“An understanding heart is everything in a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”
~ Carl Jung
I believe in this quote and I have the proof thanks to my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. T.
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I was fortunate to have a mom who kept in the loop with who the good teachers were in our school district. The years she made requests for me to have a specific teacher, I wound up getting a great education. One teacher my mom requested ended up being one of my favorites.
She was tough, but incredibly kind. Not having children of her own, she treated us all like we were her own and seemed to care about the well-being of each and every one of her students.
I remember the first day of class, she started off by singing to us. That left a lasting impression on me as because I also loved to sing.
During the year, I feel like she pushed me more than some of the other kids. I think she saw potential I didn’t see and may have lost the year before as a third grader in a classroom where I felt like the teacher wanted to be anywhere but there.
One day, she split up the class between two math groups — fast learners and slow learners (I am sure it wasn’t called this, but this is what I call it in my young mind). I was put in the slower-paced class, taking me away from all my smart little friends and placing me with the troublemakers and kids who didn’t seem to care about learning. I took it to heart like I was being labeled ‘dumb.’
Soon after, I lost it. I told Mrs. T I was embarrassed to be in that class and I would be fine going into the faster paced class, I’d just get a tutor to help me. Anything to end my embarrassment of having a very hard time with long division.
She sat me down and said I shouldn’t worry — this class would just be a blip on my radar in the future. I was smart and talented, math just wasn’t my thing and that was OK. She built me up, hugged me, and let me cry.
The next day my mom came to pick me up and she told my mom how impressed she was that I could spell the word ‘pediatrician.’ Right in front of me, she encouraged my mom to keep pushing me to read and spell because she thought I was going to be a great writer one day. She always found ways to build me up with my writing throughout the year, and soon I forgave myself for my not-so-stellar math skills.
The year passed, and to this day, I still have nightmares about math, but I love reading, speaking and writing – just as my teacher predicted. I feel as though I have her to thank in part for guiding me into a profession that uses my talents — and doesn’t involve one ounce of long division.
In fact, when Mrs. T saw me in the paper for landing my first job, she sent a letter to my work to say congrats and that she always knew I’d be successful. What a gem of a person.
Thanks, Mrs. T, for giving me the confidence I needed to uncover my passions. I will never forget you and your kindness, and hope to remember your words of wisdom when my own children feel inadequate about anything.
This post was inspired by a recent New York Times article about teachers, which stated, “Having a good fourth-grade teacher makes a student 1.25 percent more likely to go to college, and 1.25 percent less likely to get pregnant as a teenager. Each of the students will go on as an adult to earn, on average, $25,000 more over a lifetime — or about $700,000 in gains for an average size class — all attributable to that ace teacher back in the fourth grade.”
I believe it!
Did you have a memorable teacher? What did they do to make you feel special?
I don’t know who my teacher was in 4th grade or most of my elementary schools years really. We moved around a lot (among other things) & weren’t settled in one place long enough to have that sort of connection and understanding of a school system.
I refused to do that to my kids. I am happy to say that they have been in the same district since preschool and that is where they will stay!
That’s awesome! I hope we stay in one district as well. It makes it so much easier for kids, making friends, etc.
I definitely had very memorable teachers in Elementary! I do remember my 4th grade teacher and she was awesome – however my 5th grade one was the one who truly impacted my life. That’s awesome that your mom was in tune with things – mine was the same and it always made all the difference!
You have an awesome advantage being a teacher yourself, too 😉 I will have to tap into you for advice if we’re both still living in this area in a few years!
Well, I’m glad the Fourth Grade statistics didn’t turn out to be true for me, haha! Although I had many wonderful teachers throughout the years, Fourth was my worst. Like you, I struggled with math (especially long division), despite being in the advanced group for reading, writing, and spelling. I had a teacher that berated rather than encouraged, and embarrassed me as a form of hammering home a lesson. I’ll never forget my parents coming to fall open house and being baffled by my desk placement. While all the other students had desks grouped together, mine was singled out on its own, facing the teacher’s desk. Her reason was to make an example of me because I hid my long division worksheets in my desk when I got frustrated and didn’t know how to finish them. I’ll never forget the shame of that – even all these years later, after I went on to do very well academically. No one should underestimate the impact teachers can have in those formative years!
Ugh. That is absolutely AWFUL. I can’t even imagine a teacher being mean to a little version of yourself…makes me so sad to think about! But you’re right — regardless if 4th grade was your year or not, as long as you had some teacher who cared at some point, that is what matters. Little ones are so impressionable. I am totally making it my business to get to know the districts where my kids go so I can avoid those kinds of situations. So glad you showed that teacher with all the success you have now 😉