Yuhaen - Week 12: The Power of Teachers
Teachers—a pivotal aspect of one’s growth as a person who contributes meaningfully to society—are responsible for nurturing the next generation of leaders, scientists, and innovators. From the very beginning of our educational journey, we have had about 25 teachers, each one adapting to our strengths and weaknesses to better support us. Our elementary school teachers were especially important to the development of our young minds. Students with elementary school teachers who enriched them academically, introduced them to proper habits, and instilled an appreciation for learning will more likely succeed in later stages of their education or their life in general.
A teacher’s influence even extends beyond the classroom by shaping student’s problem solving, mannerisms, and confidence—all skills that can be applied to the real world. This is also how many students develop hobbies and interests as their teachers encourage them to explore these interests and foster curiosity. Teachers who take a personalized approach to teaching, building their curriculum around students’ learning styles, create an inclusive classroom environment where all students can succeed. The best example of this would be a teacher who doesn’t just teach facts, but instead attempts to cultivate a student’s ability to innovate, think critically, and ask questions.
Great teachers “turn learning into an adventure rather than a chore,” whether it’s through hands-on experiments, interactive projects, or thought-provoking discussions. Their impact on society can not be overstated. For as long as we are in the education system, we should come to appreciate and respect teachers for all that they do.
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Hi Yuhaen! Your beautiful explanations of how teachers impact us really made me enjoy reading your blog this week! I think it is easy to overlook the effect teachers have on us, and students especially tend to undervalue their teachers' advice and wisdom that can help them grow as people.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that teachers influence us so significantly also needs to be coupled with the reason why we need good teachers and why they should be paid accordingly. The effects that are often overlooked are why I believe teachers do not get paid enough, and in turn, act with respect to the pay they receive. In fact, I think that one of the main reasons that our school tends to have better teachers than other schools in California is because our district is one of the highest paying ones in the state. I wish more districts would adapt this same line of thinking, so the education of students would improve!
I loved reading your blog this week, and it was thought-provoking! The curiosity, problem-solving skills, and mannerisms we learn in elementary school and high school build upon our characters for the rest of our lives, so understanding why we act the way we do is an important thing to understand. Thank you for sharing Yuhaen!
Hi, Yuhaen! I liked how when you spoke about teachers and their contributions to society as a whole, you included deeper observations. Highlighting the imbalances in teacher benefits and their contributions in student’s lives and knowledge is crucial. For basically my whole life I’ve already known teachers aren’t paid much. This was one of the many reasons for teacher shortages in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThanks to your deliberation, I also realized something else: teachers today aren’t being granted the societal or governmental encouragement they need. At American High School in the 900 wing, my freshman year English College Prep teacher Mr. Howard teaches English 9CP and English Honors. I never had him during a year to see it, but part of his teaching regularly contains a unit titled “critical race theory and queer studies” around the later end of the year. This unit provides exactly how it sounds: knowledge and historical information that informs students. However, I’ve heard in recent weeks from Howard’s students that he is planning to cut the unit. Due to the current state of DEI laws and our president’s questionable sentiments, Howard unfortunately feels it best to cut the unit. It all screams inconvenience and more stress for teachers. I feel this just holds more reason for us to be thankful for them. Thanks, Yuhaen. See you tomorrow. - Rafael Montes Barrera
Hi Yuhaen, I found your blog super captivating from the start because I felt like from the first sentence, you summed up just how far the efforts of teachers can reach by describing how some of their students can potentially take on such important roles in society. I agree with you on how teachers teach us things beyond just what subject they specialize in; you made a really good point about how they shape our hobbies and interests as well. While I considered your discussion about how the “personalized approaches” teachers utilize ultimately build success, I thought about my own experiences with encountering teachers with prominent personalities in elementary school. I realized that each one of them was so comfortable expressing their authentic characteristics and hobbies that they created a safe environment for students to think about their own unique interests.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about a topic similar to yours in this blog, except mine was focused more on the shifting perception students have of teachers today, so I especially enjoyed how you took a more broad, positive approach to thinking about how impactful teachers can be. I was moved by the quote you ended your blog with because it reminded me of why learning is so fun in the first place: it can be seen as a journey taken out of our free will and guided by the right experts. Connecting teachers’ influence to the overall education system was also really insightful. A lot of times, we hear a lot of criticism towards teachers, schools, and the education system, likely because of some personal experiences we have right now, when school plays such a large role in our lives. However, when you mentioned that the teachers that change our lives come from our existing system, good or bad, I was reminded that we have a lot to be thankful for anyway. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Yuhaen! I thought your blog this week was really interesting and completely agree that teachers heavily shape us as people. There are concepts and morals that teachers have taught me growing up that still stick with me to this day and impact my thoughts and decisions all the time. I also appreciated how you highlighted the importance of personalized teaching approaches. A teacher who understands their students’ unique strengths and learning styles can truly make a difference in their confidence and success. Your post was a great reminder of how much we owe to the educators who dedicate their time to helping us grow. Thanks for sharing!
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