Favorite Teacher

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” There are so many different quality traits that separate a mediocre teacher from a great teacher. So who’s to decide what those specific traits are? Every student is different when it comes to learning. One may love a certain teacher, and another may not. All teachers have different teaching styles. Looking back at my favorite teachers from high school, I noticed that they all had similar characteristics that made them my favorites. However, they also had their own unique qualities that made them stand out as well. These teachers have not only taught me the required criteria for the class, but in fact made me a better individual. The three teachers, in which have made the biggest impact on my life are: Cassie Applegate, Jason Aker, and Eric Padget.

During my life I have had several teachers with who I hold in high regard. Mr. Anthony Arico, Mr. Marty Berger, and Mrs. Edna Thomas to name a few. Even though all of the above named teachers had a very profound effect on my life; my all-time favorite teacher would be SSG Daniel Spencer retired. He was my ROTC instructor for approximately two years and has been a mentor throughout my adult life.

Many people don’t understand how strong a connection between twins or brothers can be, I’m a good example. My sister is two years younger than I, even tho we were always together and my mom also dress us with the exact same thing, we were so close and now we actually try not to talk to each other. When I was in elementary school, I ge into an orchestra to learn how to play

I grew up in a typical family consisting of two parents and two sisters, one younger and one older. Although, being only 10 months apart I don’t consider my older sister to be “older” than me. We always get asked if we are twins and the short answer is no but the long answer is sort of, we’re Irish twins. And of course the long answer is always followed by “what are Irish twins?” and I simply tell them it means we were born in the same year. Being in the same grade and having the same friends throughout all 12 years of school has had its ups and downs. Around middle school we always bickered and stole each other’s things and couldn’t stand being in the same room together. As we got older though and our friends moved away or became too cool to associate with us, we became best friends.

The teachers, they can point to and say, “That individual assisted me in becoming the person I am today.” For me, I have one special person that I can do that to. This individual is not only my favorite teacher, but very influential in my life. Katie Josef, my Ed Tech teacher, has shown me what true passion for the field of education looks like. I witness her upbeat personality, and get to experience the kindness she exuberates to her students on a daily basis. She drives the individuals in her class to succeed to their best ability. She inspires me to become an outstanding teacher in whatever field I choose to pursue. Mrs. J has shown me what a teacher that cares for her students truly looks like. With the love and support she shows, it is no mystery how she creates unbreakable bonds with her students- bonds that last for many years, even after a student's graduation. I desire to create these same bonds with my future

For middle school, I had one great teacher that I really enjoyed. It was during my last year in middle school and I had Mr. Weisend. I met him at food lion one day sophomore year and I was so happy to see him. I’d just like to say thank you too him for always making class interesting and always giving us free time at the end of class. He also let me be a teacher assistant and that was fun because after cleaning I got to play games. He even impacted my life through social media by encouraging me.

I have been working on my academic career for many years now. I am currently in my third year of community college, and have come across multiple teachers who have helped and inspired me in many ways. A teacher not only teaches the content of their course, but life skills as well. They are kind, caring, considerate, and understanding of their students. A teacher who goes above and beyond for their students is one that will make a difference. One teacher who I believe has made all the difference to me, was my accounting professor.

Rachel is Melinda’s former best friend. Rachel is snotty and changed her name to Rachelle. She isn’t my favorite character because she dropped Melinda without knowing the whole story. Rachelle says “ I hate you” to Melinda. She said that because Melinda called the cops at a party so everyone assumed she called the cops to come break up the party.

Recently I enrolled myself in one of the most challenging classes in my entire high school, AP US History (APUSH). Even though it’s been a struggle to keep up with everything in the class, I still know that because of this class I now have having a better understanding of life. My APUSH teacher has not only lectured my class about history but he also taught us life lessons every once in awhile. Throughout the year my teacher had us read books that have inspired him in his life in hope that we will take something away with us before going off on our own in the world. We read books like The Energy Bus by and The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrew,two books that teach people how to keep positive, make the right decisions, and be successful. My teacher

Theme in “The Teacher That Changed My Life” The theme in “The Teacher That Changed My Life” is to never give up. As he grew up he had been to six different schools in the past 5 years of his life, the reader realizes that he has a tough life to life. Gage writes, “When I stepped off a ship in New York Harbor on a gray March day in 1949, I was an undersized 9 year old in short pants who had lost his mother and was coming to live with the father he didn't know” (Gage 85). By saying how his life is and how he lives, it somewhat shows you that no matter how hard the situation is, you can turn things around.

My sister and I are only a year, two months, and sixteen days apart. Over the years, this made us very close and we developed similar behaviors, often giving the illusion that we are twins. However, when it came to knowledge and experience, our age difference created a fissure that could not be seen but clearly separated us, as she was always ahead in her education, always given more grown-up privileges, and always ahead in physical and mental accomplishments. Even when I attempted the same things she did, my accomplishments were lackluster when compared to hers.

#2: LINK Unlimited scholars are expected to demonstrate our 6 core values (intellectual curiosity, drive, resilience, accountability, integrity and selflessness). Give at least one example of how you have demonstrated each of the core values.*

“How many of you think I’m white?” … Not a single hand went up while a huge grin formed on her face. This is how Mrs. Yaghi introduced herself to the class on the first day. She proceeded to explain her ethnic background which included middle eastern roots, however under the United States census she would be classified as white. Mrs. Yaghi was my sociology teacher at the end of every day of my senior year of high school, she taught me more than any of my other teachers throughout the years ever did. What I loved most about the course was how she tied in her own personal background and made the class relevant to us all; I can easily say that Mrs. Yaghi greatly impacted me and changed the way I view things. All throughout high school I would say Mrs. Yaghi had the best teacher qualities. She was young, energetic, and passionate about the subject she taught, which to me is crucial when actually enjoying a class.

For some reason or another certain students are drawn to particular teachers while other students are more fond of others. In my life I have studied under three memorable teachers. Teachers with which I was able to connect, to laugh, to share my misgivings. While I may have been close with each of these teachers, it is very clear, in retrospect, that each was very unique, and represented an entirely different class of teacher.

All it takes is seven seconds to completely assess and categorize a person you’ve barely met. This has happened to everyone, especially as a student. Small visual clues such as one’s expression, their race, gender, demeanor, and clothing, set the precedent for how the teacher will view their students from the beginning of the school year to the last day. Most favoritism teachers dole out is subconscious. The reason they may gravitate towards and dote on particular kids could stem from the initial assessment they made or even bias. Humans tend to gravitate towards others similar to them. While there is the belief that teachers playing favourites is natural, necessary, and unavoidable, this behavior is harmful to the student, harmful to their peers, and is often completely irrational.