Genius Freak

Another installment from my trove of student reflections on good (or in this case, "grand") teacher.  As the collection builds, patterns will emerge.  I have no doubt that these collected responses will reflect what scholars of teaching have identified as things good teachers do. The key traits, from my experience, for a grand teacher are as follows: (Reflections of Chris M.) 1. Down-to-earth-ness: By this I mean that the teacher creates a humorous and open environment.  I tend to learn better when discussing instead of just taking notes. 2. Well-read intelligence: It's important to have a teacher who honesty knows what he/she is teaching, and who can really talk with you about the subject. 3. Passion: A good teacher is generally someone who loves his/her subject. 4. Creative:  A good teacher creates a class where you are involved and do interesting activities.                          ...

I’d confidently wager that just about every book on how to be a teacher says that the first day is the most important day of the year.  That’s when you set the tone for the 179 to come.  Cliche, yes, but what pressure! What is the tone you want to set?  And how are you going to get there?  Seems to me, if there aren’t a few butterflies fluttering around those questions, you aren’t thinking about them enough. (Generic you, of course.) Compound that with the power of first impressions, and oh man.   In his bestselling “celebration of the power of the glance”(14)   Blink , author Malcolm Gladwell gives an inkling of how important those first 40 minutes can be, and how lasting are the judgments made in those minutes.  Gladwell describes the power of the unconscious and spontaneous decisions we make regularly about the new people and ideas we encounter daily. He poses this question:  “How long, for example, did it take you, when you were in college,...

I spend a lot of time thinking and reading and writing about what traits and practices make for good teaching.  One of the best sources for my own professional learning on the subject has always been the students I've shared my classroom with.  Feedback from students has helped me develop and hone my pedagogy.   Over the years I have collected a trove of student reflections and insights into what their best teachers do. I'm going to share some of them here.  Many of the reflections were written anonymously, but I know the students whose insights I post will be happy to contribute to this conversation. To Be a Good Teacher (according to a student) It's really important that you know your subject matter.   You have to set high expectations for your students and help them reach those goals. You have to have a sense of humor. You have to be approachable. Be respectful and people will return that respect. Let the students know that you are available to help ...

Shortly before the end of last school year, I asked one of my classes to share with me the things that their best, most engaging teacher do.  Here's what they said. They have a down-to-earth mentality and they truly care about and relate to their students which builds respect and makes the students want to learn from them. They know their topic inside and out. They teach useful and applicable information. They make fun activities to go along with the learning. They keep the class awake and ready to learn; they control the class. They try new techniques for learning. They can even go off on a tangent if students are interested in the subject.  They show effort in learning more about topics to help us better understand it. They make sure everyone understands. They use good examples - modern things we can relate to. They take the time to learn the subject and then learn how to best teach each student so it relates to him/her and draws everyone in. They explain subje...

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You may teach English 11 for 25 years.  You may have read The Great Gatsby 20 times.  You may have written or read 1000 papers on Death of a Salesman .  But those kids in front of you, (at least the vast majority of them), they only have 180 days of English 11 with you.  It's the first time, the last time, and not a moment to spare.

For about 15 of 25 years I have been a teacher I also coached a few different sports -field hockey, basketball, and soccer - in the after school hours. A coach's "success" is generally measured by the record of winds and losses racked up on game days.  But teams and coaches put much more time into practicing than they do in the games that "count."  At its most basic, the role of the coach is to teach your student/players the set of skills that they will need to take the field on game day and win.  In many senses, not all that different from the role of the teacher in the classroom. Like the coach, in theory, we have lots of days of practice and then a game day that "counts." But in school practice, it often doesn't seem to work that way.