Teachers Who Make A Difference

My experience as a paraprofessional has really given me such wonderful opportunities to work directly with children and teachers. As a future teacher, I would often find myself observing teachers while sitting in their classrooms.  I wanted to know everything about running a classroom and teaching children. I wanted to learn ways to be organized in things like morning routines and developing lessons and centers. I worked with many teachers- all very different from each other.  But there was one classroom that I always loved going into.  

You see, walking into a classroom can tell you many things about a teacher and his/her students. Sometimes it just feels "right"- children are engaged and participating and the teacher and her students look happy to be there.  It always felt so good to be in her classroom.  Her teaching style was so inspiring and motivating to me but also to the children. Her lessons were well thought out and organized. Children wanted to please her, they wanted to learn and they worked hard at their work.  She was positive and enthusiastic- she made learning fun- she had little ways of getting the kids to "wake-up" and get involved in her lessons. She would do "brain gym" exercises, listen to music or sometimes if the children remembered something really tricky she would do a cartwheel- this really got the kids attention!  She was caring, smart and funny. She never complained about her students, even the challenging ones. She did just the opposite, she always looked for ways to stay positive and praised her students for doing good. She made every student feel special!

Being a teacher is more than just teaching children to learn math, reading, and writing. This teacher made such a lasting impression on me because to me she represents what all teachers should be- a role model for students. She was intelligent, organized, had high expectations for her students but she also had a great personality that was reflected in her classroom and to her students. I hope my classroom will reflect the same great qualities!