What makes great teaching?

I think what makes great teaching is having the understanding that we as educators have the influence to change people’s lives and shape multiple generations, and acquiring all the knowledge we can to be able to make this possible in a positive way. As teachers, we have so much freedom in what we choose to share with our students. While we obviously have our curriculum that we are required to teach, there is so much more that an educator does that this class has taught me. We teach our students not only their basic school subjects, but how to function as a person in society. How to see things in another’s perspective, how to care for one another, how to have compassion for the world around them. Growing up, we’re so used to just our bubble and what inhabits it. Our family’s structure, the things our individual families face. When we go to school, we’re exposed to everything else that is. Most problems arise from lack of awareness of others’ struggles, so it’s important that we teach our students that these struggles are normal. Some people choose or are not able to pursue higher level education, which is completely okay, but that highlights the importance that public education plays in developing members of a community. We should teach our students the value that difference brings. Without difference, what would make someone special? Teaching these differences and that difference is not a negative thing is in my opinion one of the strongest aspects of great teaching.

How do we talk about issues that matter?

In order to talk about issues that matter, you must first acknowledge what matters to you. I think that before we can decide the things we believe matter, we must first educate ourselves as much as we can so we can have a reasoned opinion. I personally don’t like to speak on things I don’t know about, but I feel like that is often how most information gets passed around, whether true or false. Everyone should be a learner at all times, but our progress moves backwards when we choose to share false information. When we understand what’s going on around us, we can then educate others around us. I feel like the best learning appears in everyday situations when we can learn from anyone, maybe a stranger you’ll only see once or maybe from a good friend. This kind of knowledge you acquire is learned in a respectful exchange, with the learner holding respect for the teacher and listening to them thoughtfully, and the person teaching sharing something they see as important. This is how we begin to talk about things that matter, by listening to each other and being passionate about the things we’ve learned and see to be important. When we can have conversations about real life things that real people experience, we are opening our ears and minds to an honest and needed discussion. When we choose to ignore something when it doesn’t affect us, we are limiting our knowledge and potential to bring changes to these issues, as well as losing compassion for our communities, which, in my opinion, is one of the most important virtues to maintain when attempting to educate our students.