Thoughts on Teaching and Education
by
Mary V. Bicouvaris
1989 National Teacher of the Year
I have five fundamental beliefs which guide my teaching:
- - accept all students where they are,
- - never make it easy for students to fail,
- - never give up on a student because he fails to learn,
- - teach students to think, and
- - provide opportunities for students to develop beyond the classroom.
My first precept about teaching is to accept every child entrusted to me because each one is his parents' greatest gift. It is my job to accept him as he is, teach him what I must, and help him reach a new and better understanding of himself and the world in which he lives.
I hear teachers say that students have the right to fail, and I suppose that's true. But it shouldn't be easy. I am convinced that the vast majority of students, given sufficient time and appropriate types of help, can achieve a level of mastery in any subject area. I am especially proud of the accomplishments of my low ability students for whom I set achievable goals and who, having succeeded in achieving mastery of the core requirements, feel good about attempting more complex tasks.
In the course of my teaching career, I have infrequently run into students who fail to learn. My objective with these students is to treat them with kindness so that while they may fail my class, they will know they have not failed as human beings. I see my task as a teacher as doing more than simply giving students information. I want them to be able to use the information they take from my class to think for themselves and become problem solvers. I use a variety of techniques designed to make the subject matter "live" for my students. I provide opportunities for students not only to learn social studies, but to participate in it and see how it fits into the total picture of the study of man.
Finally, throughout my teaching career I have looked for ways to bring the world into my classroom and to take my students out into the world. The middle-class world of my students has opened up as they have participated with the best students in the nation at prestigious conferences such as the Harvard Model United Nations. It has been an experience which has made them stand tall.
Outstanding teachers possess six essential qualities and I believe that I am perceived by some, to be an outstanding teacher because I exhibit these qualities. First, I love children. Second, I know my subject matter and continue to develop my interest in it. I use teaching methods which effectively engage students in the learning process. Classroom management skills are also essential to the outstanding teacher, and I try to design efficient methods for handling the tremendous number of make-work tasks which threaten to overwhelm instructional time. No teacher would last long in education without a sense of humor. Being able to laugh with my students and at myself is one mark of my success. Finally, the outstanding teacher has to be an astute observer. I try to notice and capitalize on the special moments in the classroom when everything seems to click.
Involving my students in participatory learning activities is probably the touchstone of my teaching style. During the past Presidential election season, my students were working for extra credit for the candidate of their choice; I have organized a mock election, involving my students and their parents; and we are staging a Candidates' Forum for the elementary schools in our area. Through such real life activities, I feel I am giving my students a wealth of experience to build on when they leave my class.
The rewards of teaching are not external. The satisfaction in teaching is very much like the pleasure a farmer takes in sowing, watching for growth, praying for rain and finally reaping the harvest. My most capable students who would express a desire to teach would hear from me words of encouragement, not promises of glory, money or open gratitude.
Teaching is a timeless profession. It is the basis of all other professions. Good teachers plant the seeds that make good doctors, good accountants, good public servants, good statesmen, good taxi drivers and good astronauts. When former students return to see me over the years, my heart fills up in the knowledge that I have been part of the wonderful accumulation of experiences that followed them though life.
Free public education was established in America for the purpose of aiding in the development of citizens who are literate, knowledgeable and equipped with the skills necessary for optimum participation in society. Teachers must assume their share of the responsibility in the accomplishment of that goal.
When a student fails, that failure must be shared with his parents and his teachers. The student, of course, must accept a primary role in his own education, but he must also have encouragement and support from his parents, as well as dedicated teachers who are prepared to teach the skills, facts and theories upon which the student must build.
Among our biggest challenges in education today is improving our public image. So much has been written in recent years on what is wrong with education, we need to do a better job of focusing public attention on our accomplishments. Every school and every school district across the nation needs to formalize an aggressive public information system to carry the positive message of even our small victories to the public on a regular basis.
As a teacher, my greatest concern is that we find the personal, professional and material resources to educate today's youth for life in the 21st century. We have an obligation to prepare young Americans to assume a positive role as citizens of the world and to take their rightful place as participants in a global economy. If America is to remain strong and free we must do whatever it takes to give our youth an international perspective. We must teach our young people to respect the right of others to hold viewpoints different from their own and, to see the earth as mankind's home and a place where people share a common heritage. We must help our young people learn to be tolerant. As John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, “If we can't make the world safe for democracy, let's then make it safe for diversity.”
Finally, we must make sure that state-of-the-art technology is available in all our classrooms in all our schools. We must be willing to spend the money to give our children the best books, the best computers, the best software, and to train teachers to successfully use these resources to develop a generation of young people who are ready to perform on a world stage.
