Teacher’s play an important role in a student’s life, they are with them throughout the most important time in their life. They teach us not only what we need to know to pass high school and college and to succeed in life, but to teach us how to behave and respect other people, how to think out situations and how to act. Every teacher has a huge impact on a student because of the teacher’s personality. Students can relate and bond with the them. An old saying says it takes a village to raise a child and part of that village is a teacher. The most important role a teacher can play is that of being a friend to the student. Mrs. Campbell is a great example of this role, as Mr. Powell is not the best example of being a friend to the students.
Mrs. Campbell was a great teacher; she was very understanding. To play the part of a friend you have to be understanding. Mrs. Campbell was very understanding. She knew if something was wrong and was there if you needed to talk to someone. She would just sit there and listen to you without making a sound. She would nod her head and encourage you to continue talking until you felt better. She was a wise women and some times she knew exactly how you felt. It was easy to talk to her when she could relate to your situation. If you came to class one day and talked to her privately about a traumatic incident that happened yesterday and you couldn't finish your homework because of it, she would understand and give you more time to do it. She would not get angry because the homework didn't get finished; she knows that things like this can happen to anyone and cannot always be prevented. Instead she would ask how you are, if she can do anything to help, and give you more time to finish any of the homework that you didn't finish. She was strict at the same time. She may have given the student’s another chance, but they only get so many chances. Then Mrs. Campbell would have to say tough luck and dock points.
Mr. Powell was not the most understanding teacher. He didn’t understand the student’s and their privacy. Most student’s would be embarrassed when it came to test scores and not doing good. Mr. Powell would read everyones test score out loud to the class, without their permission. He couldn’t relate to us, which can make it hard to grab the classes attention. He had high expectations that every individual must meet. If a student was to fall behind in homework because they didn't have enough time, something big happened which prevented them from doing the work, or they just didn't do the work. Mr. Powell would simply take away your homework points which lowers your grade. He would not ask what was wrong, why you didn't do your work, or if an arrangement could be worked out to get the points back. Most teachers would try to work something out so that you can gain some points back. Mr. Powell was not that teacher. If someone forgot to do the work, they could not make it up. That can be really stressful on a student if they cannot finish the work. Accidents do happen and when they do, students rely on having a fall back option. Whether it is full points or some points. It all matters to the student. Being a student once, Mr. Powell should have understood what it’s like to miss work and to give the students a second chance.
Mrs. Campbell was a very sweet teacher. She was very friendly and fun to be around. When a teacher is friendly and fun to be around, it makes the classroom setting relaxing and less intimidating. She rarely got angry, even if the class was acting up. She was calm when handling the situation. She took the time to get to know us on a personal level. That was the start of her becoming our friend. She took a whole class period to let each student talk about themselves and share experiences with the class. This was the bonding time that took the class to a whole new level. We felt like we could be ourselves in her class and not have to worry about other classmates judging us because we were all friends and kind to each other. She would give everyone a nickname and crack jokes with the class. We all had fun while learning and laughed with each other. She was really kind to all her classes and the faculty. At the end of the year the class had to write a thank you letter to one of their teachers. Almost all the class had picked Mrs. Campbell.
Mr. Powell on the other hand was completely opposite. He was a kind person if you met him outside of school, but inside school he was rude he wasn't rude all the time, just when he thought it was the right moment. He liked to interrupt students instead of waiting for them to finish answering the question. One day some students were talking before class and he happened to hear what they were talking about. They were talking about a project that they were doing for ASL at the elementary school. Mr. Powell came over and told them that ASL was a joke and that it wasn't even a language. He said the teacher shouldn't work so hard because the student’s just take it for an easy grade. It was very rude of him to say that. If you don't have anything good to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. Mr. Powell was a good teacher, most of the students had passed his class. He was good about making sure the students passed quizzes and test. He was smart and knew a lot about his subject and taught it well. He just never took the time to get to know the students on a personal level. He kept everyone at a distance, he believed that we are here to learn not to be friends. Student’s learn better when there is a connection between teacher and student, they feel more interested in what that particular teacher has to say and they feel more secure and ready to learn in the classroom.
Being a friend is a hard thing to do. You have to be kind and caring, understanding and friendly. Teachers who are friends to students are the best teachers of all. They care about the students and want them to succeed. They became a teacher so they can help student’s grow, they are passionate about their job and are in it for the students. Not the money, not because its just a job and pays the bills, which it does. Great teachers chose to be a teacher because they love their subject and want to pass down that love and passion to the student’s. To inspire the students to become something more and to do what they love to do. A teacher who is a friend affects the students more because they look up to them and view them as more than a teacher, but as a friend and mentor.
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