Humanity in Teaching

[Epsilon]

I would like to dedicate this post to anyone who is having a difficult time making it through school, be it primary school or university, in addition to anyone who is currently attempting to identify themselves.

I. PROLOGUE

Everyone who goes to my school knows that Mr. Scott is the best teacher--no questions asked.

Mr. Scott is a very comedic man at around 50 years old. He's been a science teacher for about 20 years now, and used to be very strict until a few years ago, when he decided that he needed to loosen up as he was beginning to find himself becoming a bit too strict. He became a teacher because he wanted to help his students succeed, unlike most other teachers. He's one of the few teachers who are actually supportive in my school.

Now, we usually spend most of the class time having debated discussions about what's going around the world in current events. He has said many times to us, "Guys, I'm an environmental science teacher. None of you are taking state exams for me like you are for your other teachers. Your other teachers' jobs are to prepare you for these state exams. Seeing as none of you are taking those for me, it is my job to teach you what's going on around the world and basically tell you like it is. I just want to make sure you make it somewhere in life."

Let's go back to the beginning of sophomore year. The first time I met Mr. Scott, I instantly got a good feeling about him. He told us that we could use our phones in class because he understood that we were teenagers and we were addicted to technology, but as the year progressed, people kept listening to him despite of their permission to use their phones instead. He just had a way of getting his students' attention, I guess it's just because we knew he cared.

He told us that our GPA mattered if we wanted to get into college, but not if it didn't. He told us that some kids weren't made out for college and that was fine, and that these kids could still get jobs just like kids who went to college could. The only thing that mattered was the effort that the person was willing to put in. Whether you have a degree or are self educated, he taught, you need to a) know what you're doing, and b) want to do what you're doing. That's all that matters, that's how you succeed in life. But if we wanted to go to college, he explained that we would need to keep our GPA up and fix whatever damages we'd created in freshman year, because if we didn't fix them in sophomore year it would mean we'd have to do everything in junior year, and boy, would that be disastrous.

I have been on the honor roll all year because of him saying that to me when no other teacher did.

As I said before, Mr. Scott is very supporting of his students. There are a few times when school starts to get really tough, and predominantly that time is during midterms. Work keeps piling up and up and up, and it's almost as exponential growth works, except there's only one difference: Instead of the work piling up and then crashing down, you're what crashes down, not your work. With Mr. Scott, he's told his students about this time period ahead of time and reassured them that they can make it through this. And honestly, him saying this is what kept me from staying in bed some days and sleeping in. I went to school just to hear him be supportive of us, and for no other reason aside from this.

II. A MEMOIR

Today in class, Mr. Scott had us write a short essay with the following prompt: If we could be any animal at all, what would it be and why? Use the animal's character traits to support your decision. With this, many students became baffled at this request, and began asking him which animal he thought they'd be best suited for. A few minutes in, Mr. Scott stopped the class and said the following:

"Guys, all of you are asking me what animals I think you are. To be honest, I don't know. You have all known yourselves for 15 years whereas I've known you for 7 months. You want to know why I'm having you write this? I think that the education has corrupted you. You're all like, robots, you know?! Your teachers tell you, 'Okay guys, learn this and this and this and study these things for the test next week so you can get an A'. It's almost like you're programmed to do these things nowadays.

"I'm having you do this assignment because I want to make you actually think for a change. Really, when was the last time you ever actually thought in school? Probably haven't for a long time. This assignment I've given you is going to really make you have to think. You're all asking me what animal I think you are because you're so used to being guided through life and being told what to do specifically and having someone hold your hand, and the real world doesn't work that way. You have to make your own decisions in life, you can't let somebody else make your decisions for you all this time because eventually there's going to be a time where you'll have to start making your own decisions in life, and you know what? Once that time comes, you won't know how.

"But I will help you out just a little bit with this assignment. For homework, I want you to list four (4) traits that you think apply to you, be it nice, funny, insecure, whatever. Just write four, and then think of an animal that shares these traits with you. I want to help you guys find out who you are, because this education system really does treat you guys like robots so much to a point where you all start to treat yourselves as such. I want you to realize from this assignment that you are humans."

III. CONCLUSION

Mr. Scott is the best teacher in my school because he is supportive, comical, and overall he is a human and he embraces his human character. He does not program us into robots like the majority of teachers do, he is a human being. He treats his students like humans, and he wants to see them succeed. He once said to us, "I teach because I like teaching, I don't teach to get paid. If I wanted money, I'd get another job".

His teachings have inspired me to write about this and possibly inspire you. For those of you who are trying to identify yourself, keep searching for your identity; you will find it. Perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough, or perhaps you haven't been looking in the right place. But you will find it, trust me as I trust Mr. Scott. For those of you struggling in school, you can do this. You can make it through, just keep marching forward.

[Graham]

Hey Epsilon,

You posted about a very interesting life experience of yours. I admire your commitment to your teacher and your education. I'm sure there are are others in this community who are still trying to find their identity and figure out what they want from life. I hope your story gives hope to them and that they persevere in their education. You don't need to attend an educational institution such as college/university to educate yourself on anything. However, receiving a degree from a college/university is often times than not going to land you a better job. Remember everyone to stay focused and to stay in school. The most important lessons here are that hard work and perseverance pay off. 

- Graham