Through all my years of public education I have experienced a multitude of teachers, some I would consider excellent and others very poor. Some teachers motivated students, you enjoyed their class and learned a lot, while other teachers you just hoped to pass their class. Some teachers encouraged their students, to learn more, improve skills, and believed you were capable, while others were simply discouraging. Some teachers demanded high expectations of all their students and others had very little. Some teachers personally cared how you were doing, in and outside the classroom, while others paid very little attention. By the time I reached college, I started thinking of teachers the same way I viewed doctors; receiving an education and certification to practice, does not guarantee the quality of bedside manner, it is the individual that will make the difference.
The first two years of my education were very important to my outlook of education as they provided a foundation for the future. I was very fortunate to have a kindergarten teacher and a first grade teacher that were very loving, encouraging, and personally cared for me. This experience gave me an important foundation of a positive outlook on teachers, schooling, and my education. For every teacher after that, 52 in my experience of public education were always compared to my first two teachers.
I attribute and thank all of my teachers, both the good and the bad, to my decision to become a teacher. For as a future teacher, I will reflect on my past experience for the behaviors to model and mistakes not to repeat. The message I have received from my education as to the power of teachers has been very strong and one I will remember everyday. No matter what age group you decide to teach, from elementary school to the University level, you are influencing lives in a powerful way everyday. You will be a teacher that lights the fire of a candle or one that puts out the flame. You can choose to be a teacher that will always be remembered or one easily forgotten. But we are the flames that light and shape the future.
-- Kathleen Black, Florida Atlantic University