Hi all,

I'm thinking of starting a very meaningful thread in this section, which is to share about your personal experience on a teacher who has changed your life for the better. Please feel free to express yourself. :-)

Thank you.

All the Best,
Yixiang

I can't really remember any positive teachers (;-/) but I had a guidance counselor who really changed my life in high school. (Close enough, right?) He always took a truly personal interest in how I felt and what was going on in my life, and intervened on several occasions to try to make my learning experience more rewarding. For instance, I had a social studies teacher who I didn't get along with, and who I thought was kind of rude, and he wanted to help me get switched to another class and teacher that I'd feel more comfortable with. That impressed me and made me feel that someone cared.

But the real kicker was when he confessed to me on a few occasions that he didn't appreciate the way my parents were reacting to me, and when one time he told me that he was pretty appalled when my father told him he had tried to bribe me with money to motivate me to get better grades. The message I got from this guidance counselor was that he would fight for my rights and go to bat for me. He didn't seem like the other adults I'd met, and I remember that he really helped me to develop better self-esteem.

Sharrhan:


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i have had so many awesome teachers
just been blessed
that's all
i can't keep track of them

first grade teacher played the guitar and we sang songs and she read stories to us from books
second grade teacher always had interesting projects for us and she would have a little brown bag that had a smiley face in it
every time u did something good like participating in class, u got a little "prize' from the brown paper bag (usually it was an erase that was shaped like a bird and it was a blue or pink color.. things like that)

third grade teacher: was very very sharp and stern but cared about us and could teach REALLY well

fourth grade teacher was my second grade teacher; she taught both

fifth grade teacher: really dedicated teaching math
another fifth grade teacher taught history and played the piano and had us all sing great songs

sixth grade teacher : i had two that were absolutely AMAZING
our grammar teacher taught us the parts of speech ( never forgot them)
then we had a teacher that got us involved in team sport competitions, had us learn all these geographical terms and make home made books that explained all the geography terms from A to Z by drawing a picture of it or pasting a photo of it or both and then explain them

he was incredible

never ever forgot them
and this was at a public school too
school run on a shoe string budget
but the teachers made it FIRST CLASS !!!

i would have to say the same for most of my teachers
very very VERY dedicated
they have to be
if they are teaching a subject
its probably cuz they are passionate about it
otherwise why else would they be doing it?

anyhow, i have a VERY good high opinion of teachers , in general

i was never much into school though LOL

i was into books though that weren't assigned at school
and just about everything else that was non school related

but i have to call a spade a spade

my teachers were top notch

Sharrhan, you had a really special teacher indeed!

la_veronique, thanks so much for sharing with us! Really glad to know that you have encountered so many wonderful teachers in the past. Haha, it seems like many of us tend to look into things that was non school related and I think that's one of the reasons why we met on this raw food forum. :-)

All the Best,
Wong

:-) Thanks Wong, for thinking of this question. Remembering Mr. Parks was a rush!

Sharrhan:


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TEACHERZZ RAWWWWKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!

( in general

Those look like awesome posts.. I will catch them when I have the time.. for now I just want to say, here is one of the most humble and clear sighted teachers I have heard. I true visionary and Hopi elder [www.nmai.si.edu]

Anyone that cares for our future would do well to hear him out.

I only had one teacher in school that was nice to me.

My favorite teacher is Pat Conroy. I love his book THE WATER IS WIDE. I read it before I had kids or ever thought of homeschooling and thought that is what education is. So exciting!!!

"After graduation, Conroy taught English in Beaufort, South Carolina where he met and married a young woman with two children, a widow of the Vietnam War. He then accepted a job teaching underprivileged children in a one-room schoolhouse on Daufuskie Island, a remote island off the South Carolina shore. After a year, Pat was fired for his unconventional teaching practices--such as his unwillingness to allow corporal punishment of his students--and for his general lack of respect for the school's administration. Conroy evened the score when he exposed the racism and appalling conditions his students endured with publication of The Water is Wide in 1972. The book won Conroy a humanitarian award from the National Education Association and was made into the feature film Conrack, starring Jon Voight."

Hi Lightform & pakd4fun,

Thanks a lot for sharing with us. :-)

All the Best,
Wong

I've got one:
My high school art teacher -- he always encouraged my artistic talent and insisted that I enter two contests. I had no self esteem and did not want to, but did. I won them both. He went on to tell me to never forsake my art because my talent is huge. Of course I did for a long time, but I'm trying to get back into it.

Sundancer

GET BACK INTO IT..!!

what are ya waaaaaittting for, huh??

peace


artists rule the world

I actually liked many of my teachers. But my junior and senior year had my favorite teachers. I had Mrs. Stupka, who was the Ready, Set, Teach! teacher, she was one of the sweetest ladies anyone could every meet. My English teachers for both years helped me to become who I am today. My Calculus Teacher was definitely one of my favorite teachers. She was another very sweet woman. I let me get away with plenty of bull, but only because she knew that I would do just fine in her class whether I slept or not. lol My Economics teacher taught me that not all conservatives are bad. Before him, all of my social studies teachers had always been hardcore liberals, so I only learn liberal ideas, until I met him.
In general, I think that Teaching is one of the most respectable and noble professions/arts possible. I love teachers for what they give to the world and to themselves. Teaching is a powerful love in itself. Teaching is love of the truth, and to love the truth is to love your true self, and to love your true self is the only way to truly love another, and to love another is the threshold of teaching. Is a beautiful cycle!

my literature teachers kicked A**!!!

that is the truth


so why not just admit it

LOL

i thought they were the most scintillating, intelligent, creative thinkers on planet earth plus it just so happened that they had the greatest sense of humor

i was VERY impressed

maybe it was just sheer luck

but every single literature teacher i had, i thought " wow!!.. what an incredible thinker!"

they left a DEEP impact on me

they got me to fall more and more in love with literature

and i'm still reading, checking out the great mastserpieces ( p.s. i don't like shakespeare though LOL

i think some contemporary writers are pretty great too

LaV-- my sentiments exactly!!!

I keep forgetting that I am among those who do definitely rule the world!!!! Why do we wait, ignore, not look at what we are MEANT to do???!! Thanks!!!

for you LaV =D

How to Love Shakespeare


Decide on a play. It is generally helpful to choose a play that is highly popular. Reading "King Lear," for instance, can give you greater motivation to understand the text than reading "The Merry Wives of Windsor." It is also helpful to choose a play with themes in which you are interested. Does a tale of "star-crossed lovers" appeal to you? Then "Romeo and Juliet" is right up your alley. Remember that understanding Shakespeare can be a tiring experience for the novice and can easily discourage readers. Most editions will have a brief synopsis printed on the back cover. If the play sounds intriguing, it might make for a good selection.

Choose a good edition. There are several to choose from. The textual differences are generally minute, but they will differ drastically in their explanation of the text. The Arden is highly regarded as being the most detail oriented edition and providing the most historical information pertaining to the play. The New Folger Library edition, if it is available is a nice choice, as are the Spark notes treatments.. Each page of text provides simple notes and explanations on the opposite side to give you a more accessible understanding of the language.

Find a synopsis. This might sound like cheating, but is highly valuable to understanding the play. If you possess the New Folger Library edition, a synopsis is provided before each scene. They are written to provide just enough information. Read it. You will then be able to match each character's lines with your understanding of the plot. In addition, because you are not burdened with the effort of "figuring it out," you will be more receptive to the nuances of language and character. Remember, it is difficult to appreciate anything when you have a puzzled look on your face.

Read the play out loud. Shakespeare's plays were meant to be performed. Do not fall into the trap of intellectualizing the material before you've had a chance to experience it. The reason Shakespeare's works have survived for as long as they have and with such popularity is because we, as an audience, have understood the connection with the human experience. Read aloud. Have fun and act it out if you can. Make it a living experience. You will then reach an understanding that is far greater than what any scholar can say about the subject. You will also have more fun.

Attend the play. Or watch the movie. After you've finished reading it, of course! It can be a real treat to see a performance of the piece once you've already imagined it in your head. How does the performance compare with your perceptions of the play? Was there something the actor provided that you did not consider? Was there something you would have done differently? Generally speaking, having read the play makes you a much better audience member as you are not struggling to understand the words. If you have finished reading one of Shakespeare's more popular plays as prescribed above, there is a very good chance it is currently in live production or has been produced into a film, often several times.



[edit] TipsMany of the Bard's plays are now available for listening on CD, audio tape or iPod download. Listening to these may help you become familiarized with the language and make it easier for you to do the reading\



haha i love the read the play out loud suggestion .. i wanna do that now =D

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

HA HA HA HA!!!

JAY GUNNNN!!

thanks a bunch for that how do appreciate shakespeare article

jeeperzzz that is hilarious

read the play aloud LOL

yeah, i could be Kate in Taming of the Shrew

and when the gentleman caller says " The moon is black "

The earth is flat

i just say " yes sir.. you know best " LOL

I remember that play

cuz we read it in high school

and i thought it was hilarious

that she got so brainwashed into believing everything that that man told her

i forget if that guy ended up being her husband

oh...i think he was her "suitor"

anyhow.. so... my understanding is that at first she is all spitfire , nerves and brashness and has no time or patience to listen to her suitor

but then she ends up getting brainwashed by her gentleman caller

so much so that she ends up believing whatever he says

and WANTS to believe it too

I just call it "keeping the peace"

If gentleman caller says something OUTRAGEOUS that i don't believe but i wanna keep the peace

I just say " Sure hon... "

I learned that from Kate's character

I'm sure she didn't believe diddly squat of what she was agreeing to

but it was just her way of showing how she had 'fallen' in love LOL

craziness

that was like in ninth grade we read the book

must read it again

cuz i'm sure i'm missing the entire point of it

but whatever

that's what i recall



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2008 09:03PM by la_veronique.

Sundancer

<<I keep forgetting that I am among those who do definitely rule the world!!!! Why do we wait, ignore, not look at what we are MEANT to do???!! Thanks!!!>>

I don't know what your life, time or schedule is like

but you know ... what I've found that helps me is to just sometimes take as little as
TEN MINUTE a day to devote to what you were meant in your soul to express

whether it is writing or painting or sculptoring or whatever artistic expression

that TEN MINUTES is really powerful

sometimes i like doing stuff that I love to do first thing in the morning because it SETS my day

if i have THREE things that I like to do and i just devote 10 minutes to each of those

that is 30 minutes

i could wake up early to do it as well

but it makes a POWERFUL difference in how the rest of my day goes

and then... that has a way of seeping into all the other areas of your life

and when u get on a roll

sometimes u build an impetus

and then u end up doing more of it

or finding different avenues etc.

but if you feel overwhelmed with all the ramifications implications including economic aspects etc.

just STOP

all your thinking and just do FIVE minutes of whatever it is that you are passionate about

and if u survived that much without thinking about all the other implications

then do five minutes more

a little every day beats having to do a big chunk when u are overwhelmed by other things

and things build and build

and before you know it

the little apple seed has flourished into an entire tree and is bountiful

So true!!!! I know that in some levels, but it is always good to hear it again. Thanks!!!

Sundancer,
That's a wonderful story. Do share your art with us, okay? (Pretty please???!!)

As an artist and musician who often keeps my talents buried and under wraps, for reasons even I don't understand, I can really, really appreciate that teacher who spurred you on and encouraged you to realize your immense talent.

Sharrhan:


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