Learing to Teach: Book Blog

This is in response to the Reflection at the end of Chapter Two in The English Teacher's Companion:
"Think of all the teachers you have had throughout your school career. Take time to think or write about what tehy did that made them so great; perhaps you can remember a specific moment when you realized a particular teacher had something extra that made them great. What was it?"

I have been lucky in the fact that I've had a great many wonderful teachers throughout my school career. They are the reason that I want to be a teacher today. There are two teachers who stand out the most.

The first is, oddly enough, an economics (? I'm not really sure anymore, something historyish) teacher in Harvey, Illinois. Mr. Ethridge was my teacher for the 2nd semester of the only year I spent a Thornton Township High School. Everyone loved Mr. E. The reason was, in my opinion, because he was so open with us. He was a great teacher and really enjoyed his subject, but he had no problem getting off topic to talk about what was going on in the world, or just our lives in general. I have great memories from his classes and the times I would hang out in after school with theater kids (he was the sound manager of the theater). He once had me half convinced that the cat walk in the theater was haunted and he used to always try to hook me up with his son (jokingly, of course...I think). He would say, "You should meet my son, he's cute, 17, he has a job." And I would laugh and just say "No thanks, Mr. E" I really miss him.

My next favoritest teacher ever would be Mrs. Eisen. She was an English teacher, as most of my favorites are, but I never had her as a teacher for English. My junior year of high school I was in her Creative Writing class and she asked me to join the staff of our school newspaper, The Spectator, the next year. So I never had her as a teacher in a very structured environment, but I have a hard time picturing her classes as very structured. She was an amazing teacher, for much the same reasons as Mr. E. She was very real with her students. She shared in our triumphs and failures, and really cared about our lives. She is an amazing woman. When I was attending Granby High she taught English, Journalism, Creating Writing, and was the sponser for both The Spectator and our literary art magazine The Cupola. She encouraged me in my writing almost as much as my own family. My favorite quote from Mrs. Eisen is her answer when people ask her why she teaches high school "because I can hit them and they get my dirty jokes" (not that she made many....). But she is a big part of me wanting to be a teacher.

If I can be half as good a teacher as either Mr. E or Mrs. Eisen, I'll be happy.