“Transparency” was the unofficial theme in my classroom, especially towards the last few years of my instruction. I shared things that were appropriate and relative from my personal life with my students and I believe that it made me that much more real in my students’ eyes. I remember being in school years ago as a student and viewing my teachers almost as if they were from another planet or some form of artificial intelligence! As an Educator, I made it evident that I was the authority in the classroom, and had well established boundaries, however the climate in my classroom was set in a way that students felt extremely comfortable. They would ask content related questions of concepts they never understood, share personal accomplishments and struggles, and display genuine concern for my well-being; and surprisingly others in the classroom!
With over thirteen years in the classroom, I believe it is safe to say I mastered my content along with developed numerous strategies for instruction and high levels of student engagement. I recall receiving results from a county-produced student evaluation that was conducted on all the teachers in the building. The administrator was in awe at how over 75% of the students “strongly agreed” with all the components of the section that identified my classroom as having a positive learning environment. Just to “toot my own horn,” my results either matched or exceeded those of both the school and the county in every category.
Sometimes, I really was baffled at the amount of love and respect that I received from my students over the years because I felt like I gave them a hard time in class. Even if they asked me a simple question, I would take the longest time assisting them and then not even give them the answer. If it were a spelling question, I would grab a dictionary; vocabulary question, I was going to the glossary; or using the index or table of contents to help them locate material. I would meet their question with two to three probing questions before responding. If we were conducting a lab, I would make them retrace their steps and show me what they did until that point. I was out right evil sometimes. In between the instruction, I found time to slide in “life lessons” that covered an array of topics from fitness to cryptocurrency!
I often shared with students the community service activities that I had the opportunity to participate in and would occasionally share pictures afterwards. When the holidays came around, we used a study hall time to head the school’s community service initiative and gather toys and clothing for the less fortunate. Students began to take pride in activities like that and would bring in items from home to donate or volunteer to collect materials from other classrooms around the school. The moments that really tugged at my “heart strings” were those when students convinced their parents to volunteer their time and meet me down town, even in the winter, to feed the transient community. On occasion I would bring my own young son, and we would have discussions afterwards which led him to be more appreciative.
Reflecting over my years as an Educator, I know that I far exceeded what was in my job description. I am not minimizing the contributions of fellow teachers, however while they bought snacks & pencils, I purchased clothes and assisted with rent payments. Once students saw how invested I was in not only their education, but their success, they began to understand. I am not embarrassed to state that as the years passed, students may not remember all the concepts taught in my class, but they remember the involvement that I had in their life that focused them on a pathway of purpose & success. That pathway had to first be taught, shown as evidence, and then presented as an opportunity for their personal involvement.
The Jeremy Anderson Group