Among Teachers

Teaching is the second oldest profession in mankind. Everybody has been taught; ergo, everyone is an authority on what constitutes good teaching. Also, life’s a journey through stories. We first hear them when we are very little, and then we learn to tell them. Great stories affect mankind tremendously. The good ones spring from truths and are shaped over time. The best lead Man toward hope and salvation. Great story tellers gain respect and adoration within their worlds, and their tales gain acceptance over many generations. The great religions are full of stories leading us to spirituality. Folk tales teach basic lore while providing entertainment. Drama, anything from children’s plays in church to Broadway and Hollywood presentation, broaden our horizons as they entertain. The news media provides stories of all sorts. In fact, we sometimes become overwhelmed by all the tales we hear and are forced to evaluate. Teachers by profession are story tellers, and over time good teachers become great story tellers. They provide tales to present course material, to give examples of good behavior and to provide a means of team building. Even the sternest teacher has good stories at his fingertips to make points. We learn through those stories, and we remember them. Our lives become better because of them. I have spent my lifetime among teachers. Like the majority of kids in this country, I went to school through twelfth grade. Then I went on to college and graduate school. All along the way, I met teachers of varying abilities, interests, and energy levels. But then, I decided to become a teacher myself. I have taught students at every level from third grade through community college. In the process I have had countless colleagues. Some were role models, and some became life-long friends. Many amazed me in that they taught in ways I had never thought of and got really strong results. Some I never got to know very well; some I grew to despise. In any case, I realize the any evaluation of a teacher is subjective, and others may well see specific instructors very differently from the way I have. So be it. I have lived for nearly 70 years and have taught for about 40 of those. Even during those times when I was occupied outside the realm of formal education, I was teaching peers or employees how to complete tasks better. Each group has presented a different challenge and has caused me to experiment and grow. Furthermore, the world has changed dramatically in that time. So have teaching methods and strategies. What follows is my view of teaching and some of the stories I’ve encountered in that world. I am deliberately omitting names of schools and changing names of ineffective teachers because I have no wish to harm any institution or individual. I do wish to comment on the progress of teaching in a world buffeted by change. This story is told chronologically, and pretty typically I begin chapters with a brief review of what transpired during a decade. I’ve recalled from my memory rather than to document from historical documents because I have wanted this narrative to be personal rather than factually correct. Stories involve people in ways meaningful to individuals while historical tomes present events about leaders and great masses of people. Yes, education in this country is a mass thing, but it is the individual who must be affected daily in the classroom if we are to move forward as a people. That process, then, ultimately lies in the relationship between each teacher and each student. Unfortunately, that pattern is too often adversely affected by movements and issues impacting large numbers of people. No instructional situation lives in a vacuum; hence, we cannot ignore the large issues, but each teacher has to temper each student relationship with his interpretation of that issue. So, sit back and enjoy my story and meet some of those teachers I have encountered.