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My Teacher - My Hero !Becoming "the teacher" is a lifelong dream for many. To inspire, motivate and educate the young has always been a noble challenge. When you're committed to instilling a sense of curiosity and questioning in every classroom, you've reached a special place of honor. Many students treasure learning and their memorable years in school. It's not uncommon to see a wide smile develop whenever school days and the good times are recalled. Well into adulthood and retirement they can still recite their favorite teacher's name and their special teaching qualities. Motivation, learning, study and continuing education applies as much to instructors as it does to aspiring students. Maintaining skill proficiencies and the awarenesss of new state standards is a constant challenge they must meet. Why Learning Never Stops
Teachers don't just teach - They are also avid learners.
So whether your instructors are engaged in facilitating, supporting, applying or managing... they deserve acclaim. It's dedication, committment and resourcefulness that make them special in the eyes of students and their peers. Whether they have a school theme to help them unify staff and students throughout the year, display the loudest drumbeat for your school spirit or celebrate with songs 4 teachers, they have several things in common. Of course these are just a handful of character qualities they are remembered for. They are also leaders, mentors, counselors and important examples of what's possible in many student's eyes. Today's global environment introduces students to new information at the speed of light. And every classroom leader must be always ready to respond to puzzled faces, inquisitive glances, shock, bewilderment and absolute delight as students contend with new information daily. Your instructor has the special challenge of presenting not only expected material appropriate for each grade level, but also figuring out how best to remain aware of current worldwide events and the appropriate ways to bring that information to the classroom. This demand keeps them all on their toes... it adds a fresh perspective to 'old' material, and keeps them excited about sharing new material. How You Can Continue Learning As we've said... educators remain students in some respects. Skills must be refreshed frequently to remain productive and professional. They may have social, ethical, legal and human issues to manage periodically, so... they must study. Studying is not just a student requirement. Here are some ideas to help you continue your learning:
Of course, individual effort to keep learning will also help. Reading relevant books for pertinent subject matter and reviewing online websites related to desired material are good ways to continue learning. Inspiring Students to be Curious Though there are some schools that prefer you stick with course material and only the approved course material, many progressive schools encourage the exploration of new ways to introduce older material. This can include trying to find news stories that relate to your topics for each day or encouraging students to bring in questions from things they've seen on the Web, TV or other news sources. As an instructor, you want to encourage students to be curious about the world around them... seldom accepting things at face value until they can justify and accept the stated reasons.
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