charliesmum (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
charliesmum) wrote2010-09-03 07:27 am
charliesmum) wrote2010-09-03 07:27 am
Entry tags:
Writer's Block: Teacher of the year
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I've had a few in my lifetime. Several of my English teachers in high school were made of awesome, and my 8th grade English teacher was a character and a half.
But, since one is most influenced in grade school, I'm going to focus on that.
My 1st grade teacher was fantastic. It was the early 70's, and she insisted on 'Ms' as an honourific; the first 'Ms' I'd ever known. She also would not allow toy guns or even talk of guns in the classroom. I'm sure there were many other 'hippie' things that crept into my consciousness through her. She made the lessons interesting, and I had my very first acting gig in that classroom when we acted out one of the stories in our reader.
My third grade teacher was equally cool. She was very creative, and, for example, when we learned about Colonial times we had this huge picnic wherein she brought all kinds of food, including home-made bread.
Both those teachers made the lessons fun and creative and treated the students with respect. They were the highlights of my grade school years.
Probably the most influential teacher, the one who made the most 'profound' difference in my life was my 4th grade teacher Mrs Wood.
She was, in a word, horrible. You know that line from the Pink Floyd song 'When we grew up and went to school there were certain teachers who would hurt the children any way they could?' That was her.
I've blocked most of it from my mind, but some bits I can't really escape. She clearly hated teaching - her method was to fill up three chalk boards with notes and we would copy them.
She would give out candy to the kids who got A's and B's and I was never one of those kids. I remember one time her saying they could eat the candy in front of us because we 'deserve it'.
I was already pretty fragile; god knows why, but I had very little self-confidence to begin with - and my beloved grandfather was dying at that point, which I'm sure didn't help - and she just blasted whatever self-respect remained right out of me.
I do remember her yelling at me while a circle of wide-eyed classmates stood around me. I think I'd lost my map book.
I withdrew and withdrew and withdrew, and my poor mother tried to get me transferred into a different class, but the school wouldn't do it.
Eventually I started seeing a child psychiatrist - not psychologist, psychiatrist - one who could, and did prescribe anti-depressants for me. He told my mom I was the most suicidal 9 year old he'd ever seen.
It's a good thing that, at 9, taking my own life was an unknown option for me.
I've had some fantastic teachers, but unfortunately the one that made the most impact was the one that destroyed my psyche - it took me a long time to climb back from that, but I did, and I like to think I am a stronger person for it.
I've had a few in my lifetime. Several of my English teachers in high school were made of awesome, and my 8th grade English teacher was a character and a half.
But, since one is most influenced in grade school, I'm going to focus on that.
My 1st grade teacher was fantastic. It was the early 70's, and she insisted on 'Ms' as an honourific; the first 'Ms' I'd ever known. She also would not allow toy guns or even talk of guns in the classroom. I'm sure there were many other 'hippie' things that crept into my consciousness through her. She made the lessons interesting, and I had my very first acting gig in that classroom when we acted out one of the stories in our reader.
My third grade teacher was equally cool. She was very creative, and, for example, when we learned about Colonial times we had this huge picnic wherein she brought all kinds of food, including home-made bread.
Both those teachers made the lessons fun and creative and treated the students with respect. They were the highlights of my grade school years.
Probably the most influential teacher, the one who made the most 'profound' difference in my life was my 4th grade teacher Mrs Wood.
She was, in a word, horrible. You know that line from the Pink Floyd song 'When we grew up and went to school there were certain teachers who would hurt the children any way they could?' That was her.
I've blocked most of it from my mind, but some bits I can't really escape. She clearly hated teaching - her method was to fill up three chalk boards with notes and we would copy them.
She would give out candy to the kids who got A's and B's and I was never one of those kids. I remember one time her saying they could eat the candy in front of us because we 'deserve it'.
I was already pretty fragile; god knows why, but I had very little self-confidence to begin with - and my beloved grandfather was dying at that point, which I'm sure didn't help - and she just blasted whatever self-respect remained right out of me.
I do remember her yelling at me while a circle of wide-eyed classmates stood around me. I think I'd lost my map book.
I withdrew and withdrew and withdrew, and my poor mother tried to get me transferred into a different class, but the school wouldn't do it.
Eventually I started seeing a child psychiatrist - not psychologist, psychiatrist - one who could, and did prescribe anti-depressants for me. He told my mom I was the most suicidal 9 year old he'd ever seen.
It's a good thing that, at 9, taking my own life was an unknown option for me.
I've had some fantastic teachers, but unfortunately the one that made the most impact was the one that destroyed my psyche - it took me a long time to climb back from that, but I did, and I like to think I am a stronger person for it.