Tchr+Prof+HS

In High School, the best teacher that I had was Mrs. C., who taught College Prep English. Whenever I hear the word “enthusiastic,” I think of her because she greeted each student who came into her classroom and what genuinely interested in all of us. She was a fantastic teacher who really prepared me for college by improving my note-taking skills and offering positive criticism on my essays and projects. What I admired most about Mrs. C. was that she made each unit interesting and fun, allowing the students multiple outlets for creativity. One of the most memorable units was over the epic poem of Beowulf, which to this day I still loathe; Mrs. C. managed to make an uninteresting and difficult piece of literature poignant through the activities she to help the class better understand the purpose of epic poetry and even epic heroes. I clearly can recall the video my group created to showcase our epic hero and the accompanying piece of a poem that was created to outline one of his adventures. Mrs. C. was a great teacher because of her drive to encourage students in their endeavors not only for her class, but outside of it as well. -- Kara Blue In high school, I made a point of taking a class from Mr. Jackson every year. Even all these years later, in my estimation, he was really the only truly high quality teacher I had for those years. Mr. Jackson cared that you learned. His subject was biology and he held a Masters Degree in Human Anatomy. He loved his subject and he wanted all of us to love it too. That was his big difference; he // shared // his passion for his subject. The nature of physiology and zoology classes demands group participation, but Mr. Jackson was also a believer in sticking with whatever works. He paired us off, and if you worked well with your lab partner, you spent the next three years hunkered together over a dead cat or a fetal pig or a worm or a frog or a crawdad. After an initial week of films and lectures about the inner workings of the next project, Mr. Jackson moved from dissection team to dissection team, teaching us with short bursts of information. I can still recall actual quotes from him as he hovered above us. Mr. Jackson made learning exciting by making himself a participant in the experience. Who knows how many formaldehyde-soaked cat carcasses that man gazed down at over his tenure? But he was more than a teacher, he was part of your lab team, asking probative questions and making subtle observations--never short changing you your // ah-ha! // moment. Mr. Jackson didn’t stop being your teacher just because you graduated either. Several times during my early college years, I met him after school for tutorials, particularly when jury duty caused me to fall far behind in my Biology class. My college professor didn’t care about his undergraduate students at all. Mr. Jackson never stopped caring. You were allowed to be his student as long as you wanted or needed to be. I hope I can do as well. --John Skelton When considering the numerous teachers I had in High School, I could name several of them who in some way touched my life and made an impact on me. If I was to pick one teacher who made the biggest impression on me, I would have to choose Mrs. Davis. She was my eleventh grade Pre-AP English teacher. The one word I would use to describe Mrs. Davis and her teaching style would be passionate. She absolutely loved literature, and she showed her fervor for the subject everyday. I had Mrs. Davis’ class first thing every morning. To be honest, it is rather difficult to become inspired about a piece of literature at 8:15 in the morning. Nonetheless, Mrs. Davis greeted us every morning with a smile on her face and enthusiasm to begin our journey of understanding a particular literary work. One thing I took away from Mrs. Davis’ class was that studying English did not simply mean reading books, but it meant diving into a work in order to uncover the message and meaning of the piece. Mrs. Davis also showed me that the greatness of studying literature lies in the fact that in order to study a piece of work or a literary movement you must also have an appreciation for and understanding of other fields of study like history, sociology, philosophy, art and so forth; English does not stand alone. It was from Mrs. Davis’ passion that my own love of English was sparked, and she is the reason that I now want to become an English teacher. Mrs. Davis not only cared about English and literature, but she also cared for her students. She wanted to help us succeed in and outside of the classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed how Mrs. Davis’ class was built upon group discussion and cooperative activities. She would not simply encourage student participation; she expected it in her class. Everyone was invited to share their opinions, and never once would Mrs. Davis criticize a student for saying something wrong. She created an environment in her classroom where everyone felt comfortable speaking up and asking questions in order to uncover the answers. Even though Mrs. Davis had high standards for the work her students did (it was difficult to get an “A” in her class), she always made herself available in order to help a student who was struggling in her class. Mrs. Davis could be found between classes and after school helping students with their papers or tests. When she was not teaching English, Mrs. Davis was involved in numerous school activities and clubs; many of which supported student community service. Any student who met Mrs. Davis could immediately tell that she cared for her students as individual people, and that she was ready and willing to do whatever it took to help them succeed. When considering Mrs. Davis’ passion for her subject and students, I was not surprised to learn that she won the Teacher of the Year Award two years after I had been in her class. --Katie Valliere