My Favorite Teacher is…..

My Favorite Teacher is…..

Last week at our Staffulty (faculty and staff) Meeting, I asked everyone to complete the sentence: My favorite teacher is.. Then I flashed up ME.

I challenged everyone to write down reasons on an index card why they were their favorite teacher. I also disseminated that if they were not their favorite teacher, they needed to make some changes. Write the changes on the card.

If you are not your favorite teacher, how can you expect to be the favorite teacher of your students? Some will argue that they you do not need to be the favorite but of course you do. If you approach teaching or any job by not expecting to be the best, then you are selling yourself (and your students) short.

Some teachers use the excuse, “As long as the students learn, I do my job.” Your job can be so much easier if you are the students’ favorite teacher. Granted, you can be the favorite teacher because you’re easy, or you let students get away with something but the truly great teachers allow the students to learn by engaging them in real-world situations that are meaningful and fun. They challenge, raise the bar, engage, and inspire. Favorite teachers treat students like people and their ultimate goal is to create whole people. In turn, students learn for life. Students appreciate life. Students are happy. Students become leaders.

So be your favorite teacher!