I have had many great teachers in my lifetime, but I have to say my all-time favorite was my high school AP world history teacher. Her eccentricities and interest in the subject inspired me to be informed and to enjoy learning. While she was certainly not the most politically correct, I will always appreciate her humor and ability to pick on students in order to engage them, to put them on the spot, and to amuse herself. It was a class where students were encouraged to share their relevant interests and, if called on, actually expected to have a well-informed opinion. While this caused many of my fellow classmates to dislike her, it was exactly these qualities that made her my favorite.
Many students' favorite teacher is the one who teaches a subject where the students naturally excel and the teacher reaches out to the student specifically. My teacher found this perfect mix of personal engagement and a joy for history. When I come home from college for breaks, I will speak to her classes or just catch up with her to talk about life and world events. It is because of this relationship that I am continuously engaged and interested in history even though it is not my major.
Teachers that inspire excitement are hard to find, but they teach much more than facts. History is a subject that many find dry but with the spark of her passion, it became my favorite class. Sure, memorizing all of the dynasties is hard but if you learn about the impacts of the dynastic changes and the stories about them, it becomes easier to learn and fun. I can still differentiate between China's Song and Southern Song dynasties years later, so she did something right.
Honestly, it was because of my teacher that I decided what I wanted to do in life and what to major in. By encouraging passion in class and creating a culture where being informed is the expectation, I found what interested me and what I was good at. Because I found my academic strength and was encouraged to foster it, I found a potential career path in the State Department that I intend to pursue even now. With personal relationships based on a mutual respect for learning between teachers and students much can be gained in education.
Teachers seldom realize the lasting effect that they have on their students, although the goal of many teachers is to inspire students. Having close relationships between students and teachers is exactly what is needed to have a more effective education and one where learning is seen as cool by the students, because they get to experience the enjoyment of learning.
So, thank you, to my high school history teacher for engaging my interest and sharing your passion with me.
