Mrs. Moore

After spending five years teaching I am really beginning to realize how incredibly difficult it is to make learning exciting and eye opening every day. With a curriculum to follow, standards to adhere to, and limited resources provided, making learning an enjoyable experience for students is sometimes one of the last things on my mind. It is because of my current profession that I have such a renewed appreciations for the excellent teachers I was fortunate enough to have in school. One of these superior teachers was Mrs. Moore.

Mrs. Moore taught my class in second and third grade. I was lucky enough to have her twice because of some experimentation on the part of the school’s administration. Mrs. Moore was young, she was enthusiastic, and most importantly, she spoke to her students as people. She talked to us in a conversational tone. She wasn’t authoritarian, carrying on and pontificating, or harping on us and telling us what to do. She told us about her life. I remember quite vividly a description of the surgeries and corrective measures taken for her son who was born with malformed legs. Rather than leave “real-life” issues outside of the classroom, and adhere strictly to the textbooks, Mrs. Moore took things that had natural appeal and interest and brought them to us. We were encouraged to tell our own stories. I have memories of sitting in a circle taking turns talking about our own experiences. I recall embellishing my own short life events with pride as students around me listened with rapt attention. Mrs. Moore was interested in what we had to say, so we were interested in and respected each other. One wacky saying Mrs. Moore used to spout was, “don’t just sit there and pick your nose…” She used humor (which was edgy to our 9 year-old experience) to motivate us and connect with us. We were encouraged to be active learners.

The textbook was not a present entity in Mrs. Moore’s classroom, at least when it came to reading. Some of my most positive reading memories from those two years involved the book, Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and multiple, multiple Judy Bloom books. We would read these books aloud; draw pictures of the images they conjured, and act out their contents. The focus in Mrs. Moore’s classroom was on getting excited about reading and delving into the contents of a story. We didn’t endlessly drill vocabulary words and grammatical rules. In fact I remember very little of that. Mrs. Moore used a whole language approach that allowed us to become better readers, and appreciate the intrinsic joy that reading brings. As an adult that loves to read, I thank Mrs. Moore for her great influence in this area.

Beyond engaging us daily in the written word, Mrs. Moore taught us to love oral language as well. We put on elaborate classroom productions for visitors, and for each other. Our plays involved acting, costuming, creating props, writing scripts, and making programs. We were encouraged to perform and to try on different aspects of the creative arts. A memorable project involved writing our own story and reading it to the class along with a visual slide show we each prepared using overhead markers. Our schedule wasn’t so rigid, as schools often become, that we couldn’t pursue what we found compelling. I recall typing out a proposed screenplay for a wacky variation on Red Riding Hood. (I think she was wearing black hiking boots!) Finally, Mrs. Moore was an excellent classroom manager.

Finally, Mrs. Moore was an excellent classroom manager. The classroom was a combined class of second and third graders. Mrs. Moore spent time with one half of the class while the other learned independently, and also did things with the class as a whole group. There was never any confusion and our day flowed seamlessly. We spent our time engaged in learning due to the managerial skills our teacher possessed, and the hands-on learning opportunities given to us each day. Her “withitness” allowed a second and third grade class to learn together and from each other.

It is these vivid memories of what a positive place school can be for the creative energies of students and teachers that encourages me to continue in the teaching profession. Many believe schools are ruled by standardized tests and that school takes the love of learning out of children. I must disagree. With an effective teacher at the helm, a child’s love of learning can only continue to burgeon. Mrs. Moore used the classroom to open up new worlds to her students and taught us a lifelong love of learning that only continues to grow.

-- Benjamin Snell, Florida Atlantic University