An Easy Question:
A Teacher’s Ideal Student
By Steven Mizel
Education is a regular topic at my family’s dinner table.
My wife is fluent in dialog about lesson planning, classroom control,
curriculum development, and student motivation.
She has had plenty of practice talking to me over the past 15 years.
She had to interact with me as I taught students ranging in ability
from remedial to college-prep. She struggled with me as I dealt with the unique
challenges of teaching in both the public and private Christian school settings.
She has patiently conversed with me as I served on a school board and
later left the classroom to become a principal.
My children are used to these discussions as well, though they usually
just tune us out as they talk about their daily excitement.
Talking is a great way to process
ideas, so at dinner I brought up the topic of this article. Surely, I mused aloud to my wife, it would be
easy for me to write about a teacher’s ideal student. I could start by bringing to the reader’s mind
the clichéd perfect student: always smiling and complimentary, immediately
doing whatever the teacher asks, quickly turning in a spit-wad flinging peer,
and showing up to school bearing the proverbial apple as a
|
wisdom and patience.
While I have had a few of these students (and I have loved every
one of them!), they are not the ones that stick out in my memory as
the students who brought me the most joy.
I remember a student who came to my sophomore English class as
a classic under-achiever. He
was friendly enough, but disinterested much of the time in the normal
classroom rewards (like grades). He
had his interests; they just didn’t always match up with what I was
telling him was interesting! Over the course of that school year, I learned
how he thought and what motivated him. He had a creative intelligence, a way of looking
at life that made it difficult for him to fit in the typical student
mold. I made a personal connection
with him and found ways to motivate him.
By the end of the year he wanted to succeed, if for no other
purpose, simply to please me. He
went on to graduate with honors and then to graduate from college. He now works in a well-respected professional
career. “That student,” I said,
“is what makes teaching so special to me. I just need to write about him!”
“But,” my wife calmly said as she popped the bubble of my inflated
article plans, “not every teacher thinks like you.”
I frowned. She was, of
course, absolutely correct. There
were plenty of teachers that year who would have |
 |
“What
then would define the common denominator of most teachers’ experience?” I mused
aloud. “What character traits would
almost all teachers agree combine to make an ideal student?” The real trouble in defining the perfect
student is that teachers are as unique as the students they teach. They will each find an affinity for students
who fit their personalities. “What do
you think?” I finally asked, fishing for a new angle on the article.
“I
think you have your work cut out for you,” my wife dryly responded with a
smile.
“Thanks
for the help,” I muttered as I moved to my computer. At that point my 11-year-old daughter,
Victoria, handed me a paper. I had no idea she was even listening to our
conversation. “What is this?” I
asked.
“It’s
what I think is the answer to your question,” she responded. “Go ahead,” she urged with a shy smile, “read
it.” I had never considered asking my
daughter what she thought her teachers would say made an ideal student. I don’t know why, though. She has gained considerable insight over the
last 6 years trying to please teachers ranging from the extremely creative to
the methodically straight forward.
This
is what she wrote: “Teachers like the kind of student who has their own
personality, but listens and obeys.
Teachers like the kind of student who puts their best into their work,
and uses creativity, but not too much.
Teachers like the kind of student who isn’t afraid of
responsibility. Teachers like the kind
of students who is excited about school, and doesn’t complain about every
little thing they have to do. Teachers
like the kind of student who knows when it is the right time to laugh, the
right time to be serious, the time to be creative, the
time to be quiet. Teachers like students
who aren’t afraid to put their ideas on paper, who aren’t too uncomfortable to
express their opinions, but know the right time to do both. Teachers like the kind of students who aren’t
afraid to be their own person (inside of boundaries) and don’t follow fads just
to be popular. Teachers like the kind of
student who doesn’t change who they are just so people will like them.” She skipped several lines and concluded her
note with this comment: “Teachers like
students who are themselves.”
Let’s
see, I thought, she covers all the bases: respect, diligence, courage to take
risks, and honesty. I don’t know that I
could come up with a better list.
“I’m
sure it won’t help,” she said, “grown-ups don’t usually listen to kids
anyway.”
“You may be
surprised,” I responded. I knew of at
least one adult who was glad to hear what she had to say.
