A Teacher's Lasting Impact on Students
Teachers are very important parts of students' lives. After all, they spend most of their time together during school hours and they are one of the first relationships that students have outside of their parents that serve as role models. They can serve as an inspiration to the younger students through thoughtful teaching and visible interest in the subject. But if they are unnecessarily critical of their students’ work or uninterested in what the student has to say, they can also discourage students from continuing to enjoy the subject.
Not just current students are influenced by teachers, but also current teachers at Galloway.
Ms. Crowell teaches AP Language and English 11. Her favorite class in high school was British Literature where they read Hamlet, King Lear, and all kinds of hard texts. And most importantly, she had a good teacher: Ms. Case who was also known as the “Grammar Hammer.” Joking around with nicknames is a good way for students to bond with their teachers. After that, they aren’t your best friends, but they aren’t imposing or scary. It can also bring along a newfound passion for the subject because of the fond memories they have of that class.
That was the case for Ms. Reed. Her favorite moment in school was when she took a creative writing class and got to compile a poetry book with all the students’ writings. It’s clear that these memories had a lasting impact on her because she currently teaches English and creative writing. Mr. Diaz-Williamson teaches World History and World Religions. His favorite classes were AP literature and AP US history, both of which had a teacher who presented his information in a way that was “unboring.” He said that his teacher was a good lecturer. He had a way of presenting the information so that even the students who did not normally enjoy the subject, liked the classes.
However, there can not only be good teachers. There are bad teachers too. Having bad teachers can also lead to students having the motivation to break the cycle and teach the subject that they didn’t like but in a better way. When Mr. Foreman was in middle school, he never liked his science teacher. However, he always looked forward to the content of the class. When he grew up he ended up teaching middle school science before he came to work in admissions. When I asked him if he thought a teacher impacts their students’ view of the class, he agreed. He said, “That's why relationships are a key component with all the work I do with students.”
By Lucy Ringel