That's why ...

My students were an extension of my family – and I treated them as such.

Love and care, teaching, training, and boundaries – these were the principles I used in mothering my own children and applied to teaching my students. I taught as I wanted my own children to be taught.

I wanted to offer warmth and acceptance, mutual respect, and excellence in teaching.

That’s why I loved creating a classroom experience which was positive and engaging, which valued and rewarded effort, where the students felt that we were all part of a team, and that together we would strive for success.

That’s why preparation took as many hours as teaching. I devised creative activities, personal challenges, team games, and new and different ways of developing and maintaining interest and motivation.

That’s why I trained my students to work with me – together we would find a way for everyone to make good progress. We would not give up on anyone.

And that’s why, with mutual respect, they were pleased to help me with the dramatic changes in technology for classroom use. We valued each other, shared our skills sets.

That’s why we donned hard hats and went to a building site to observe architects’ plans being put into practice – scale drawing and geometry immediately became relevant and fascinating. No other class had ever done this – my Mathematics students (the weakest class) knew I valued them and their learning needs. To me they were important. I chose them, asked for that class. My reward was to see their attitude to Mathematics changing dramatically as the year progressed, and enormous improvement in their understanding and skills.

That’s why my Dice Game for reinforcement of concepts was incredible fun, for me as much as for the students. They played in teams, and my version of “Phone a friend” for help was permissible. They helped and taught each other, if necessary. I could adapt this game for all my subject areas.

That’s why I used puppets and ventriloquist dolls in my French classes – who can resist watching them and responding to them?

That’s why I collected garden snail shells and painted them for my Snail Club, for the elective French students. Students selected a snail from a French profile and adopted it; snails became the focal point of all grammar and vocabulary for French lessons. They wrote and spoke about their snails’ lives, feelings, aspirations, and experiences, past, present and future. We all grieved when a student’s snail was forgotten in her pocket and went through the washing machine. Students then learnt about funerals and what to say for the poor departed one. All in French. Should not language learning express all of life’s experiences?

That's why the increased motivation and responsible behaviour was worth every hour of preparation. At recess or lunch, I would have to insist the students have a break – so I could have a cup of tea.

That’s why on a language enrichment experience in New Caledonia, we played the Amazing Race over several days – clues were in French, and they had to be able to read, write, listen, and speak in French to receive the next clue. They loved it, learned well, and played well.

Yes, there were some with little ability doing the compulsory Foreign Language requirements. I was happy if they offered their best effort. Lachlan, with ADHD, would turn his sparkling blue eyes to me and earnestly promise, every single day, to behave well, not distract anyone, and work HARD. A promise he could rarely keep. He learned to be calm – sometimes. He learned a little French. He would come to me in the playground to speak his French phrases, proud of his achievements. He is now a garage mechanic, and I would trust him any day to fix my car.

That’s why I encouraged students to find their gifts and use them wisely and well, and for everything else, to do their best. No-one can ask for more.

Academic successes? Numerous. Personal life successes? Numerous.

I taught for nearly thirty years, mostly French, some Mathematics. I taught English as a Second Language for two years, I taught at the School for Deaf and Blind Children for two years, and I was a Correspondence School Supervisor for students doing Distance Learning. Each experience enriched my life and developed my teaching ability.

Whatever I taught formally, I knew my life was showing who I was as a person. A teacher is transparent. Students are very quick to notice discrepancy between words and actions.

That’s why I taught what I call lessons for life: how to develop and maintain satisfying relationships, how to become a responsible, honest, kind, and compassionate person. Spirituality, ethics, values – they are modelled and shared, intentionally or not.

To me these life lessons are integral to teaching well. A teacher, like students, needs to be always learning, sharing, growing.

I hope I am still modelling the same qualities – respect, compassion, acceptance, humility, fairness, and love. And love of learning, for all of life.

That’s why, in the end, does it matter if my students forget all their French, never use their Mathematics knowledge? My most important lessons were surely those lessons for life – I hope I taught them well.

That’s why I loved teaching.