Wise Teachers: Learning More Than Just The Subject

I chose three different subject teachers when it came to getting resources for this particular assignment. At first, I thought that maybe it would be best to do this because I could share these resources with colleagues. In another way, I thought about how looking at resources from different subjects would be beneficial to me in the long run. I also only have two social studies teachers, which would mean I would need a teacher from a different subject anyway. But, in the end, the reason I chose three different teachers had very little to do with any of this: I chose these three teachers because I loved them when I was in high school.

These were the teachers who made learning engaging. These teachers stayed after school with me, asked me about my day, taught things in a way I understood, re-explained things a hundred times if it wasn't clicking... these were the teachers whose classes I looked forward to, not necessarily because I enjoyed the content, but because I knew I was going to be supported in those classrooms. These were classrooms that had a welcoming environment, teachers who cared, and I knew I could count on them to help me through no matter how hard it was for me to understand. One teacher stayed back multiple days to help me through chemistry, another helped me work through a math target well into the next year because I hadn't been able to pass it. The other inspired me to become a social studies teacher, and is still immensely helpful to me whenever I ask for help.

I messaged my social studies teacher first. I have asked him two times now to assist me with education based projects here at UMF, and he has always been a helpful and incredible resource (the fact that he is a UMF alumnus makes him an even better resource). He responded immediately, letting me know that we would provide me with a number of his favorite websites, rather than just one. This became a theme with each of these teachers.

Next, I reached out to my geometry teacher. I had always struggled with math, but this teacher was so kind to me despite my struggles, and was always willing to stay after and walk me through things multiple times over, even when it took me more than the year to finish the target. I knew she would be an enjoyable person to reconnect with, and I know she is tech savvy as well. She sent me a number of resources, and even directed me to my chemistry teacher, whom she has always been great friends with.

My chemistry teacher (as well as my physics teacher), was also incredibly helpful to me in a subject I struggled with immensely. She stayed after a number of days to help me, and coached me through a number of assignments and pre-tests. No matter how many times I asked the same questions, she never became impatient with me. I was happy to get in touch with her again as well, and it only took a few hours for her to respond. She provided a number of wonderful science resources— for chemistry, physics, and other general science resources.

Each of these teachers taught more than their content to me. They taught me to be patient, to work hard, they showed me how to be passionate about a subject, and they all shared with me what it meant to them to be a teacher at one point or another. These teachers are all examples of what kind of a teacher I want to be, and their effect on my life is still something I consider and cherish to this day, and will continue to remember for a long time.

Attached below are images which contain each resource, not including the names of the teachers due to privacy. (mathopenref.com rather than openmathref.com, she corrected in a future message).

It was wonderful to get back in touch with each of these teachers, and it hopefully won't be the last time I get to do so.