Reader Appreciation: Eric Turner

November is Reader Appreciation Month at So You Want To Teach? Today’s featured reader is Eric Turner.

Name: Eric Turner
Location: Tennessee
Occupation: History/Secondary Ed Student
Blog: Secondhand Thoughts

Tell me some of your favorite things about your job
I love learning and I love the interaction between professor and students

Tell me some things you loved about your favorite teacher(s)
Whew, this is a hard one. I think the things I loved about the teachers I loved is the high standards they maintained, yet were also compassionate, fair, and understanding. Oh, and they each had a great sense of humor. They each inspired me in their own way. How they inspired me is hard to define. Some of the ways were the way they encouraged you to try your best in every circumstance, how they knew what was important and what wasn’t important. They never made you feel like you were the slow or dumb one. They seemed to genuinely like having you in their class. Three teachers: Mrs. Lunsford (4th grade), Mrs. Ferguson (10th-12th grade speech and debate), Mr. MacGrath (9th and 12th grade life science & physiology). They were the ones who stay with me mentally after all these years (over 20 yrs).

List some of your most effective classroom management strategies
Yet to come. Talk to me in about 4 years. I’m sure this will change. I think it will be funny to see what I have as “effective classroom strategies” when I first begin teaching and what I see as “effective” five years later!!

Name (up to) three other blogs that you frequently visit/subscribe

• History is Elementary
• Right on the Left Coast
• Adventures of a Christian Collegian