Saving Grace

While reading Journal 1 of The Alternative and reflecting on the assignment giving, memories of teachers flooded through my mind. I am unabashed to admit that I believed some teachers to be poor at their job, and have more than once thought that perhaps this wasn’t the correct career path for them. One such teacher was my 7th and 8th grade science teacher, who believed public shaming to be the preferable way of teaching adolescents. When a student would answer a question wrong in class he couldn’t help but laugh as well as bring it up throughout the lesson, refusing to let the student move past their mistake. He chose to

Back in the 1950s, teaching was considered a noble profession. The men and women that chose the field of education as a career were well respected by parents, students, and the community as a whole. I sat down with a retired teacher, a current teacher and a student working on their education degree, all three from the same family. Mr. Charles Faren is a retired high school teacher, head football coach and assistant principal, Ms. Cheryl Faren is currently a middle school reading teacher for the Clark County School District, and Mr. Matthew Barth is a student at College of Southern Nevada working on his degree in secondary education who is currently working as a gear up tutor at one of the county’s middle schools. The role of a teacher hasn’t necessarily changed over the years, the requirements and expectations have however. Today the educators of America are required to teach what is called common core, they have to prepare students to take standardize exams, with the technology of the internet and social media comes new forms of bullying and harassment that shows up in schools, low wages and now a lack of support and respect that today’s teachers now have to work through.

These stereotypes of teachers inspire the general public by showing a “fairy-tale version” of what truly happens in the classroom. The movies make it look like there is always some huge triumph at the end of the day and everyone ends up learning what they need to learn. This does not always mean learning the classroom material. Breault states that in most of the movies studied the teachers are more focused on teaching life lessons as opposed to the basic knowledge that should be taught in the classroom. The article also discusses how the teaches are viewed as heroes who save the students and advocate for them outside of the classroom. The teachers in the movies are praised for never teaching with a textbook or teaching regular course curriculum. The pictures show that the real live classroom is a lot more structured than what is portrayed in

Flannery O’Connor is considered one of the foremost short story writers in American literature. Known for writing violent and shocking stories, some argued that she defined a type of writing known as Southern Gothic literature. O’Connor was born March 25, 1925 in Savannah Georgia and was the only child of devout Roman Catholics. Even though she had a strong religious upbringing, she was always known to have a morbid curiosity. This curiosity proved to be her strength when she began writing. She went on to write two novels and many short stories before she succumbed to lupus at the age of thirty nine. O’Connor’s stories contained many themes that were perhaps related to events that happened in her life. In her short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”. The story tells of a family on the way to vacation that, due to a series of unfortunate events, meet a tragic end. Faith, grace, violence and despair are the themes that resonate throughout the story.

Many have claimed to have solved the school system or saved the future generations through solutions such as non-government funding or higher standards for all teachers no matter what salary is presented, however, the key to the locked door of success is not labeled with a solution of policy, but that of heart and culture.

On April 28 of 2016, English professor at Diablo Valley, College Laury Fischer gave a lecture called “Whiteboard Jungle: Teacher in the Movies, TV, and other Places We’ve Never Seen.” Mr. Fischer, a professor himself, acted as an advocate for real teaching. He wanted to persuade the audience on how Hollywood’s portrayal of a teacher has shaped the teaching profession. Also, compared it with his experience as a teacher for 42 years and experiences from his colleagues, emphasizing on how important is for teachers to leave a long lasting impression on their students.

Throughout the ages, we as teachers are known best for being the instrumental tools in the lives of many young adults and playing very vital and dynamic roles in the lives of some of the greatest women and men, therefore believing the power of an educator is unparalleled and to attempt to describe what we impart into the lives of others with three words is indeed nearly impossible.

In Freedom Writers, a teacher, Erin Gruwell, supported and believed in her at-risk students when others did not, this caused a positive impact on her student’s lives. Other teachers were confident that Gruwell’s students will not accomplish much and drop out. In my case, I did not experience the same situations as the students, but Gruwell’s spirit resembled the one teacher that changed my life. At times when I wanted to give up, like the students, I remembered I had a teacher who made her students see the importance of an education and would do anything in her power to help her students succeed. I believe the teachers in our school system serve as a beneficial factor in American education.

“Keep a folder of every note and letter you receive from students and parents. When you are having a bad day, pull it out and remember all the people you have influenced in a positive way.” These words were shared with me by one of my cooperating teachers and described the impact a teacher can have in learning and relationships. Unmistakable Impact continues to influence the belief that we work together to become better than we are by ourselves and that we need to be honest with ourselves in order to see our strengths and improve on our areas of concern.

Along with planning lessons teachers also have to learn the school’s curriculum, policies and procedures. At this time, it becomes a reality that teachers are responsible for their students’ well-being and education. The reality of this responsibility may become

Peter Weir’s, "Dead Poets Society" is about an unorthodox, inspirational and frankly an unusual English teacher and his students. Set in 1959 at Welton Academy , a fictional elite Vermont boarding school. Follows an English teacher, and how he challenges his students to question traditional views by techniques such as standing on their desks to “look at things in a different way.” Although unavoidable that this intelligent and brilliant teacher will be fired from teaching at this school, it was extremely touching when his students stood on their desks to stand up for their admired teacher. Weir's film incorporates a lot about poetry with a lot of great lines from former poets included within the film itself. At the end of the school semester, an extraordinary teacher's goal in the poetry course, would be to leave the students loving poetry, nevertheless, at the end of the course, the only thing the students really end up loving, is the teacher himself.

As children, we absorb information and learn from experiences that mold us into who we are. Many individuals impact a child’s life, but the most powerful and influential role lies in a devoted teacher, a teacher provides growth to students as a gardener would to a garden of flowers. Each child can bloom into a thriving flower so long as you water their garden with optimism, love, patience, and guidance. Throughout my educational experiences I was lucky enough to have educators who poured their knowledge and optimism into me, and now I would like to reciprocate that back to students who are in the position I was once in. Balancing life and school is hard enough for a student, but a powerful and caring teacher can steer you in the right direction. In this autobiography you will read about my educational background, experiences that influenced my decision to become a teacher, and what I believe the role of a teacher should be in a student’s life.

One TV show that has meaning to me within the show is "7th Heaven." The show is based on the lives of a preacher, his wife, and seven children. The show, "7th Heaven," started when I was in 6th grade, in 1999, and I hardly ever miss an episode. Each episode holds a life lesson that everyone can connect with in some way. "7th Heaven" has captured the hearts of television audiences with its witty, charming and heartwarming stories and has been praised for providing high-quality entertainment for all ages. Chronicling the many complex problems of growing up in the world today, the young adults on "7th Heaven" are exposed to issues ranging from dating crises to teen suicide, sibling rivalry to gang violence.

“Dead Poet’s Society” was a film which centered around a group of students whom were unhappy with their education, even though they attended the “best prep school in America.” Most of the students were controlled in one way or another when it came to their education and life as a whole. Over the course of the movie, the boys gradually opened up and their personalities shined through as the seemingly unusual, replacement English teacher began to change their opinion on learning. Although Mr. Keating’s approach was very different from what the students were used to, he came to have a substantial impact on their lives. After analyzing many aspects of the students, teachers, and education as a whole, it can easily be determined that the movie’s main goal was to display the importance of transitioning from the mandated teacher-centered approach to open minded student-centered classroom in the years to follow. By the end of the movie, the students realized that they were entitled to their own opinion and could have a voice, in spite of the administration’s liking, when it came to their education.

I confess a weakness for the ideals of a teacher. I know that a teacher in our country is bound to be poor. Yet to be a teacher is to me a noble ambition. I like to imagine myself watching the slowly expanding minds of young people like the petals of flowers, and helping them to receive eagerly the light of knowledge. But then I hesitate when I think of the poverty, and drudgery of a teacher’s life. It may it may be that, driven by this poverty, I may be forced to sacrifice the ideals that I cherish in order to do my duties to myself and my family. To take up duties to which one cannot be blind to the heroism that underlies a teacher’s calling. To me that is an inspiring