Continue to make a difference in a child's life!

A colleague that I work with here in China shared this with me recently. I watched the video and thought of all the amazing teachers I had as a student and all the amazing teachers I am friends with or even related to. I thought I would share this with everyone in hopes to encourage them to continue doing the amazing job they are doing. I also want to share a few of my thoughts I had while watching the video.

What struck me was that in America when working with low achieving students or students with self esteem issues you have to address their confidence first. You have to build a relationship with the student so that they will work for you. You have to make them feel like they deserve to succeed. I have known some incredible teachers who have been able to inspire some of the lowest students. I have watched them or heard of their success and I just don't know how they do it. I taught some remedial and low level math classes with students who had really given up. It was a big struggle teaching them. However I enjoyed the content and I liked those kids, but I don't know if I was able to really get through to them. After teaching Calculus for two years now I have realized what I am best at and enjoy the most is upper level mathematics. I have always enjoyed the really advanced math topics and can see those topics in creative ways. I think I am meant to teach the advanced students and the advanced classes. I think this may stem from my own math background. I was bored in math class and needed more of a challenge in middle school. No adult championed my cause, so I took it upon myself and fought to get put in a higher math class. I also think I meant to teach those upper level classes because I can see how to connect my mathematics education in college to activities in high school. I respect those who can teach and inspire those lower level students. Those students need champions to fight for them, but I think the high level students need a champion as well.

Also what I found interesting is that her co-worker had the view that teachers were there to teach and the students were there to learn. I think that perspective on education is true in China. I feel like that mentality is ground into the kids and is expected in the culture. There is more emphasis and pressure on getting a good education. The Chinese education system does not teach the whole student. They only really look at test scores and grades. We have to work closely with parents and students to help them understand that to get into American universities they need more than just test scores and grades. This pressure and focus on scores often causes students to take drastic measures. However since teachers are not teaching the whole student they do not see the warning signs of a student about to snap, hurt themselves, or hurt others. I think that the American education system tries to teach the whole student. You are a mandatory reporter and you are encouraged to build relationships. Many schools have homeroom or advising classes that focus on supporting the students and helping them succeed. The educational philosophy and approach is much more about teaching the whole student and building relationships.

I also loved the part about how she taught a math lesson wrong. The students all realized she was teaching it wrong, but didn't tell her because she was just so excited and engaging. My first thought was that will never happen in China. The top students will call you out if you are wrong. It took me a while to adjust to this and be able to handle this. I have learned to turn those moments into teaching moments. We have a discussion about why it is wrong or how it is wrong. I have them solve the solution in another way to see how it is wrong. I also use it as a moment to highlight how you will loose points on the AP test. I have also learned how to laugh it off if need be.

Before I go I just wanted to share a story about how my math teacher made a relationship with me and helped encourage me to keep studying math. I knew I wanted to be a math teacher in 8th grade and in high school I shared that with each of my math teachers. So I already wanted to be a math teacher, but the math teachers I had my last three years of high school just made me want it even more. I can think back to one moment that I will never forget. It was sophomore year in Algebra/Geometry 2. I forget what the lesson was about really. However the teacher was trying to explain a concept and some students were struggling to understand. They were asking a bunch of questions. So I raised my hand and then got called on. I explained the concept in another way that I thought made it easier to understand. I always enjoyed helping others understand math. However one student made fun of me for being a know it all. I didn't really pay attention to the comment or didn't really even register it. However after the class was over the teacher pulled me aside and said that I should not listen to that student. She made sure that this incident didn't discourage me from continuing to study math. I loved math at that point in my life and nothing was going to stop from studying it, but the fact that my teacher cared enough to make sure that was true was extremely touching. I have stayed in touch with many of my teachers. They seem happy to hear from me and whenever I talk to them I hope that one day I will be on the other side. I hope to make a difference and hear that from a student one day. I think any teacher wants that.

So the video starts by saying that everyone has been affected by a teacher or an adult in their life. So I leave you with some food for thought. I want you to think of all of the teachers and adults that have made you become the person you are today. Think about the ways they have shaped you and how that has made you become the person you are today. If you feel so moved I encourage to reach out to them and thank them for everything they have done.

I know that I learned something from each and every teacher I had. They all made a difference, but I want to
dedicate this post to the following people who have made some of the biggest impacts on my life. So this post is dedicated to: my Mom (had to start the list with mom since it is mother's day), my Dad, Granny, Bestie, Mo, my aunt Shirley, Mrs. Brooks, Mrs. Patterson, and Carol.