How a teacher affects a student's life

Interview

For my interview, I chose to ask my wonderful mentor, Mrs. Smallwood, about questions relating to both the academic and nurturing sides of being a teacher.

 

1. What qualities do you believe you need to be an effective teacher?- "Patience, flexibility, and a showing of professionalism and humility. Also, being a team player."

2. Does nurturing or academics impact the students more?- "Nurturing impacts the younger students more. You need nurturing to under-lye the academics in all ages, because without it, it has the potential to be ineffective."

3. Have you had any students come back to tell you how you impacted them? What did they say?- "Yes, as a matter of fact I have one student who comes to visit me every year on open house. The students mainly say it was because I showed interest in their life, rather than just teaching the material and treating them as just any ordinary student."

4. At what point do you decide to report a situation regarding educational issues (such as speech therapy or diagnosing ADD) or home issues?- "There is a big difference between the two. With educational situations, we have to run tests and document data, in a long process. If I ever saw a possibility of a home problem, I would report it right as I suspected it."

5. What is the difference in a qualified teacher vs. an effective teacher?- "An effective teacher is more nurturing, and gets to really know his/her students. Having a high degree in teaching doesn't always make you a good teacher. You need a mix of both."

6. Do you believe that a teacher can affect a child's behavior? Why?- "Yes. To do so effectively, you need to find out the underlying cause of the bad behavior. There's normally a reason for any bad behavior. For example, a student constantly blurting out may do so to seek attention they may not receive at home. Without finding the cause, it's just a cycle and it won't change. It's all about how you approach the situation."

7. 20 years from now, do you think your students will remember experiences from your class? What do you hope they remember?- "I hope so. I hope they know I loved them and believed in them."

8. Switching things up, how have the students impacted you?- "They have impacted me by me growing in my patience and flexibility. I've also learned to look at each child individually instead of just a group of 22."

9. Are there certain students that stand out to you? Why?- "Yes, because of the impact they made on me. There have been many with high academic strengths, and especially weaknesses who have made it to be so successful.

10. What advice would you give me walking into the career of teaching to be a future impactful teacher?- "Keep your eyes wide open. Have high expectations, but don't be dissapointed if things don't work out; rather, learn from it. Get to know your kids, have a good grasp with the curriculum, and always be open to learning more. Another big thing is to always bring out the positive qualities in the students, and to make sure they know you believe in them."

 

All of Mrs. Smallwood's answers gave me a great insight into the mind of a great teacher. She really proved my point in saying that nurturing can have much more of an effect on a student later in life. I agree with every bit of what she said, and I really hope I can be half as wonderful of a teacher as she is one day