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Lessons Learned from Master Teachers
Featured Author:
Mrs. Kelly Tenkely
Kelly Tenkely is a technology teacher in a private school. Kelly also trains teaching staff on integrating and implementing technology into the classroom. In addition, Kelly is the author of iLearnTechnology blog.
The opinions and statements made in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the opinions or representations of the University of Phoenix.
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Kelly Tenkely | TheApple.com
I don’t remember doing a lot of worksheets in Mrs. Graybills class. Third grade can be a turning point in many schools where desk work increases. Mrs. Graybill always found interesting ways to teach. When we learned cursive handwriting she could have just given us practice worksheets, instead she wrote riddles on the board. We would copy down the riddles in our notebooks, in our best cursive, and try to guess the answer to the riddles. There was a riddle for each letter of the alphabet. We absolutely loved this exercise and looked forward to handwriting practice every day. At the end of the year we had a book of riddles to stump our families with. I still have this riddle book that I made in third grade (thanks to mom for realizing its value and saving it) and I use it to this day to stump my students with riddles. The kids love it; it’s become part of our daily routine. Mrs. Graybill taught me that with a little creativity, mundane tasks, like practicing handwriting, can be fun and worth while.
5th Grade Mrs. Nelson
Mrs. Nelson was amazing in so many ways. Like Mrs. Graybill she constantly told us that we were the best class she had ever had. We worked to make her proud. Mrs. Nelson taught us important life lessons in unexpected ways. One day we came in from recess to find loaves and loaves of bread piled high on her desk up front. Behind the loaves were jars of peanut butter and jelly and several plastic knives, plates, and napkins. Fifth graders are always thrilled when food is going to be involved. Mrs. Nelson asked us to each write in our journals directions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When we were finished, we would read our directions to her and she would make us a sandwich that we could eat. The first student got up and eagerly read his directions for Mrs. Nelson, “Put peanut butter on the bread, then put on some jelly. Put the pieces together.”
Mrs. Nelson followed our directions exactly (think Amelia Bedelia here). First she wiped her nose with her hand, then she stuck her fingers in the peanut butter and slathered it on both sides of the bread. This was followed by a licking of the fingers and then a dunk into jelly to wipe on another piece of bread. We were shocked to say the least. As the class watched what she was doing we scribbled frantically in our notebooks to give more specific directions. Wash your hands first. Use a knife to spread the peanut butter on one face of the bread. Put the peanut butter and jelly sides of the bread together. Don’t lick your fingers. It was great fun to see how everyone’s sandwiches turned out. Some were more edible than others. Mrs. Nelson taught us to be specific and intentional in our writing. She made us think about processes and instructions.
Mrs. Nelson always read us a chapter book after recess. She had us enthralled with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Wish Giver, Wayside School is Falling Down, and many more. We begged Mrs. Nelson to keep reading (she usually only read us a chapter a day). She helped every one of her students develop a love of reading and stories. She modeled reading for fun and enjoyment. The librarian always knew what book Mrs. Nelson was reading to us because requests for that book skyrocketed.
Master Teachers
I have many great memories of my first, third, and fifth grade years of school. These teachers went above and beyond the call of duty. They put a lot of planning and love into their classrooms. The payoff was incredible, a class of students who all felt like they were the best and brightest, who loved to learn, explore, and read. I constantly use these incredible examples in my life to teach my students. I don’t remember a lot about my second, fourth, and sixth grade years. This is not because I wasn’t learning, but because the learning wasn’t as memorable and engaging. It is my hope that every child gets to experience life with a master teacher (hopefully many of them). To all of the master teachers out there, thank you! Your impact reaches farther than you will ever know.
teacherrevised
6 months ago
6 comments
To watch a video of students talking about what they want in a teacher, go here: http://teacherrevised.org/2009/04/24/what-students-want-you-give-re...