Week 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrU6YJle6Q4&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

What makes a good teacher GREAT? 

Azul Terronez, an author, and former educator, has repeatedly asked students the same question for over 20 years: What makes a good teacher great? He has collected 26,000 responses from students and has noticed a few patterns that have surfaced from his research. 

The following are some points Terronez has discovered from his research:

1. Great teachers eat apples. Accepting any type of a gift from a student is a great act (and of course thoughtful of the student). The apple is symbol for the relationship and trust that is shared between teachers and students.

2. Great teachers are “chill.” A great teacher does not take themselves too seriously. Terronez found that many students like a teacher who is calm in all situations and does not get overwhelmed easily. I believe one should approach any situation with empathy and love. 

3. Great teachers think like kids but act like adults. Students often want teachers to think like them and to be able to understand what their thoughts are like and how they are feeling. Students every so often convey their feelings to adults in subtle ways, and great teachers are able to pick up on that. Students also want teachers to keep them calm and keep them safe. 

4. Great teachers love to teach and learn. Students like to see their teachers learn in front of them. A teacher who demonstrates this action, will add value in the student’s eyes. 

5. Great teachers sing. Great teachers make themselves humble before their students and take risks. Both teacher and student will laugh along the way. 

6. Great teachers connect learning to real life. Terronez found that great teachers do not just live in their classrooms, they are out in the real world! Students appreciate teachers who demonstrate their knowledge in a way that resonates and makes sense to students. A great teacher will follow you wherever you go in life. When that one special teacher touches a heart, he/she will always impact your life forever. 

7. Great teachers understand that students have a life outside of school. Every student encounters their own set of struggles and hardships outside of the classroom, and great teachers acknowledge those problems. The most important thing to do is to listen. Have an open mind and listen when they are silent. You will be surprised what challenges the child may be facing. 

8. Great teachers help students if they notice a struggle. Great teachers do not assume the ability of their students. Rather, they push students to succeed and help them when they are stuck. 

I have always believed that teachers are amazing in every way possible. But a great teacher is a gift from God. Being a great teacher goes beyond standing in front of a class and teaching. I believe that every teacher should make a special connection with his/her students.  My second grade teacher always made me feel like I was not good enough, not worthy. You are probably wondering how does she still remember 26 years later? Children remember. The impact of a teacher lasts forever. Although that could have had a negative impact on me, it instead has taught me to love my students. I took that negative experience and transformed it into a positive opportunity to stop perpetuating that negative ideology onto other students. It  taught me to accept them as who they are and to foster their differences. It taught me to not give up on them, to always listen to what they have to say, and to listen while they are quiet. Children have so much to say. Just as we are expected to teach our students, we can learn just as much from them.  I have learned when they are struggling in one subject to continue to help strengthen them, and at the same time praise them in a subject they are doing well in. 

Terronez ends his Tedx Talk with this, “if we took the time to listen, we can transform schools and education”. At the end of the day we have to remember to keep the interest of children in mind. we need to focus on their needs. What they require. What they should have. And work from there.