enjoyed and learned the most from were those who kept the material simple. They were always fully prepared to class with simple, straightforward notes and a variety of example questions slowly building on top of one another. I, too, rarely (if ever) hunted through the textbook for understandings in those classes.