1/13/21; Week 02: Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

 

While reading the article that poses the question if the Great American Teacher is Dead, I was reminded of all the teachers I have ever had and though I have had many good ones, there is one that stands out. She made a huge impact on how I viewed Chemistry. Her lessons were not boring at all, and it was Chemistry! She would always start with a story or an application experience or a question that we needed to ponder on while having the lesson and I loved it. I felt I was good at it and viewed it as an easy subject. Interestingly enough, I was transferred to a new school the following year and I still had to take Chemistry but somehow, I lost my interest in the subject, I felt I did not understand what was going on in the lessons, I kept failing my exams and I almost failed the course. I often wondered if the reason why I went from being a pretty confident Chemistry student to a lost and pessimist one was my new teacher. And now I think it was! I am sure he did not mean to and may have thought he was giving his best to teach us what we needed to know about Chemistry that school year but he did not realize that he felt so bored in his class. His whole focus was on imparting knowledge rather than inspiring and stimulating us to learn. 

When thinking about what type of ESOL teacher I want to be, I want to the kind that helps students develop a drive for the learning and use of the language. I want them to see its application in everyday life. I want them to feel they can make mistakes and embrace them to keep developing their language skills. Students need to feel emotionally safe and engaged in their learning process which present a huge challenge when it comes to planning and delivering lessons, especially when correcting mistakes, how can we know as teachers how and when to correct these mistakes without affecting the students’ confidence in their abilities?