by compound complex 8 Replies latest jw experiences
Dear Friends,
I enjoyed rereading comments that you had made about your favorite [and most hated!] school teachers. Some of the posters who commented are still here on JWD.
Anyone care to add his or her thoughts on what your teachers did for you?
www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/123958/1.ashx
With you in the furtherance of education,
CoCo
Oh, gladly! My favorite elementary teacher: Mrs. Alphennie B. Thomas. We lived far back in the woods when I was growing up. We had a two-room school with a pot-bellied stove in each room. Mrs. Thomas had to drive for miles to get to our little school. We never heard her complain about the primitive conditions, although looking back, I knew it must have taxed her soul to the extreme.
Our textbooks were hand-me-downs and castaways, but she took them and wrought miracles. She taught us how to speak correctly, how to set a table, and the necessity of conducting ourselves in a dignified manner at all times. She always stressed that even if we were sharecroppers, we didn't have to feel inferior to anyone. To that end, she made sure we were equipped to take on any challenge, academic or otherwise.
My favorite high school teacher: Miss Bessie C.Munden. (There was no such thing as junior high or middle school). Miss Munden gave up marriage and the possibility of having a family of her own because she saw the need for caring, dedicated teachers to work with the children of Wilcox County. Located in the heart of Alabama's Black Belt, Wilcox County is one of the poorest counties in the nation. Miss Munden built on the foundation laid by Mrs. Thomas. She taught government, business law, English, spelling, and a host of other things unrelated to the classroom. Her versatility was astounding. Whether it was teaching the importance of being thrifty or keeping your surroundings clean and sanitary, Miss Munden didn't shrink from offering counsel. The whole community LOVED her.
I had many wonderful teachers during my formative years, but those two were outstanding. I cannot thank them enough for the positive impact they made, and continue to make, on my life. Thank you CoCo, for resurrecting this thread.
Sylvia
Just recently I had a teacher at the college who was teaching things that were not true. I questioned my doctor about one of these claims that teacher made and she denied it totally. This annoyed me because this teacher's motive was to teach us to not be so gullible. I can appreciate that, but I think ALL teachers should teach the truth so that when someone comes along and makes a false claim we have our schooling to back us up to prove them wrong. I think his attitude is a fault in teaching ethics.
LINDA
P.S. There ought to be a law!
bttt
I was never really impressed with my teachers. I have had so many. I think if a teacher can make learning fun, then they are doing a great job.
Never had any class trips like students do today, but all things considered I wasn't that bad a student.
My high school years were terrible. I can remeber getting beaten up by some kid, that was a hockey player from an older grade. I didn't even start it and they had the cahonies to expel me.
I enjoyed my Gr. 10 English class cuz we had a teacher named Mrs. Fagan. She had big green eyes and long hair. She would always give me detention, cuz of my disinterest in Grammar but, I really think she liked me. She would take me to another room and stand over me with her long sweet smelling hair hanging over me . It wouldn't suprize me though, if she did that with other students. She ended up marrying one of the students. Funny thing is I still don't know a lick of grammar.
I never met a teacher that made math fun and interesting. I don't even know if thats possible.
Looking back I must say. I think 90% of teachers hated Jehovahs witneseses deep down cuz they were always running against the grain in school activities. If this dynamic had been different perhaps my school experience would have been as well.
CoCo
I am very appreciative for all my teachers (helpers).
They were special in their different way.
Like Snowbird, I go back to a one room school house (one room 12 grades) with a pot-bellied stove. I had the privilege of helping Moonie Moss (he had no hair on his head), he teacher, keep the room warm by caring the coal for the fire (We were never allowed to put the coal in the stove) and open and closing the windows in the summer.
What memories.
As I set here, letting my mind float back in time. (I can see them all)
I have to admit I have had some very special people, (most were very firm but kindly) from grade school to collage, that has molded my being.
Me thinkin’ me talkin’ to much.
Greetings CoCo - in addition to my own experience as a pupil -
I've had two classes of schoolchildren in my shop this morning with completely different teachers supervising.
The first group came in and ran all over the place, and the teachers didn't have much idea about the various things I talked about. Fortunately the kids had great interest and asked lots of questions and wrote things down!
The second group arrived and spent a lot of money, and had loads of fun! They asked few questions and wrote very little! But their teacher was more knowledgeable and I think will probably quiz them when they get back to class. I think they will have learnt from their more 'hands-on' experience, and they had all the things they bought too to remind them.
Two different learning/teaching styles - I'm not sure which, if either is more successful.
As an aside, the shop is a Christian bookshop, they also visited the parish church, salvation army, a mosque and a fair trade cafe. The teachers told me that the only two pupils who didn't come were JWs, poor things they'd have had their eyes opened in my place!!
My most influential Teacher was a Mr Curtis whom, during Chemistry lessons taught me how, through much practical experiment, most all individuals would form mistaken conclusions from a potemtially misleading sequence of events, especially when each stage in a sequence has several plausible explanations based upon pure observation.
And how, due to focus and rigourous self analysis of ones own observations, one is far more likely able to prevent oneself making false statements and also to later identify when one has done so!
Unfortunately he was not my next door neighbour otherwise he may have saved me from years of pain as a JW, and likely had other advice of life changing potential! IMHO
Ironically, it was his superior in the same department who was a different kettle of fish and smiled a lot but said less, but refereed for the u18 football team and asked me as I left one of his lessons why I didn't go try signing for a football team.
I honestly woulda needed a representative - I was that introverted socially and in formal situations - so I just smiled and zoned out!
Anyhow, I did bust my ass in my homelife and by a single grade lost out on an award for the best results in my year! But received not one single offer of a university place in 6th form which I to this day can only 'long shot' guess was down to my getting involved with a girl who chased me around, her letter writing father - and whom I ended up married to! But that's still pure hypothesis and I learned lots of people like to leave others in that no mans land of pure hypothesis, not knowing one from the other as to why things went the way they did!
