I currently observe an AP US history teacher that at my local high school as part of my Master of Arts In Teaching curriculum. He teaches with enthusiasm, keeps the students engaged for 90+ minutes and has the ability to demand students’ respect.  How many teachers can say that they do this – successfully?  

My teacher is one of those teachers who can influence a student’s life permanently and he is the type of teacher that you would invite to your wedding because he had such a profound effect on you in the classroom.  I feel that he will become the standard of how to teach in the classroom.  He knows how to understand the student, he empathizes with the student and, at the same time, pushes the student to become better academically.  

Since he teaches mostly honor courses, he knows that he must set a high standard for each student.  (Although even if he was teaching a regular course, I think that he would set a high standard too – I don’t think that it matters which course he is teaching.)  He treats all of the students equally and always gives compliments and encouragement.  The teacher definitely sets an expectation of hard work while constantly stimulating the students’ minds and probing for in-depth questions and answers.  He always goes the “extra mile” for his students and he is definitely my standard for my future classroom!

I wanted to write about a recent concept that I have learned in my Human Differences course while studying for my master of arts in teaching. I really liked learning about the “shipwreck”, a concept in regards to a learner’s identity.  When something devastating occurs in one’s life (in the school arena) it can be demoralizing.  This can include being diagnosed with a learning disability or learning that one’s reading level does not correspond to the grade level. At this point, the learner’s identity has “shipwrecked”  and the student has a choice: do I get back up or do I stay down?

The concept of the “shipwreck” assumes that the students gets back up and is amazed at what he/she can do and how he/she can progress even through a trial such as this.  The learner has had a crisis in his/her life, but has produced a better result in the end than what could have been before.  I really enjoy this concept because I can apply this to my own life.  I had/have trials in which I have been “shipwrecked” or stranded.  Although difficult, I have somehow managed to pick myself up and the pieces around me to create an even finer production than before.  If I can do it, you can do it!

I would like to tell you about an observation experience I had during my Framing Experience Class while working on my master of teaching program.  After graduating, I would like to teach high school history so I observed a ninth grade honors history class.  

On the day of my observation, the students were memorizing their world geography (I think they had a final exam coming up). The teacher, Mr. C, made the class entertaining while maintaining the high standard of academics.  I interviewed him after the class.  He has a very professional manner about him, but he “gets” the students.  He understands the teenage mind.  He understands how they think and how they might respond.  He can anticipate their answers.  

I hope to have that characteristic as a teacher.  This is my favorite age group and Mr. C made me excited to think that I could be teaching history in a year or two.  His students were very attentive during the class, as he would call upon the students at random times.  I think that his strategy of calling upon students randomly has a good effect upon the students; most of them seemed to have their homework finished and ready with the answer if called upon.  I’m glad that this was my first high school history class that I observed because I am so excited to start teaching!