Humility

I think that a teachers' ability to demonstrate humility is one of the most important things they can do as role models.  In the field of science people realize that what they hypothesized to be true isn't.  Does this mean that they are bad scientists? If they work with diligence to find what the correct answer could be, the answer is no they are not bad scientists.  Likewise for students and teachers an ability to admit an error is incredibly important, given that you make efforts to improve on the mistake.  While a teacher does have to show confidence and mastery of content I think that there are great lessons for children to learn when a teacher admits that they do not know every answer.  This does not mean however that you do not need to prepare thoroughly for the lesson.  A big part of learning is learning from your mistakes.  Children need to understand that getting a wrong answer is not a complete failure.  Kids should feel comfortable answering questions in class without fear of being looked down upon if they happen to be wrong.  The best way to encourage this mentality is by humbly accepting it when you as a teacher make a mistake and then demonstrating how to be resilient.  

Response to President Torgerson's speech on the Value of Liberal Arts

This past fall break Nordic Choir went on a 'run-out' to La Crosse, WI and participated in worship at Our Savior's Luther.  President Torgerson came along and gave the sermon on the values of a Liberal Arts education.  He emphasized the myriad of opportunities that are available to students, such as singing in a wonderful choir.  This example shows the benefits of extra-curricular activities in terms of intellectual and social development.  In addition the academic opportunities at an institute of the liberal arts are noteworthy.  As we read about in the 3rd Teacher cross discipline learning is incredibly valuable.  While not all schools can be 'liberal arts' institutions I do think that Luther's emphasis on transformation should be applied to schools of all varieties.

Response to Michael Sandel's Lecture regarding Ethics

As a student in Christian Ethics this semester I found this lecture given by Michael Sandel incredibly interesting.  Sandel did a great job of using both abstract and concrete examples to discuss difficult issues in ethics.  I think that there are a few teaching lessons to learn from a very prominent Harvard Professor.  First, I was impressed by his authenticity and ability to be personable throughout the lecture.  He remembered the name of every individual who participated in discussion.  Granted that is partly a gift, teachers can realize that taking a genuine interest in students is incredibly important, even if it just means calling them by name.  Another thing that he did well was to use what students said in order to prove a point.  Never did he seem to be stretching what someone said in order to prove a point, he always just used what was said.  I think that often times as teachers it is easy to 'fish' for answers from a class when in reality we should ask open-ended questions in order to promote meaningful academic discussion.  I have seen Dr. Sandel give a similar lecture online but it wasn't identical.  He raised many of the same questions but was able to be flexible because he knew his information incredibly well.  I think that all aspiring teachers can learn from Dr. Sandel that authenticity and preparedness are incredibly important in order to promote stimulating intellectual discussion.

Reflection

In an increasingly hectic society there seems to be little time to reflect.  It seems like if we aren't actively doing something we are wasting our time.  I think that we need to rethink that mentality so that we can allow for reflection.  We hear a lot about the importance of learning from our mistakes but you will never learn from the mistake if you don't reflect about what you did wrong and how you can improve.  Reflection doesn't need to be in any specific format, it can be discussion with friends and family, writing in a journal or just spending time alone to think.  I think that all of these methods can be helpful.  Different methods work for different people and different methods work in different situations. 
Not only is it important for teachers to reflect in order to improve their teaching it is important that teachers encourage their students to reflect as well.  This is a skill that will be useful in all situations, academic or otherwise.  In my opinion reflection is a learned skill and like so many other skills, it is easier to learn as a child.  For this reason teachers need to emphasize reflection by adding in time for both the students and the teacher to reflect about anything from the work in the classroom to current events.

Passion

Last spring I had the chance to take a music history class with Dr. Griesheimer.  The course was called Music History: Antiquity to 1750 (quite a span).  Coming into the class I had very little interest in music history, especially such ancient history, I just enjoyed music (and needed to take it in order to get a music minor).  After the first day of class however I was enthralled, solely because of the incredible passion that Dr. Griesheimer has for the material.  There were numerous instances when he would be overcome with emotion after listening to an excerpt from a beautiful piece of music.  It's hard not to get excited about a discipline when the teacher is so enthralled and invested in the material and passing on that excitement to others.  I have no doubt that the information from this course could be very bland if not taught by such a passionate individual.  This professor also teaches two other music history course which I am not required to take but because of Dr. Griesheimer's compassion I am tempted to enroll, or at least audit.  There is no question  that students can sense the passion and investment that a teacher has for their discipline and are captivated when the teacher shares this knowledge and excitement with them.

Authenticity

There is no doubt that honest relationships with students are necessary in order to create a good learning atmosphere.  Authenticity is the first step to establishing good rapport.  In my experience working at a YMCA day camp for the last few summers, I have realized that children respond well to and enjoy being around teachers/counselors that show genuine interest in students.  I think that showing interest in students lives outside of the classroom is a good way to show that you are authentically interested in the lives of students and their success in the future.  Teachers must somehow reveal to their students that they are indeed human beings and have lives and interests other than teaching without boring students or revealing too much.  If a teacher comes across as "fake" students will fail to feel motivated to learn the material that is presented.  Inversely, If a teacher does act with authenticity, or 'as themselves,' students tend to behave better and work harder.

Compassion

Although the experience that I am about to describe isn't an instance of a teacher showing me compassion in response to some traumatic experience but rather an example of a teacher who was consistently compassionate.  During my senior year in high school I was taking a few AP classes that were quite challenging, including AP English Literature.  I was also participating in sports and music and therefore was quite busy.  I was amazed on the first day of AP English when my teacher, Ms. Smith, told us that if we had other tests around the date that a paper was due to talk to her and she would gladly give the student an extension.  I had never had teachers who were willing to be flexible in order to help students who were particularly busy.  It turned out that I never had to ask for an extension, but the fact that she so willingly offered showed a great deal of compassion.  This class proved to be one of my most difficult but because of the understanding and compassion that my teacher showed the class I had a great respect for Ms. Smith's ideas.  Ms. Smith would also make the class her delicious brownies around the time of a big test which showed that she understood and was compassionate about how stressful a student's senior year can be, with so much about to change.  Ms. Smith showed me that a tough teacher can be a compassionate teacher as well and I believe that this is critical when trying to make a difference in students' lives.

Respect

Respect is a mutual appreciation for one's personality, ideas, and humanity.  Respect is the basis for any relationship: parent/child, co-worker/co-worker, teacher/student, and student/student.  It is the responsibility of the teacher to build a classroom in which respect is fostered.  This starts with the teacher respecting their students ideas, but also making it known that the teacher has authority in the classroom.  When a teacher respects all of their students it encourages students to respect other students.  When respect is present in a classroom students and teachers feel comfortable sharing ideas and asking questions and this encourages genuine and fruitful learning for all parties involved.  I believe that respect is something that needs to be established from day one by showing genuine interest in the students lives inside and outside of the classroom.  The teacher needs to be honest about expectations for their class and in their classroom.  Once respect is gained the teacher must work consistently with students to maintain this respect because once respect is lost it is incredibly difficult to regain.