picture taken from Unsplash
“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” – Karl Menninger
What makes a teacher great is compassion and the ability to connect with one’s students.
I have talked several times about amazing teachers on my blog. I have also talked several times about being a person with a disability. My disability made going through school difficult. Despite my struggles through school, I have a college degree, and I managed to graduate college with honors. I wouldn’t have been successful without the help of wonderful and compassionate educators. One such educator was one of my college professors, who I will call Prof. A.
Since I was a student with a disability, I received accommodations. One accommodation I received was extra time on exams. Also, I took my exams in a separate location from my classmates to lower distractions, usually in a room at the office for students with disabilities. During one exam for Prof. A, I was unable to finish the test, even with the extra time. Prof. A took the time to check on me while I was taking the exam. When she found out I wasn’t finished with the test when time was up, she told me not to worry. She took me to her office and had me continue the test there. Before she took me to her office to finish the exam though, she took me to the cafeteria to eat, knowing that I had been working on the test for hours.
In that moment, Prof. A showed me what it really means to be an educator. She showed me that teaching includes more than the ability to pass on information in a digestible way. Teaching also comes with a heart ready to love and understand. This is a what makes a great teacher.
Life with Charli 