Portrayals of Effective Teachers in Media

Action #8

Teachers and educators constantly struggle to fuse academic learning and fun together, wanting to engage students’ interests in the class content while also allowing them to exercise their creativity and imagination. A truly effective teacher also strives to demonstrate an interest in her students and offer quality instruction to all her students, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or preferred learning style. Teachers of excellence, be they fictional or actual personages, figure prominently in several books, movies, or television shows, inspiring current educators and aspiring teachers alike to implement some of the methods portrayed in the media in their own classrooms. Even children’s television shows, like The Magic School Bus and Arthur, offer fascinating portrayals of teaching qualities that real-life educators strive to emulate or work desperately to avoid. Though humorous, these shows illustrate helpful and counterproductive instructional methods.

In the popular Magic School Bus series, the multicultural students in Miss Frizzle’s third grade classroom love their eccentric, but creative, teacher. Miss Frizzle’s passion for science pervades everything she does and often, the students themselves catch her enthusiasm. Her flamboyant clothing matches the subject matter at hand and her stories connect to class material. Miss Frizzle understands her students’ diverse personalities, kindly encouraging paranoid Arnold to more fully engage in the learning activities and tactfully handling Carlos, the class clown. Of course, Miss Frizzle owns the Magic School Bus, a fantastical vehicle capable of time travel and of transforming itself into a plane, a bat, a raindrop and numerous other objects. With this bus, Miss Frizzle takes her class on a myriad of adventures, letting them literally live the day’s science lesson. Scientists have yet to invent a bus able to perform all of the Magic School Bus’s feats, of course, but real-life teachers can still learn a lot from “the Frizz.” In order to truly be effective, teachers need to love what they teach and allow this passion to carry over into their lessons and interactions with their students. They should learn to understand and value their students’ distinct personalities and strive to make the lessons applicable, interesting and relevant to all present.

The media also offers unfavorable portrayals of teachers, as is evidenced in PBS’s Arthur. Arthur, the beloved television show’s aardvark protagonist, and his friends strongly dislike their third grade teacher, Mr. Ratburn, and the heavy homework load he constantly doles out. They are convinced that no educational methodology could be worse than Mr. Ratburn’s dry teaching style and seeming disinterest in his students. In “Arthur’s Substitute Teacher Trouble,” however, Arthur and his friends are exposed to various types of teaching methods. One of their substitute teachers mumbles and takes no time to explain the concepts to the confused students, while another smacks her lips annoyingly while talking. The worst substitute of all, however, turns out to be the one they initially loved the most. Miss Ratburn, their strict, pedantic teacher’s sister, leads the class in singing and fun activities like coloring pictures. As the days wear on, however, it becomes clear that this is all she does. Arthur and his friends become desperate for Mr. Ratburn to get well and return to the class because they fear their brains will melt from such lengthy disuse. While such fears are, of course, unjustified, Miss Ratburn’s lax teaching style demonstrates that in the end, simple fun helps no one and should not take priority over learning in a classroom setting. Even though Arthur may portray teachers somewhat negatively, lessons can be learned and applied. Mr. Ratburn and Miss Ratburn obviously represent two extremes on the teaching style spectrum, but they ultimately do embody characteristics that real-life educators should embrace in moderation. Effective teachers need to find a balance between easy diversion and exacting educational tactics.

In the end, though often humorous, both current educators and aspiring teachers can laugh and learn from teacher portrayals in popular media.

Observing Effective Teachers

Action #8

School has been an integral part of my life for the past sixteen years. Since I spend more than half of every year in some type of educational institution, I have had ample opportunity to observe teachers and their various instructional methods. As an aspiring effective teacher, this type of observational learning proves to be invaluable and will no doubt benefit both myself and my future students.

While in college, I have had the privilege to enter into several different social studies classrooms in local public schools and both watch and occasionally teach alongside the teachers working there. During my first field placement my first year of college, I observed an elderly teacher who exhibited great care and patience towards his students. He frequently encouraged them to keep on persevering in their studies, reminding them of their value and potential. In order to make all his students feel appreciated and proud of their heritage, regardless of their ethnicity or economic status, he assigned students a project that allowed them to present about their family and cultures for the whole class. The students respected this particular teacher and behaved respectfully towards him. I, too, hope to emulate these practices that make my students feel loved and appreciated for who they are.

Though observations like the one described in the previous paragraph have most certainly been helpful, I find that the most useful observing occurs in classroom settings in which I am actually one of the students. Not only do I gain a better sense of the overall classroom dynamics, but I am able to gauge how effective the teacher’s methods truly are. I have had several wonderful professors at Goshen College, but since I plan on teaching at the middle school and/or high school level upon completion of my teaching degree, I would like to briefly describe one of my secondary school teachers who left a profound impact on me.

My middle school math and science teacher, Miss Morriss, clearly exhibited many important qualities of an effective teacher. She effectively managed the classroom with the right balance of sternness and grace, encouraging and challenging students to continue in their studies and infusing just the right amount of fun and creativity into her lessons. She taught us little jingles to help us remember math equations and planned hands-on science experiments whenever possible, thoroughly engaging us in the class material. I still rely on her “Area of a Circle” song to help solve simple geometric problems. She implemented a type of token economy (“Morriss Dollars”) that provided students with an appropriate amount of extrinsic motivation to both persevere with class work and behave well in class. She succeeded in making teaching challenging and yet fun, taking every student into account when planning the lessons. Even though I dislike math, I enjoyed her classes because of the creativity displayed in lessons, the patience she took in explaining concepts, and the love she showed her students. When I become a teacher, I hope my classroom contains all of these elements. Until that time, however, I will continue observing effective teachers and continue my studies in the hopes of one day becoming one myself.

Tutoring

Action #1

My mother always told me I was blessed with the gift of teaching, and more specifically, simplifying rather abstract concepts and presenting them in a more understandable way to others. While I know one's parent tends to think quite highly of their children, I do find joy in facilitating others' learning and over the years, I have tried to find ways to use this gift through helping others.

When I was in 9th grade, the sixth grade teacher mentioned that she was looking for a tutor for one of her struggling students. I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to help the teacher out and also build a relationship with this little girl. So, I found myself staying after school one to two times a week and helping "Minina" with her homework. Though she primarily struggled with math, I also helped with science, social studies and language arts. Since she was Bolivian, English was not her first language, but she had a fairly good grasp on the grammar and vocabulary. This was a good experience for me, since I had to recall previous knowledge and try different strategies to make the concepts understandable to a 6th grade level student. I also was able to meet her mother and talk to her about her daughter's academic progress. Though I only tutored Minina for a year, I continued to informally help my fellow classmates through the rest of high school, often staying after school to study with a friend who needed help in a particular subject.

Once in college, I found that this sort of informal tutoring would continue. I actually meet with one of my classmates on a fairly regular basis to help her with her Spanish homework. I've found that I can put my knowledge of both Spanish and English to good use here in this American setting. More formally, I am currently working as a writing mentor. My assigned mentee is an international student and I have been challenged to make complex and at times seemingly meaningless English grammar rules understandable and relevant. Naturally, since we are at college, meeting the families of these students is pretty much out of the question, but I continue to gain valuable experience with different types of learners.

Of course, I too have been helped by many of my fellow classmates throughout the years. I am glad that this learning and growing experience is a reciprocal process, and hope to develop many more rewarding relationships as I continue on my journey towards becoming a teacher of excellence.

Joining a Professional Organization

Action #2

I recently joined around 26,000 educators from around the nation and became an official member of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). In their own words, the NCSS is a professional organization that exists to "strengthen the social studies profession and social studies programs in the schools." During my Foundations of Education class last May Term, we were encouraged to join a professional organization such as this one to broaden our knowledge of what was happening nationwide in our area of study and also to learn teaching strategies from other experienced teachers. Joining an organization like this would even give me a place to voice my opinions on matters relevant to the field should the need arise. While it took me awhile to finally take the plunge and join a professional organization, I am now quite pleased that I did!

I received my first packet from the NCSS yesterday. In it, I found a welcoming letter, informing me what I would receive as a member, and a sticker for my non-existent car. I also found lots of information regarding their upcoming annual NCSS conference in Atlanta, which I will not be attending. The sessions looked very interesting, however. The NCSS newsletter, The Social Studies Professional, published 6 times a year, was also included in this packet. Perhaps the most interesting and certainly most helpful publication included in the packet was the newest issue of Social Education, the NCSS' official journal. In in,I found lots of fascinating articles published by experienced social studies teachers hailing from all over the country and from a variety of different concentrations. Though it did cover a range of topics in the social sciences, history was the most mentioned. Since my primary concentration is in history, I was pleased to see this!

I think being a member of the NCSS will be very helpful to me. Already, the journal has made me rethink some of my previously held ideas on how to best approach teaching. For instance, there was an article extolling the benefits of the lecture, when many of my education books had hinted that one should avoid lecture as often as possible and instead focus on interactive, innovative learning activities. While I believe an excellent teacher should use a combination of the two when teaching, the article presented a valued point and helped fully restore the lecture in my mind. Also, there were two articles dealing with teaching about genocide, one focusing on Rwanda and one more specifically on the Holocaust. Since the class I observe at Goshen Middle School is currently studying the genocide in Rwanda, it was fascinating to read what other professionals had written and apply this to my own observational experience. Throughout the rest of my college career, I hope to keep learning and applying what I read from these publications into my lesson plans so that I, too, may be well on my way towards becoming an knowledgeable teaching professional.

Joining a Professional Organization

Action #2

I recently joined around 26,000 educators from around the nation and became an official member of the National Council for Social Studies.

Identifying Allies

Action #8

As time goes on and I get closer and closer to becoming a certified teacher, it is essential that I begin compiling a list of contacts who could become valuable allies when I begin teaching. Over the years, I have been blessed to have come in contact with some wonderful teachers, professors and spiritual mentors. Rather than simply happily remembering them, however, I hope to keep in touch with some of these people. I may very well need these support from these "allies" later on in my life, whether it be in the form of a reference for a job interview or simply good advice when I find myself facing a difficult situation. In fact, I have already turned to several of these contacts on this list for precisely those two reasons. I value the advice my teachers and mentors give me, and am thankful for their willingness to be references on the various job applications I have filled out since starting college!

Here is a list of my "allies":

Contacts at Goshen College

• John D. Roth (History)
• Jan Shetler ( History)
• Kevin Gary (Education)
• Christie Bonfiglio (Education)
• Bob Yoder (Campus Pastor)
• Tamara Shantz (Campus Pastor)

Contacts from my high school, Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center

• Emily Barlow (Language arts and theater)
• Kelly Langdoc (Spiritual mentor)
• Michael Banks ( Youth group leader)
• Elisabeth Huanquiri (History)
• Steve Swope (High school principal and Bible teacher)

Miscellaneous, but valuable, contacts

• Dave Walker (Pierre Moran Middle School, observing teacher)
• Cynthia Moyer (Spruce Lake Wilderness Camp, employer and mentor)

For example, when I was applying for a job as a counselor at camp this summer, I turned to several of these allies for help as references, including John Roth and Emily Barlow. I likewise was in need of my allies when I applied for my current position as ministry leader on my hall. I am thankful for the support these trusted contacts have given me!

Observances at the Public Library

Action # 5

When looking over some of the suggested activities to fulfill the required actions, one of the activities immediately grabbed my attention: study at the public library and observe the community. I love libraries and lately seem to have a lot of homework to do, so of course, I deemed the activity a natural fit and set out to observe this past Friday.

Upon entering, I nearly ran into a beautiful princess and Spiderman. Apparently, the library was hosting some sort of Halloween gathering for the children in the community. Many children, decked out in their finest costumes, continued to stream out of the building as I took my seat at a table near the Young Adult Fiction section. While I remembered going to events at my local library when young, I was glad to see that the library continued to exist as place where children could learn, find great books, and have fun within their community. I was struck by the diversity of the families leaving the library, too. I guess I naively assumed that white Americans would frequent the library the most, since it was decidedly more of an American institution, but instead, the families leaving the building were predominantly Latino or African American. I am glad that these families come to the Goshen Public Library and participate in these events.

As I observed, I continued to notice how diverse the library's clients were. They were predominantly Latino, but I also saw African American and Asian American. All the computers designated for internet use were full and I found out that people even call in to reserve spots since there is such a demand for internet use. Apparently, many Latino and low-income families who can not afford to have internet in their home come to the library to do their homework. While it is wonderful that the library offers this kind service to these families for free, I also realize that it must be a hassle to take time out of your day to go to library solely to use the internet, especially if one lives relatively far away. I take my internet access (and even the fact that I have a laptop) for granted, and I think many middle class Americans do likewise. Teachers frequently assign homework to children that requires they use the internet to complete the assignment, assuming the child will have this access. I did not have internet access in my home when growing up, and I silently railed against teachers who thought that all of their students could access the internet whenever they desired. For some reason, however, I assumed that basically all Americans would have internet at home. From what I observed at the library, I know this is incorrect. When I am a teacher, I hope to be sensitive to this issue and make sure that some of my students do not have an unfair advantage simply because they can afford internet access while others cannot.

As I continued observing, it seemed to me that the only "white" Americans who frequented the library seemed to be either older folks or middle-school aged children. Of course, the reason why I noticed the middle-schoolers could be because I chose to sit near the Adult Young Fiction section. Most of the older visitors, however, sat and read newspapers and magazines. I suppose this might be because they do not get that particular periodical at home, or simply because it is a long held tradition of theirs to always go to the library in the afternoon to read. I did not see any other people my age present the entire time I was at the library, and the only middle-aged people were either moms with their costumed children or library employees. So, I definitely was in the minority while at the library, which surprised me, but did not really make me feel uncomfortable since, as I previously stated, I love libraries.

To conclude my visit, I walked around for a bit, observing the various displays and sections. I was pleased to see they had a fair-sized section of children's books in Spanish. I also learned that every Thursday night, a group of adult ENL students from Goshen meet in the library to practice their English with volunteers from the community. Alternately, the volunteers are also able to practice their Spanish with the students. I would love to get involved in something like that - it would give me an opportunity to use both my Spanish and English and get involved with people hailing from different backgrounds. Perhaps when my night class ends?

All in all, I enjoyed my visit to the Goshen Public Library. It gave me a chance to observe some of the community happenings and see the diversity of visitors to the library itself. It also led to my reflecting on issues like assigning projects that require internet access when the child might not have ready access available to him. Though I probably was a minority that afternoon I spent at the library, I nonetheless enjoyed myself!