Welcome to the blog! I look forward to reading more of your insightful comments.

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This post brought back warm memories.

When I began teaching junior high over 40 years ago (yes, I was a child prodigy)I, too, bounded into my English class expecting to expound on Shakespeare. It was the year after the 1965 Watts Riots in the heart of Watts. It didn’t take me long to realize that my approach was a total misfit and needed a radical overhaul.

My desire to make an positive impact on my students’ lives made me take a close look at the lives of my students and their needs. My success as a teacher was in allowing them to show me what it means to be a teacher.

Even years later when I moved on to teach university and community college classes I still used classroom management and teaching techniques that evolved during my eight years of junior high teaching.

During my last semester before retiring college teaching I received an email from North Carolina from a young teacher. She wanted to know if I could suggest some sources that would help her in setting up a critical thinking program in her community college. But more importantly, she wanted to know if I was the Mrs. Brown who taught English at Markham Junior High School in the 60’s.

A kaleidoscopic wave of pride, joy, gratification and gratitude washed over me. She was a student from my early days of junior high teaching. She thanked me for the inspiration I gave them, but most of all, for holding them to a higher standard. I was especially surprised that she and a number students from the early days have reunions where they mimic some of the things I used to say in their classes.

Reuniting with this student was perfect closure for my 42 year teaching career.

If I had to point to one thing that enabled me to enjoy teaching success is that I enjoyed myself in the classroom. I used humor, lively participation, colorful bulletin boards and surprise activities because I did not want to bore myself.

My most powerful strategy, however, was engaging every student in the class. Long before “No Child Left Behind” (education’s latest flop,) I left no child excluded. I insisted that every child participate at whatever level they could. Because I created a warm and accepting environment (no teasing or snickering allowed unless you want to be the object of it)I got what I wanted, and students got what they want more than anything in this world–to be included.

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Let me just add that this is these are the kinds of concepts that make us professional educators, not just musicians with a teaching gig. We are much more likely to be taken seriously by administrative staff – who hold many keys to helping or hindering our programs – when the concepts you’re writing about are evident.

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