Joys of Teaching

I want everyone, not just new and veteran teachers, to see what is possible, not just what exists in teaching. Without joy and hope life is - lifeless I relate honestly some of my failures and worst mistakes as well as some of the greatest moments of the first fifteen years of my fifty years of teaching. When I tell these stories I still get thrilled or teary-eyed as my students outdid my fondest hopes. I began with little knowledge of what education could (should) be. I taught the way I had been taught. I talked and they sat quietly. My second year I was in a master's program in psychology and I learned about Biochemical Individuality. I was astonished at the uniqueness of each individual. I began developing ways to individualize instruction, but it caused my program to be unbalanced. I wanted them to be become independent, self-motivated, socialized, and responsible for their actions. I realized that I had to mix my interactions by having them learn in pairs, triads, small groups, and whole class. Strict individualization was as bad as straight lecturing. I called the result the Self-Sustaining Classroom. It took years to perfect it, but I was attempting more ways to help them achieve responsible independence. Despite pressures to do otherwise, I managed to offer my students a total program with the so-called 'frills" that not only brought them to school, but stimulated many parts of their brain. I was "touchy-feely" because children want and need the physical and emotional components in their relationship with their teacher. I attribute my success to my enjoyment of teaching children, my eclectic reading, and my determination to be my own person and do what I believed was best for the children. Teachers need autonomy With the legal freedom to discover their Teaching Style and to express it without fear, teachers will enable children to find their Learning Style and all will realize their potentials.