Teaching Techniques
There is a quote I remember that I don't know exactly where I heard that goes "The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires." I have been fortunate to have had a number of superior teachers throughout my academic career. Each encouraged me to succeed. However, there are two that hold a special place in my memory, one from elementary school and one from high school.
I was in a self-contained sixth grade classroom and my teacher was Mr. Burke. The one most important thing he did for me was to construct an atmosphere in the classroom where learning was fun. His style of teaching facilitated learning in a positive and supportive environment. He was an excellent communicator with a ready laugh and a good sense of humor. His teaching style put...
He had high expectations and because he believed in me, I began to believe in myself.
The band director in my high school is Mr. Moreno. I was under his influence for four years. Though his class was called advanced band in the curriculum, his real class was advanced life. He taught us more than music. Through him I learned the value and rewards of teamwork. Though each of us plays an individual instrument, the music we make is as a team. We are accountable to one another, and the better each of us learns our part of the piece the better the orchestra. Individually we can make beautiful music but together we make a more beautiful sound.
Now that I have thought about it, though both of these men had different personalities, Mr. Burke was young and energetic while Mr. Moreno was older and more of a…
