Teach Me

8- Although it might be tempting to assume that all teachers “dispense” knowledge that students then “store,” surely you have had one or two teachers who broke that stereotype. Why was your relationship different with that teacher, and how did teaching and learning take place?

Throughout high school, teachers always informed the students that college will be a different scene. They said that college professors do not spooonfeed students the information that they need. It is up to the student to learn the material and the professor is just there to provide guidance. The first time I experienced this was in my Geometry class during my sophomore year. My teacher's name was Mrs. Harvey-Stapleton. From the beginning of the class, I knew that this would be a different class than all of my others. I immediately determined that she was a very mean lady and I would hate this class. Because her teaching approach was so different from others, and because I was not acclimated to her, we did not have a great relationship. We continually bumped heads because I felt that she was a bad teacher. She would always give homework without teaching us or explaining how to do it. Then, the next day, she would become furious if we did not understand the homework. What I did not realize at the time was that she was trying to show us that no one can teach you like you can. At the end of the course, I noticed that I had learned a lot because I was forced to teach myself. This prepared me for college, and I do not struggle as much as other students because I am acclimated to the classroom settings thanks to my Geometry class. So, I guess Mrs. Harvey-Stapleton wasn't so bad after all.