17 January- Introduction

Educational Heroes.

As I ponder on my educational experience- starting as an eager 5 year old in kindergarten to the awkward junior high days all the way through high school and now into college- several teachers come to mind who have had a huge impact on my love of learning. All of these teachers have one thing in common. They have a passion for what they do. The teachers I've had who are excited and passionate about the topics they teach make me anxious to learn about the subject as well. These teachers respected us students and in turned gained the respect of us students. When there is a mutual respect between teacher and students the learning atmosphere seems to be much more open and the short class time is used productively. Of course during high school we'd try to get the teacher to go off on tangents, but when we respected the teacher and what they had prepared it was much easier to keep focused.

If I had to pick one educational hero, it'd have to be my high school teacher for AP Calculus. Mr. Smith. I'm not sure the words to describe him. He was simply amazing. When you walked into his classroom it was inviting and very comfortable. Not because of things on the walls or the temperature of the room- but because he was so kind to everybody and always, always smiled. He had the perfect teaching style. He had such a deep understanding of not only math but teaching as well. He used just the right types of motivation to make each of us want to do better and learn more. I'm not sure how it's possible to instill a love of math into somebody but he did! I suddenly loved learning knew ways to use numbers to calculate integrals and derivatives- then learning how to use that knowledge in real life. It was so satisfying. Mr. Smith was a good teacher because he was such a good communicator he could tell when somebody didn't understand a concept. Then he'd point them out and say something like, '(name)- what part would you like me to clarify.' He was always willing to explain and re-explain topics to somebody- stay after school, come before school, or even meet during lunch. He is a great example of how I want to be when I am a teacher. He is one of the main reasons that I would like to be a math teacher and one day a professor. I have a hope that one day I will be able to instill that same love of learning into my students that he instilled in me. Thanks Mr. Smith.