Enthusiasm Goes a Long Way

     One of my classes this year that I was not entirely happy about taking was art history.  While I enjoy creating artwork and I understand the benefits of learning about different types of artwork throughout the years, I have never been much of an art history enthusiast.  However, survey of Western art has been a surprisingly interesting class so far.  Although it is still the same basic material as I studied in high school, Professor Kate Elliot's enthusiastic voice, slide shows, and body language keep me entertained.  Every day, even on the days she says she's only had five hours of sleep, she is energetic and encourages us to contribute to the conversation.  There are always slide shows or video clips that Professor Elliot brings to class, helping to break up her lecturing at the front of the room.  

     Professor Elliot is a very humble teacher, pointing out her mistakes when it comes to spelling or pronunciation, which makes her seem much more down to earth, and also helps in creating a more relaxed feel, so that students aren't as intimidated when they want to ask or answer questions.  She uses her hands and facial expressions to help convey what she's speaking about, as well as keeping our attention and, most helpful to me, she ties in much of what we learn about specific art pieces or architecture to how it relates to other areas of study, such as just overall history, religion, the feelings of the people at the time, and the way the body was viewed and portrayed.  She makes us realize art is not just something pretty to look at, but that it has real depth and meaning that relates to many different topics.

     Going along with her humility, Professor Elliot also seems to make it a point of acting very laid back, and not condescending, even though she is our professor.  I find it much easier to enjoy a class when a teacher treats his or her students as equals, rather than lesser people.  She makes it a point to call on many different students, not depending on all the same people to answer her questions, which also provides a form of equality, although in a different way.  She brings up topics that we may find interesting, anything from an Onion article about Ancient Greece being made up to asking who will be going to the Harry Potter midnight showing.  She shows a genuine interest in her students' lives, as well as trying to insert fun facts that fit better with our generation.

     Having Professor Elliot as a teacher has reminded me, once again, of being enthusiastic in the subject I will someday teach.  Attitude can make such a huge difference in children, as well as showing true interest in your students.  I appreciate and respect her greatly as a teacher, especially when the majority of my high school teachers were the type to stand in front of the class, lecturing all day, without any regard as to whether we were the slightest bit interested.  Professor Elliot's humility also definitely helps students like me, who tend to be more on the shy side, making me less afraid to bring up confusing points and participate in class discussions.  I will remember, as a future teacher, to try to act as down to earth as possible, and not arrogant, as some of my other teachers have been.

A lecturer's responsibility

I went to a lecture held by Dr. Maraldo, a religion and philosophy professor at the University of Northern Florida.  Dr. Maraldo came to Luther College to speak about the confusion of the definition of religion, the importance of religions coexisting and understanding each other, and the issue of whether a person can be called truly "religious" by simply believing in a religion, or whether one must follow the rules and practices of their religion.  I had a very hard time being attentive while Dr. Maraldo was speaking.  He stood at the podium the entire 45 minutes, speaking calmly into the microphone, without moving.  He had good eye contact and was obviously very knowledgeable, yet he had no visual aids - no powerpoint or posters - to keep up interest.  He had a very mellow, calming voice, which can definitely be a good thing in some ways.  However, when giving a lecture to college students at night, a calming voice tends to put the students to sleep.  I learned a great deal listening to Dr. Maraldo talk, yet I had to put in double the effort I normally do to actually take meaning from a teacher's words.  I listened while Dr. Maraldo gave quotes from experts in the field of Asian religions, while he pointed out the issues in what is truly defined as "believing" today, and while he stated the importance of accepting other faiths.  I listened to every word Dr. Maraldo said, yet not once was my attention piqued above the level it acquires when I daydream.
The trouble with Dr. Maraldo, as a lecturer, is that he never did anything to receive my attention.  While he was quite obviously a very smart man, and while he had all the necessary qualifications to prove he was an expert in his field, at the first word out of his mouth my mind instantly switched into zone-out.  If not for the questions assigned for my religion class, that entire lecture would have gone in one ear and out the other.
However uninteresting this lecture may have been to me, I learned a valuable lesson - as a lecturer, one must stimulate both the minds and the attention of the audience.  And not only can this principle be applied to lecturers, but teachers as well.  If a teacher speaks entirely in a monotone and simply lectures with no class participation and no visual aids, no matter how interesting the subject matter may be, the class will never give their full attention to the teacher.  After witnessing this lecture, the extreme importance of something as simple as enthusiasm really hit home, and I will, as a future teacher, try my best to integrate as much enthusiasm as I can in my life and in the lives of my students.

Humility

I have definitely had my share of trying to prove a point to a friend, only to realize, after much shouting and annoyance, that I am actually wrong.  That feeling of being ashamed and embarrassed is awful and I immediately want to continue my point, even knowing it's wrong, simply because I don't like to admit I made a mistake.  However, I've come to realize that everyone is wrong at many points in his or her life, and that humility, while it may form from awkward feelings, is a trait that anyone hoping to teach must have.  The fact that I may be a teacher some day will never mean that I am never wrong.  Teachers are allowed to make mistakes as well, as they are all human.  The worst teachers, the ones students never respect, are the teachers that never admit to their mistakes, especially if it is transparently obvious to the students that the teacher is simply being prideful and stubborn.  However, this does not mean a teacher should always second guess themselves - a teacher must have reasonable proof before blatantly stating something she may not know is completely true, yet if  she does have proof and truly believes she is stating something correct, she cannot waver.  Students will also lose respect for teachers who are not confidant in themselves.  The trick is to be confidant in teaching something you believe to be true, while always keeping in mind that you must admit your fault if you are wrong in the end.

Inventiveness

Inventiveness is one of those areas that is extremely hard to judge and grade.  Children should always be encouraged to be more creative in the classroom, whether it's giving them free time to work on whatever project they wish, or giving them more set guidelines, yet still with a sense of freedom, such as assigning time for creative writing, or an art project of their choice.  In order to vary it from normal, everyday schoolwork, teachers should grade on effort, and not necessarily the looks of the end result of whatever project they complete.  However, saying this statement also warrants the question - but shouldn't students who are more creative be rewarded for their project?  Of course there are always students who have been gifted with a bigger imagination than the rest, and therefore are able to write, draw, or in general, think, more creatively.  These students should be rewarded for their inventiveness, yet the students who have more average, or even lesser, creativity than the top students should still be encouraged as well.  I believe creativity is something that can grow over time, especially with the right encouragement and opportunities. Although it may grow at different rates in different students, each and every student has the potential to create something truly unique because each student has a different way of seeing the world.  Allowing and encouraging creativity in students is extremely important because every new child will see the world with a new pair of eyes and will bring about even greater changes.  All of our technology today, everything we use on a daily basis, was created by a student who thought differently and was given, or fought for, the opportunity to pursue their ideas.

Passion

One of my favorite teachers was my dad, in fourth grade.  Although this was in the point during my life that I still loved every subject in school, my dad was definitely a teacher who had a great amount of passion in his teaching.  He was always very laid back and had a great sense of humor.  However, the fact that he was my dad affected how he graded me.  He always expected more of me because he knew "I wasn't working to my full potential".  Obviously I was frustrated by the fact that I got lower grades that year, but I still loved fourth grade regardless.  My dad would always tell funny little anecdotes about his life during class time, such as his time living on a farm and all the funny adventures he and his brothers had, or when he was older and working at a meat packing plant (the gross nature of these stories both disgusting and entertaining to fourth graders, of course.)  He also chose new books to read every few weeks, not read for assignment purposes but just as entertainment and for the enjoyment of reading.  Some of my favorite childhood books (There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, Walk Two Moons, and Maniac Magee to name a few) were ones read to me by "Mr. Spindler".  He further encouraged my love of reading, as well as bolstering my interest in history/geography, a class which normally bores me.

Authenticity

Authenticity in the classroom is a hard subject to decide upon.  While a teacher should always try to be as honest as possible with students, sometimes it is necessary to hold back information if that information isn't something a student should learn yet, or if that information would be harmful to a student.  However, a teacher should also use caution when trying to be authentic when voicing his or her own opinion.  Opinions can give students positive feedback or give them a different view on a certain topic.  Blatantly stating one's own opinion about a sensitive topic may cause problems, especially with younger students who don't understand all of the complications of the world yet.  However, a teacher must sometimes voice their own opinions, or their bond with their students will be weakened.

Compassion

One of my favorite teachers, Mrs. McNew, was definitely the most compassionate teacher I've ever had.  She was my first grade teacher and she was always kind and caring.  I link my passion for reading to her abilities as a teacher to encourage learning while still having fun at the same time.  She taught me, more than any teachers before her, how important it is to be kind to everyone, and not to judge.  Many of my other teachers obviously encouraged good behavior and compassion, but rarely did they actually act as compassionate as they suggested we do.  Mrs. mcNew never raised her voice, and as surprising as this may seem, she never had any issues with kids acting out or causing trouble.  The truth is that all the students in her class respected her because of how kind she was.  Much like the respect versus fear topic, kids respond much better to a kind teacher than to one who uses bullying or superiority to teach.  I hope that one day I will be able to mimic some of Mrs. McNew's compassion in my teaching as well.

Respect

                           Respect is important in the classroom because it creates feelings of equality and a positive learning environment.  When both the teacher respects the students and vice versa, as well as students respecting each other, it is much less likely that there will be feelings of being singled-out.  It also ensures that students will feel more comfortable when their teacher treats them as equals.  

            Respect is always better than fear as a tactic for teachers, as fear forces the students to follow the rules, while respect encourages good behavior.  Fear can also incite negative feelings toward the teacher, while respect usually results in the students also respecting the teacher.  Some teachers believe that using fear can inspire respect.  Although it may result in a better-behaved classroom, teachers who use fear will never form relationships with their students.  Teachers that are respected the most by students are the ones sought out by students who have issues that need to be resolved.