Teachers Inspiring Teachers
Posted by Debra Liverman on 19 Sep 2008 | Posted in: Teachers and Teaching
We put a teacher poll on our Web site earlier this year that asked, “What inspired you to become a teacher?” Half of all respondents mentioned that another teacher inspired them to become teachers. Another quarter of teachers who responded were inspired by a personal school experience. What an amazing role teachers play! As tough as some days may be in the classroom, just think that there are a few students in your classroom today who may grow up to be a teacher because of YOU!
I wondered how common these inspirations were among teachers I know. I asked a few of our editors what their inspirations were. This is what they said.
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My team of fifth grade teachers inspired me to become a teacher. They all made learning so much fun! We did so many cool activities that I will always remember. I decided that someday I wanted to be a “cool” teacher like they were! —Kelly Robertson |
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My grandmother taught high school for over 30 years. When we visited her during the summer, my sister and I always helped her take apart her classroom. I was drawn in by the magic of these behind-the-scenes peeks at a nearly empty school, and I couldn’t believe that she let us go into the teachers’ lounge! —Hope Spencer |
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I LOVED my sixth-grade teacher because she made learning so much fun. She inspired me to follow in her footsteps. —Peggy Hambright |
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My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. McNulty, was my inspiration! She was impressively fabulous in every way! Each day at school, I was certain to be challenged and would learn something new. Even then, without having the words to express it, I was impressed with her classroom management skills,which kept us all (including me!) on task—and there were oh-so-many tasks planned for each school day! Excellence was expected, and I welcomed the opportunity to get there! I still do! —Lynn Drolet |
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Do you have a similar story? What inspired you to go into teaching?
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Mrs. Dwyer was my favorite teacher. I was with her for Kindergarten. She taught at Foster Park School In Chicago.
A lady in her sixties, she played the piano, taught me art, we played loads of games. She had everything covered when Kindergarten were true Kindergartens!
I could draw you a map of the room, the memories are that vivid.
I was going through a very difficult point in my life. She brought me pure joy!
I adored her!
My fourth grade teacher was the best story teller in the world. She did all sorts of voices and dialects when she read aloud to us. Then, when I went into fifth grade, our class was assigned a grumpy “old” teacher. I absolutely hated fifth grade. I had always wanted to be a teacher. When I got my degree, I hoped to teach fifth grade and make students’ experiences pleasant and rewarding. I have been in the fifth grade classroom for most of my twenty years. I do the voices and dialects that my fourth grade teacher showed me and am told by my students that I am “strict, but really cool!” What a wonderful thing to be known for. They love the voices I do and often forget that I am the one reading, stating that every so often I sound like some of the characters in the books we read. I have countless letters from former students telling me how much they appreciated me as their teacher because they knew they could count on me. That’s why I feel that teaching is my mission in life. That’s also what helps me with those frustrating days when I wonder if I am getting through to my students. Mary L. Diemer
My second grade teacher Miss Nelson was wonderful I will never forget the way she made every child in her room feel loved and important. I hope that in my own teaching career that I will be able to make my students feel that loved and special when they look back on their school years.
I was inspired by my 9th grade English teacher Mr. Venning. He told me that it will only take one child to have me hooked on teaching forever. He was right. He also said that if I get frustrated, remember that if I have made the difference to one human life, then I will have done my job. I hope in my 20 years I have done that for a few.
Heidi McMenamin