A Teacher's Influence

When people have asked recently how everything is going, it's kind of hard to do anything but shrug and say it's kind of become routine. Every morning I wake up, get ready, and teach Bible, literature, language arts, and social studies, in that order. I ask a question in class and most of the same kids raise their hands. I have to lend a Bible to the same kid every day, because he hardly every remembers the perfectly good one he has, and remind the same kids how they're supposed to sit in their chairs - facing forward, legs under the desk, heads up, and feet off the desk top (yes, I have to remind middle schoolers of these things... because nearly every day the same culprits break at least one of these guidelines). I hear complaints and nasty remarks, and continually try to instill the ideas of positive and Godly attitudes, or learning to sometimes just not say anything, which are only met by argument or eye rolls (I'm sorry, parents, for the times I did this to you. I don't recall ever doing this to my teachers because I knew better than that).

Often when I have to tell the same kid to keep his feet off the desk, or listen to the same kid make rude remarks, or when I ask a review question on what we studied just yesterday and only one hand goes up in the air, I start to wonder Does what I say and teach ever sink in?

In one of my reading workshop book groups, we're reading the memoir Tuesdays with Morrie. In the last section we read, there was a quote from Henry Adams: "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

A colleague echoed a similar idea when I was talking to her about a problem I'd had with a student in study place; she said something to the effect of "with him, we won't be able to see the fruits of our labor always; those will come later when he's out of middle school. But we're laying the ground work."

And both Adams and my colleague have a point - a point I needed to hear in this hum drum routine when I sometimes wonder if anything I say is making a difference.

It is.

Even if I feel like I'm hammering the same point now, that could eventually be something that is a small voice in that student's head so that he or she actually recalls it and takes action on his or her own. The lesson I teach today might be sinking in more than I realize simply because the student doesn't wish to share - or even realize it himself or herself. And more so, as I teach these kids life lessons or right behavior, eventually they will remember that too, and that will affect people that they go to school with, people they work with, and eventually some of them will teach their children the same lessons. And the cycle continues.

"... he can never tell where his influence stops."

There is progress already, moments that show what I say does stick in their minds. Many kids are interested in this Civil War unit and some students who struggle and don't always participate are the ones coming up with the answers and recalling the points I taught previously. For those incorrect desk sitters, some of them have reduced the frequency for needed reminders. Some attitudes have improved (or at least they're less vocal about it). Looking back on the beginning of the year until now, I do see progress in writing and reading ability. And the cool thing is that my influence won't end when these kids leave. Sure, they won't remember it's something that I said or did maybe, but somehow something I say or do in the one to three years I have these students will stick with them. And that could affect their careers, their families, and maybe, for some of them, their students.

I know it happened with my teachers.

Ah awkward middle school me... But this woman was the first to light an interest in teaching for me.

Mr. VanStee... 10th grade History and one of the most influential teachers for me. Plus he was our graduation speaker, so one of the last lessons I learned in high school came from him.

Not even going to get into how this man influenced me. Miss you, J-Lo.

Built nearly all of my literature knowledge in college

It's because of this man, and giving me a shot as stage manager, that I'm now teaching some drama. And he taught me that teachers can also be friends.