I' m retiring from teaching and will enjoy family life with my wife and grandchildren. Recalling my teaching career, I have a lot to share, but one thing is for sure: Teachers learn just as much from students as students learn from teachers. Here are a few of the things I have learned in my job.
Roger was physically and mentally delayed. About once a month, we would have a dance in our classroom. Roger was awkward and ashamed when it came to asking a girl to dance with him. But once, I noticed that Roger was slow dancing with Leah, one of the most popular girls in the class. He had the biggest smile on his face. The next day, when Roger left my classroom to work with his support teacher, I praised Leah for inviting Roger to dance. That simple act of including him in a slow dance was such a great move. At our next dance, Roger asked Leah and every girl in the class to dance. No one turned him down. Leah taught me about the kindness of a simple act and its great effect.
It was Serena who showed us what bravery was about. Serena was our play' s narrator (旁白员). She was scared she would forget her lines. " If you do, " I advised, " pause, stare at the audience and take time to remember. The audience will think it' s part of the play. " Halfway through the opening night, Serena forgot her lines. She stared out at the 300 people gathered in the gym. After what seemed like forever, Serena remembered. After the performance, she burst into tears backstage, thinking she had let everybody down. When our principal came back to congratulate our cast, she turned to Serena and said her pause worked so well. Little did she know about Serena' s little act of bravery.
Teachers spend hours making lessons to teach skills and knowledge. We adjust lessons, keep the good and throw out the bad. A good teacher listens to and learns from students and often it has nothing to do with the curriculum.
