thanks, helen. its funny how many people believe that quote in the negative way. i have to convince my students all the time that just because someone chooses to teach doesn’t mean they aren’t smart enough to do something else. its funny to see their faces when they realize that.
Thankyou for posting it. Apparently this was performed at a poetry slam? That sounds really kewl, actually. I wonder if they have them in Seattle ever?
I like his rule about honesty, but not his rule about ass kicking. I suppose that’s because I know I’m good at being honest, but I’ve never been much at ass kicking. Here’s to making a goddamned difference. I think I shall hold onto that for a toast sometime. A toast to Helen, Jim, Rachel, April, Mike, and all the OTM bloggers–raise your glasses to making a goddamned difference!
definitely beautiful. It’s wierd how i take spelling things correctly for granted. i didn’t learn to spell from teachers. i learned to spell by reading voraciously over a period of decades. I know wierd is supposed to be “ei”, but I like it better with “ie”, and I’m on crusade to change it and “kewl” to my spellings. I just learned the word “eldritch”, which seems to be related to both “wierd” and “numinous”. Kewl.
Thank you, Helen. That was beautiful! I work in a support staff position at an elementary school. Which means I get to see up close how incredibly challenging it is to be a teacher. Anna just had her last day of elementary school on Thursday and she cried as we drove away. I have so much respect for my amazing colleagues, I can’t even put it into words.
Anna just had her last day of elementary school on Thursday and she cried as we drove away.
I remember you saying you had an elementary aged dtr, Rachel. Then I read some things she posted and forgot she was so young. You’ve definitely got a thinker on your hands!
I get real humble real quick when I think about the challenges teachers face. My four year old has grown and developed this year — including some trying episodes r/t self control. HIs teachers did a beautiful job of helping him learn to regulate himself and showing him acceptable behavior without making him feel like a “bad boy”. I am very grateful for that, and very aware that the ability to do this for other peoples children - and lots of them - is a very valuable contribution to MTWABP (making the world a better place)
Wow–yeah–good teachers are *amazingly* helpful, aren’t they? Our two daughters are in this astoundingly kewl and helpful and amazing preschool and kindergarden at UW called the Experimental Education Unit. The student body is about half “typically developing” and half “atypical”–on the autism or asperger’s spectrum, and so forth. A lot of the master’s in early childhood education students at UW go over there to work, so there is a really high teacher/student ratio, like 1 to 2, and all the teachers are just these super amazing, wise, helpful, knowledgeable people. They have helped us as parents *so* many times to figure things out–so many times we would have been lost without their advice and help.
[...] 18th, 2007 by benjaminady 1. Today I was caused to remember (by Helen and Julie) how astoundingly helfpul the wise, amazing, knowledgeable teachers are at the school [...]
Comment by: David H
1I knew some teachers like him and they are among the best people I have ever met.
Comment by: Friendly Atheist » My Teaching Career Starts in Two Months
2 06/15/07 9:54 AM | Comment Link |[...] Conversation at the Edge) Technorati Tags: Taylor Mali, What a Teacher Makes Share This Popularity: 1% [...]
Comment by: lisa W.
3I love this. thanks for posting it!
Comment by: Helen
4David, yes, good teachers can be a wonderful influence in their students’ lives.
Lisa, you’re welcome!
Comment by: Mike O
5Awesome! I want to be like him.
Comment by: Helen
6So do I Mike, when I grow up. Or maybe I should say if I grow up…hmmm, that could be a problem ;-)
Comment by: fish
7i’m a teacher and that is awesome.
i hate that saying: those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
that phrase to me means, do it while you can, and when you can’t anymore, teach somebody how.
Comment by: Helen
8fish, I’m glad you liked the video.
I love your way of thinking of the expression. It turns it into something positive!
Comment by: fish
9thanks, helen. its funny how many people believe that quote in the negative way. i have to convince my students all the time that just because someone chooses to teach doesn’t mean they aren’t smart enough to do something else. its funny to see their faces when they realize that.
Comment by: benjamin ady
10Helen,
Thankyou for posting it. Apparently this was performed at a poetry slam? That sounds really kewl, actually. I wonder if they have them in Seattle ever?
I like his rule about honesty, but not his rule about ass kicking. I suppose that’s because I know I’m good at being honest, but I’ve never been much at ass kicking. Here’s to making a goddamned difference. I think I shall hold onto that for a toast sometime. A toast to Helen, Jim, Rachel, April, Mike, and all the OTM bloggers–raise your glasses to making a goddamned difference!
Comment by: Helen
11fish, right - some teachers are very smart.
Thanks Benjamin!
Comment by: julie marie
12wow. if that doesn’t make people sit down and shut up nothing will!
Comment by: Laura M.
13Awesome !
Definitely beautiful.
And kewl :-)
Comment by: benjamin ady
14definitely beautiful. It’s wierd how i take spelling things correctly for granted. i didn’t learn to spell from teachers. i learned to spell by reading voraciously over a period of decades. I know wierd is supposed to be “ei”, but I like it better with “ie”, and I’m on crusade to change it and “kewl” to my spellings. I just learned the word “eldritch”, which seems to be related to both “wierd” and “numinous”. Kewl.
Comment by: Rachel
15Thank you, Helen. That was beautiful! I work in a support staff position at an elementary school. Which means I get to see up close how incredibly challenging it is to be a teacher. Anna just had her last day of elementary school on Thursday and she cried as we drove away. I have so much respect for my amazing colleagues, I can’t even put it into words.
Comment by: julie marie
16I remember you saying you had an elementary aged dtr, Rachel. Then I read some things she posted and forgot she was so young. You’ve definitely got a thinker on your hands!
I get real humble real quick when I think about the challenges teachers face. My four year old has grown and developed this year — including some trying episodes r/t self control. HIs teachers did a beautiful job of helping him learn to regulate himself and showing him acceptable behavior without making him feel like a “bad boy”. I am very grateful for that, and very aware that the ability to do this for other peoples children - and lots of them - is a very valuable contribution to MTWABP (making the world a better place)
Comment by: benjamin ady
17Julie,
Wow–yeah–good teachers are *amazingly* helpful, aren’t they? Our two daughters are in this astoundingly kewl and helpful and amazing preschool and kindergarden at UW called the Experimental Education Unit. The student body is about half “typically developing” and half “atypical”–on the autism or asperger’s spectrum, and so forth. A lot of the master’s in early childhood education students at UW go over there to work, so there is a really high teacher/student ratio, like 1 to 2, and all the teachers are just these super amazing, wise, helpful, knowledgeable people. They have helped us as parents *so* many times to figure things out–so many times we would have been lost without their advice and help.
Comment by: June 18 Benjamin « Three Blessings
18 06/18/07 11:33 AM | Comment Link |[...] 18th, 2007 by benjaminady 1. Today I was caused to remember (by Helen and Julie) how astoundingly helfpul the wise, amazing, knowledgeable teachers are at the school [...]