I have studied under some of the most amazing teachers that I could have ever imagined. Some taught me the Pythagorean theorem or the Bonferroni correction, while others invoked a love of reading.
One of my most memorable teachers at Columbia had us discuss and write out what we desired to learn at the culmination of the class after handing out the syllabus. She kept that piece of paper until the last day of the semester, and we all understood how far we had come since the first day within our own writing styles. Some teachers waltz in on the first day with an array of sample essays or mock AP questions, and others are all about understanding the requirements of the syllabus.
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However, the best teachers I ever studied under made their mark on me within the first five minutes of the first day of class.
One of my favorite experiences with a remarkable teacher came during my first ever class of high school. I went to a new school for high school, as my elementary and middle school ceased at the eighth grade. I got to Exposition and Argumentation early, as I previously walked through my class schedule during orientation with my advisor. Our professor didn’t arrive, and all of his students were patiently awaiting their first high school class as well. He storms into the classroom with an unforgettable slam poem. He expressed extraordinary personality in less than five minutes. He made us feel safe, self-expressive, and fearless.
During my senior year I enrolled in Writing in Public, an honors senior elective about writing in the public eye, with an emphasis on opinion editorials. We shaped our opinions together; we had a space to craft our voices.
Who taught this class? The same teacher as my‘Exposition and Argumentation class from freshman year. He taught me how to write a speech, or give a thoughtful presentation, and I was so incredibly thankful to have that experience as a mere senior in high school. I was published through his class initiatives three times in my local newspaper.
Additionally, I remember the first five minutes I ever spent with my high school statistics teacher. I was studying for a trigonometry exam during my sophomore year outside his office, while I sat, waiting for my professor. My professor was ill that day, and I did not know that she was gone. I kept waiting, while finally he stood up and said, “Hey, Tj. I saw you at Theatre Night and that’s all I know about you thus far, but I’d be happy to help you out with whatever you need from your teacher.”
I was so stressed, and he calmed my nerves with a simple few sentences. I quickly understood what an amazing professor that I had the privilege to get to know. I knew that I wanted to take his AP class in the future. He believed in me, and his trust in me grew through his class. He was the only professor I ever had to hold review sessions upon review sessions until we were ready for the AP exam. Needless to say, the majority of the students got fives.
He allowed us to design our own statistics research project towards the end of the class. My group and I researched the most popular class curriculums at our high school in order to aid the incoming freshman and include quotes while picking class schedules. My statistics professor urged my group to contact the Head of School to inform him about my group’s project. The Head of School utilized our statistical data to select the classes that were the most beneficial in terms of the students’ minds.
Later, he got to know my family and came to every play that I did in high school. He even wrote a recommendation letter for my college applications. I was anxious to attend AP Statistics every day for my teacher’s jokes and concrete, memorable examples of statistical tests. His expertise was in statistics, and majored in it as a college athlete in wrestling. He taught Algebra II, AP Statistics, and a probability class.
When he and his family moved to North Carolina, my family and I held a going-away party for them at our favorite restaurant. He wrote me a card that I took to New York that sat on my college desk. He wrote: “I will never forget having the privilege to get to know an effervescent young lady.”
He still ensures that I am utilizing what he taught me during my time in high school. I cannot fully express all he taught me that I use in college, not just in my Statistics for Behavioral Sciences course. He was so proud when I called him to let him know the skills that I used in that class, but truly I use the self-expression that he instilled in me every single day.
I know that all my teachers won’t ever know what all they invoke in me, but I know that I can credit my ability to be self-expressive to my teachers. The best teachers go over and beyond, from the very beginning of your relationship. They ensure one-of-a-kind ways to learn that you’ll remember forever.
Those experiences from the first five minutes in a classroom setting teach you how your future mentors express themselves. You see clearly who you gravitate towards, and what personality styles best suit you.
We learn passionate, unapologetic self-expression through our teachers showcasing their own talents.
My Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus teacher is a local star in musicals, my chemistry teacher was the Tulsa Rowing coach, my humanities teacher is my school newspaper’s editor, my Literature of the Supernatural and Introduction to Literary Analysis teacher wears different, funky scarves every day, and my theatre “teacher” co-starred alongside me in a Tulsa Fringe Festival play.
They all have their passions and quirks, yet sometimes we as students forget their vast array of skills outside of the classroom. Those qualities allow for their brilliance to shine within the classroom and for their students to understand how to utilize their talents. Our teachers acquired self-expression alongside being brilliant, and we learn self-expression through their examples.
