Karen Reeves
What makes a good teacher? Is it in the way that they grade? How
often they smile at you? Or is it in the little things, or should I say, the
often-overlooked things… the way in which they present information so that the
class is interesting and informative. A good teacher is one who pays attention
to the students who need a little extra help, and disciplines the ones who are
disruptive. Teachers who care about their students, and desire for them to
succeed, which also teaching them to think for themselves. Not all teachers
must be exactly the same but there is a formula in which a good teacher
follows. A good teacher is one who is passionate about their role as an
educator, takes an interest in their student’s lives, and is excited to teach
students new information such as Mr. Escalante and Mr. Danubio.
In the film “Stand and Deliver” the main character Jamie
Escalante is tough on his students, “… there will be no free rides, no excuses.
You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion.”(3) He
expresses that life is not always fair, and that in order to move ahead in this
world you may have to try a little harder then previously planned. He’s tough,
without being overbearing. In an educator there must be a balance, like with
Mr. Escalante, he taught his students without being overbearing. He helped them
out, made sure they were aware of the class expectations, he helped them to
realize their potential but never once dampened their spirits or made them feel
as if teaching were a waste of time. He said to one of his students, “Tough
guys don’t do math. Tough guys fry chicken for a living.”(3) He said this in
regards to one of his students who was solely convinced that his life was meant
to be nothing more then just working at the local burger joint while still
taking part in local gang activity. Mr. Escalante helped to show this student
that he could have more out of life then he could have ever imagined.
A good educator must give their students the freedom to think
and express themselves. That doesn’t mean that they stray far from the
curriculum and to never teach any of the course material, it just means that
they must teach their students that it is okay for them to be themselves.
Thinking for yourself is an important lesson that is hard to learn, but once
you’ve got it down is priceless. The character John Keating in the movie
“Dead’s Poets Society” agrees with this saying “no matter what anybody tells
you, words and ideas can change the world.”(2) I once had a teacher who possessed
all of these qualities. He was good at teaching his students about
self-expression while still educating them on course material. Everyday we
would have an opportunity to dance, the teacher would play music for the first
20 minutes of class and we would dance around and be ourselves. He was one of
the reasons why second grade was so much fun, I still learned how to read,
write, count, and play a musical instrument, but he taught us how to be free
and express ourselves. Mr. Danubio is an example of a teacher who taught you
the “important” things, but he taught us how to be ourselves as well. His
favorite thing to do was to come outside and interact with us at recess; he
made it so much more interesting to us as students because he was always
looking for ways to connect with us. He listened to our dreams and ambitions
and always looked for ways to help us pursue those dreams. Keating says, “But
only in their dreams can men be truly free. Twas always thus, and always thus
will be.”(2) He’s got the right idea.
A good teacher must be inspiring and needs to show how much they
love the material they’re teaching about. It makes it a lot easier to learn if
the teacher is excited about the subject. Teachers must also learn to care
about their students, some people aren’t the easiest to love, but I think that
a teacher should out of anyone be able to recognize the differences between
people and to embrace them. A quote by Bertrand Russell rubs this in a little
more by saying, “no man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm
affection towards his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he
believes to be of value.”(1) That emphasizes just how important it is for a
teacher to show not just love but respect for every student that you teach
regardless of whether or not you get along. Teachers must be inspiring, they
must be able to take something that may or may not be interesting to everyone
and adapt it so that their students are able to learn. “The mediocre teacher
tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great
teacher inspires,”(1) says William Arthur Ward. It’s amazing the differences
between teachers when it comes to being excited about the material. Escalante
and Danubio are good examples of this; they made everything that they were
teaching very exciting and interesting to us as students. I’ve had teachers
like Mr. Danubio and Escalante who go into teaching because they are so excited
about a subject that they want to teach people about it. I’ve also had teachers
who go into teaching because they thought it would be an easy profession. What
kind of teacher would you rather have? I’d go with the first.
I end with where I
began at the beginning of this piece. A good teacher is one who is passionate
about their role as an educator, takes an interest in their student’s lives,
and is excited to teach students new information. If I were a teacher I would
try my best to be all of these things for them. There’s no real teachers manual
(that I know of) there’s no set way in which you should teach people or
interact with them. Mr. Danubio showed us this with love, interaction, and
being genuine with his interactions with us. Mr. Escalante also showed respect
towards his students; though he did it in a stern manner to ensure that his
students would pay attention to the life and school lessons he was presenting
to them. I believe that in order to be an effective teacher, one that students
listen to, learn from, and respect you must have all of the qualities listed
above. Mr. Escalante in the film, and my real life teacher Mr. Danubio are both
great examples of these things. Their methods are different, but both
incredibly effective. If I were a teacher I would want to make an honest effort
to love and care for my students, to show them that sometimes life doesn’t have
to be taken so seriously… a little respect goes a long way.
Work Cited
1. Ward, William A. “Good Teacher Quotes.” About.com Quotations.
N.p.n.d.Web. 8Nov2012. <http://quotations.about.com/od/teachersday/a/teachersquotes2.htm>
2. Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Ethan
Hawke. Touchstone Pictures, 1989. DVD
3. Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James
Olmos, Estelle Harris. American Playhouse, 1988. DVD.
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