A Teacher’s Influence Extends Beyond the Classroom
Her charm bracelets jangled as she waved her hands and began to speak a language I didn’t know. “Bienvenue! Je suis Madame Berry! Comment allez-vous aujourd’hui? Je suis très bien. Quelle temps fait-il aujourd’hui? Il fait beau.” The smile on her face was infectious. Even though I didn’t understand her, I felt welcomed. I wanted to learn to speak French, too.
This post is sponsored by SMART in celebration of WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY. SMART Technologies creates software resources and tools that help teachers connect with their students. A teacher’s influence can extend beyond the classroom. It is important we recognize and support them.
I had 3 years of French in high school and 2 semesters in college. Most of my ability to speak the language has faded but my memory of Mrs. Berry will last a lifetime. She is the teacher I strive to be like. She was the teacher that I wrote papers about in my education classes. Here is an excerpt of one of those papers:
She made us all feel safe because we knew we could walk into her class and be free from anything negative. This positive atmosphere protected us from anything bad that happened outside of her classroom. Her room was a completely different world.
Her gestures of civility are immeasurable. She brings her classes candy and brownies. She gives her teacher assistants and graduating seniors meaningful presents. She is curious about your life or day.
Mrs. Berry’s warmth, kindness, and generosity go above and beyond what a teacher is called to do. And yet that’s what really makes a good teacher a great teacher. Connecting to our students is what it’s all about. Because my teacher cared about me, I wanted to learn from her. Because she took the time to connect, I felt valued. I still have the card I received from her at my high school graduation.
It was my pleasure being Mrs. Berry’s teaching assistant. She showed me how to be a teacher. I know she made a difference in many students’ lives.
As a teacher, it’s hard to know if you are really making a difference to your students. You don’t get to see how your actions affect someone else. When a student does come back and tell you how you impacted them, it makes a difference in a teacher’s life, too. Teachers like to know they are appreciated. We want to know that what we are doing is meaningful.
I want to share a note from one of my former students that encourages me as a teacher. It speaks to the power of connecting with your students. Through a Facebook message, he wrote:
I have no idea if you remember who I am, but I have spent a while trying to find you because I wanted to say thank you. You were the only teacher my whole life that showed any interest in my success as a student. At the time I took that for granted. Looking back that meant a lot to me. Your interest in my education allowed me to further my life goals from sitting on a couch to being something and somebody.
Every time I read this note, I cry. Every. Time. I know he had other teachers that cared about him and his success but for whatever reason he didn’t feel it. Somehow my actions in the classroom impacted him. Simply caring about who he was as a person and wanting him to succeed as a student mattered.
Connecting matters. Thanking your teachers matters.
What teachers would you like to thank today? Take a moment and send them a quick note. Then visit SMART EDBLOG for more inspiration on World Teachers’ Day.
SMART Technologies helps great teachers get outstanding results by taking learning from passive listening to active collaboration. Learn how SMART software helps turn lessons into learning experiences at education.smarttech.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SMART . The opinions and text are all mine.