There have been many influential individuals who motivated me to become an educator. These people taught me respect, responsibility, and kindness among other important values. If I should pick one particular teacher as the example to follow, I would pick Mrs. Melanie Ronzo. She has been a great portrait of all the qualities that an educator should have. She has taught me the value of organization, planning, persistence, commitment, communication, and patience.
Mrs. Ronzo is well organized with her schedules, lectures, and activities. For instance, she showed me how effective a teacher could be if all the materials are ready at the beginning of the class. Sometimes she had to improvise and come up with one that was not available to her, but she never gave up. Mrs. Ronzo made sure that everything she needed was there before her students arrived. She decorated the room to ensure the right mood for the lesson was created. If science was the topic, she made sure some manipulatives were provided and visuals were around the room for the students to understand the subject matter. The students engaged in the activities as they came into the classroom without even noticing that they had already began their work. They were usually very excited to see the labels and the gadgets she had waiting for them in their desks. As they moved around and talked about their discoveries, the teacher gave directions on how to use the materials and what was expected of them.
She worked daily on her short-term goals, which render a terrific outcome at the end. Her persistence and commitment to her students has been demonstrated in their performance. They are always the top students who question their activities critically. She identifies the individual weaknesses and creates games that would put the students in charge of developing those skills. Therefore, the ones who posses the skill serve as support to the group, and those who lack the skill benefit from the experience.
During one of the lectures, she identified the behavior problem kids in her classroom and assigned them to be the leaders. She separated the class into five small groups. Each group had its leader who was in charge of clarifying the classroom rules and procedures. Each team had to develop a game on one of those rules, so that they could be enforced in the classroom. The leaders worked hard to ensure that the game would be successful. Each member of the team provided suggestions or pointed out the disadvantages of that plan. After their assignments were completed, Mrs. Ronzo gave them schedules on how their plans would be implemented. The children with behavior issues became the top performers who were well aware of the consequences and observed the rules more that any others. They became the examples to follow because they knew that being the leader was a great responsibility and that they had to live up to the expectations.
In addition, Mrs. Ronzo was very particular about how communication was developed and conducted in her classroom. She emphasized the importance of respect by talking to her students about the little details that make people comfortable and able to talk freely. She believed that screaming or putting someone in the spot was simply disrespectful and made students feel unwanted. She thought they might feel rejected and not come back to her again. She used to emphasize that communication is the key to a great relationship. She believed in an open door policy where well-geared emotions could lead the students to a successful performance.
During her lectures, if there was a problem with a student, she reached out to him/her in her nicest voice and asked the student to please help her maintain silence. It was amazing how the students reacted. They immediately felt responsible and wanted to assist the teacher. If there was an issue between two students, she asked them to write down their feelings and the reason for their reaction. She constantly mentioned that actions should be thought out, whereas reactions should be breathed out.
She constantly mentioned that actions should be thought out, whereas reactions should be breathed out.
I did learned a great deal from being in her class. I want to manage my class with all those tools that are the most important ones to teach our students. It takes time and practice to communicate effectively, and it seems to me that misunderstandings are all about misconceptions or erroneous feelings that can be worked out if one takes the time to analyze them. However, it is not an easy task to help students communicate effectively, or teach them the pathway to it. Mrs. Ronzo seems to engage the students into daily activities that promote effective communication. She reminds them that patience is a great tool because it allows them the time to think about details, problems, and solutions without stress.
Mrs. Ronzo teaches by example, but she also plans and organizes activities that are meaningful to their students so that they can gain from the experience and feel rewarded. I have been one of her students and gained all these qualities that help me dealt with situations by approaching them with a positive attitude and a challenging spirit. She has made me realized that teaching is not just a profession, but a life style instead.
-- Sandra Procter, Florida Atlantic University