The government declares you a “highly qualified teacher” based on your coursework, credentialing and classroom experience. Administrators rate you according to the Stull evaluation. Others may judge you based on how much homework you assign or the way you decorate your classroom.
But nothing compares with students telling you that one of your lessons rocked their world; they now “get” what you have been trying to teach them; and they will never look at the world in quite the same way again.
In the holiday spirit, the California Educator celebrates the joy of teaching and learning and looks at some creative, inspiring individuals who take teaching to a new and exciting level. This sampling is really a salute to each and every one of you.
Plutarch, a historian from ancient Greece, once said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.”
Joseph Campbell put it this way: “The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves.”
The teachers highlighted on the following pages have ignited the minds of young learners — and inspired students with enough confidence to accomplish whatever they set out to do.
Inspirational teaching means showing students how to think, not just what to know; engaging the heart as well as the head; and igniting passion that will continue to fuel itself.
Of course, when students are inspired, they get right to the heart of the matter. “I get it!” they might marvel. “You’re awesome.” “You totally rock!”
Priceless praise.