PhyreBards

Greetings, Methods folks!

Welcome to our online writing community -- a shared space for wrestling with the various, troublesome, intriguing, wild, and strange issues that arise on the journey to becoming an English teacher. Although you'll be writing here each week, today I'd like you to just make a short post to test the system out and get the hang of it.

As a separate entry, tell me about your most memorable English Language Arts teacher. Who was she? (Characterization, not name!) What made him stand out in your memories -- either for good or for ill.

My most memorable English teacher was my tenth grade English teacher. He was the first male English teacher I had ever had, and until I came to college remained the only male English teacher I would ever have. I'm not entirely sure why his class has stayed with me. In part, it was because I was in his class on September 11 and his handling of the situation was amazingly calm under pressure. As far as his teaching style and methods, he was laid-back and flexible on deadlines, understood that students have other responsibilities than his class, and provided genuinely interesting assignments that got us involved and active. My brother had the same teacher four years later for twelfth grade English, and loved the class. He never gets along with his English teachers, and I think that enjoyment on his part was a testament to this teacher's abilities.

My most memorable English teacher was my 6th grade English teacher. She challenged me and the class as a whole to read novels that were out of our comfort zones. For example, we read "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. Though I was not crazy about the novel, probably because most of it went over my head, I still felt as though I had accomplished a great deal. She was motivating, and encouraging; tough, but compassionate, and for that I will always remember her. I'm not sure how my fellow 6th graders felt about her as a teacher but I always admired her and feel today that I am inspired to be an English teacher because of her.

My most memorable english teacher was a younger man who was incredibly passionate about english. He would not listen to any comments or read any papers if they did not "prove it". He frequently challenged the way that we thought and taught us strategies for how to understand difficult books or readings. He believed that everyone could do the work and maintained high expectations for the entire class. He eventually left teaching to pursue a law degree.

His name was (and I would presume still is) Mr. Lanza, and he was my 8th grade English teacher. He has the most outrageous George Castanza impression and a huge heart. During a time when my peers and I were faced with the challenges of adolescents and puberty, he managed to keep us engaged in reading books like Lord of the Flies and classic poetry like "The Raven". His concern for his students went beyond the grades in his book; he cared about us as maturing young people. His empathatic ways have inspired me.

I loved my AP English IV and Creative Writing English teacher. She was stylish, sophisticated and funny. I had Creative Writing first period and English IV fourth period, so first semester senior year, my days were bookended with her. We read Hamlet aloud in a reading circle and wrote found poetry from magazines. I want to be her.

My most memorable English teacher was Tia Todd. At the time, she wasn't what you would consider an official teacher. She was a student teacher for my English IV class. I thought she was incredible because she taught us how to write research papers. She also taught most of us how to manage our time because we had to turn in drafts and work with her on an individual basis. She kept our attention and did her best to ensure that we were learning what she was striving to teach. I still keep in touch with her.

None of my English teachers have really been that stimulating, but one was slightly interesting who I can appreciate now more that I have been thinking about strategies for my own classroom. She would show movies of works of literature that we were studying so that we could see similarities and differences in what was on film versus in the actual work. At the time, I thought it was a easy way to kill time, but now I actually think that is something that I would like to do because it can bring in interest from the students in a medium that they will be more likely to understand.

My most memorable English teacher is a young lady by the name of Ms. Vogel. She was my teacher for two years in high school. Ms. Vogel was "cool" and really understood high schoolers. She pushed us to be good readers and writers but also let us just sit around and talk about what we thought about the novels we were reading. Ms. Vogel cared about me as well. I could talk to her about anything else going on in my life. She always wanted to hear about my soccer games or just the typical life of a high school teenager. When I think about what kind of teacher I want to be, Ms. Vogel is one that comes immediately to mind.

The most memorable English teacher that I have ever encountered throughout my education is also the most stubborn and rude individual that I have ever known. He read our papers out loud to the entire class in a mocking tone. He was constantly critiquing and calling on individuals that had not sought his attention. He did not care if a student was humiliated while he provided his advice. He went completely against the grain and his English course was one of the most challenging classrooms to enter every day, no matter the assignment. As a result, we all became more comfortable with our writing and reading skills while our techniques improved.

I was lucky to have my most memorable English teacher to teach me in the 10th and 12th grades. She also taught my yearbook class for two years in a row. She was a short, mousy, and very knowledgeable woman who was always in control of her class. I enjoyed her lessons because she allowed the class to discuss the text without being in control of every comment made. She was very fun and would always laugh at our silly antics.