What qualities define aneffective teacher?
Unpacking the Traits of a Successful Educator
I'm deeply intrigued by the question: "What differentiates an exceptional teacher from a good one?" Over the years, I've amassed 26,000 responses to this query from a diverse array of schools. My research spanned from the most impoverished schools in Los Angeles to suburban institutions in Texas, and even elite private schools abroad. Despite 24 years of teaching experience, I remain bewildered by this question. Today, I aim to share the lessons I've gleaned from these thousands of students and emphasize the importance of truly hearing what students have to say.
One aspect that has stood out is the reluctance of educational institutions to engage with this question. Schools often shy away from seeking students' input, largely driven by fear. They hesitate to discover what students truly think because they underestimate the students' earnestness. Allow me to share a poignant response I received: "A great teacher eats apples" (accompanied by laughter). I confess that my initial reaction was dismissive, deeming it as mere silliness. Yet, this answer recurred persistently. I pondered, "Could there be more to this?" So, I decided to start eating apples, throughout the day, in class, and in the hallway. To my surprise, students began giving me apples and would exclaim with delight, "You're eating an apple!" and I would respond, "I know!" This simple act symbolized our relationship, signifying goodwill and trust. For a significant duration, I missed this crucial message.
"A great teacher is chill" is another response I encountered. When students say a great teacher is "chill," they essentially convey the message of not taking things too seriously, maintaining composure in all situations, and avoiding becoming overwhelmed. They have their unique way of communicating their desires, and we ought to pay heed. I'm a parent to two grown kids, and I had to learn a distinct language when they were teenagers. Their responses like "Fine" or "OK" concealed more complex sentiments, which I could only fathom by asking more questions. Kids yearn for us to grasp their perspectives, but they also appreciate our role in ensuring their well-being and safety. Their language is intricate, and it's high time that adults genuinely listened.
One recurring pattern I observed after years of collecting responses is that when I asked about great teachers, students often mentioned, "A great teacher loves to teach," followed, in 70% of cases, by "A great teacher loves to learn." Students don't often witness teachers learning alongside them; instead, they perceive teachers solely as content experts. But what if educators acknowledged their role as learners too? Imagine a teacher walking into a classroom, saying, "I don't have all the answers today, but I can't wait to learn with you." This would inspire students by highlighting the importance of learning.
The response "A great teacher isn't a teacher" initially offended me, but students clarified that a great teacher is not confined to the classroom. To illustrate this, I harken back to my personal experience of learning to ride a bike with my mom. The process was practical, with no academic rigmarole. In contrast, we often subject children to a structured, theoretical approach to learning, which undermines their engagement and enthusiasm.
"A great teacher understands that they have a life outside of school." This response sheds light on the fact that students recognize the distinction between a teacher's life inside and outside of school. We must understand that students' lives are profoundly different from ours during school hours. Yvette, a challenging student, taught me this lesson. Although she had a reputation for defiance, I later discovered her struggles, but I had initially failed to listen.
"A great teacher sings" might be the most perplexing response I've encountered. It baffled me until Danny, a class clown, turned in this response. To experiment, I sang my class agenda one day, which led to an unexpected standing ovation. This incident taught me that great teachers are humble, willing to take risks, and not limited by fear. Instead of being seen as experts, what if we prioritized teachers' understanding of students?
Surprisingly, students receive zero formal listening instruction in school, despite listening being a crucial skill in life and business. We should earnestly listen to our students, as they hold the potential for greatness. By soliciting and truly hearing their insights, we can revolutionize education and transform our schools. Thank you.
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Massive river beneath the Black Sea was found by scientists.
Let's play a little guessing game, shall we? Can you name the sixth largest river on Earth in terms of volume, which refers to the amount of water that flows through it? The first couple of rivers are easy to list. Number one, of course, is the Amazon River in South America. Then we have the Congo in Africa and the Ganges in India. Feel free to list all the rivers on the planet, but you won't get any closer to the answer. Why? Because this river is not on the surface but underneath the waves of the Black Sea. In 2010, a team of scientists discovered this river while studying the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey. Sonar scanning revealed a channel at the bottom of the Black Sea with water flowing through it. It turned out that, in places, it's 115 feet deep, which is three times as tall as an average telephone pole. This flowing water acts like a real river, complete with rapids and waterfalls, and its volume is 350 times greater than that of the River Thames in London. Talk about a strong undercurrent. If it were a surface river, it would be in the top ten. Bad news for the Madeira River in Bolivia and Brazil, which presently holds the sixth position. But how did this underwater river form? The answer lies in the amazing features of the Black Sea. It gets its water from two main sources. The first source is the rivers that flow into it, like the Danube, Dniester, and Dniester. A lot of "D" rivers there. But more importantly, they are all freshwater waterways. On the other side, quite literally, is the Mediterranean, and it's salty. When this saltwater enters the Black Sea, it sinks straight to the bottom. You see, freshwater is lighter than saltwater, and this creates stratification, a fancy term meaning that the two types of water don't mix. Saltwater, being denser, drops to the bottom. If you want to see how this works, you can do an experiment at home. Pour mineral water into one cup and saltwater into another. Table salt will do. Then put a grape in each cup. You'll see how it immediately sinks to the bottom of the cup filled with freshwater. The grape will stay afloat in the cup filled with saltwater. The same thing is happening inside the Black Sea. But there's another side to this phenomenon. The upper layer of water is rich in oxygen, meaning it can support life. The bottom layer, however, is anoxic, which means there's no oxygen at the bottom. But this isn't a bad thing. Because of this trait of the Black Sea, shipwrecks are able to survive for centuries. Oxygen decomposes wood, and what material did ancient people use to make their ships? That's right, timber. Recently, in 2018, scientists discovered the oldest Greek shipwreck on Earth. The merchant ship lies more than a mile deep at the bottom of the sea, and experts estimate that the vessel is 2,400 years old. The wreck was valuable for historians to study all the elements of ancient ship construction, from the mast to the rowing benches. It's all intact. The wreck lies some 50 miles off the coast of Bulgaria, but no one has seen it in person. Explorers sent a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film the wreckage. It was impossible for a diver to go down. But the Black Sea doesn't look that huge on a map. Could it be that deep? Oh yes, it's way deeper than people think. You could stack six Empire State Buildings at the deepest point of the Black Sea, around 7,257 feet. This inland sea isn't the only place on Earth where researchers have discovered shipwrecks and underwater rivers. One of the largest channels running along the ocean floor lies off the coast of South America. It runs from the mouth of the mighty Amazon and into the Atlantic Ocean. Studying underwater rivers isn't an easy task. The depth and strong currents make it impossible to send in divers. Even the equipment for underwater research has to be sturdy, otherwise the current will wash it away. That's why the underwater river in the Black Sea was ideal for scientists to explore. Earth's oceans and seas are powerful, but luckily for us, there are places where divers can admire underwater rivers. Have you ever heard of a cenote? Sounds Spanish, doesn't it? Well, that's because it is. Cenotes are underground caves that form after the limestone above collapses, revealing the groundwater beneath. The term "cenote" is associated with the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Ancient Mayans used them as water sources. In the Mayan language, the word "cenote" meant sacred well. Researchers estimate there are around 10,000 cenotes spread across the Yucatan Peninsula. You can also find them in other places like Cuba and Australia. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but unofficially, the most beautiful cenote is located just south of the town of Tulum in Mexico. Its name reflects the cave's divine beauty, Cenote Angelita. But people don't visit the cenote to go swimming. What's more interesting is its bottom. A scuba tank is all you need to finally admire an underwater river firsthand. The waters are dark and foggy, so divers use powerful flashlights. After a 100-foot dive, a marvelous sight appears: an underwater river with trees along its banks. Some of them even have green leaves, just like any other water flow on dry land. But it's not really a river. Here comes the fascinating part. Remember how saltwater and freshwater don't mix well? The "river" the divers see is actually a thick layer of fog between the two types of water. Three feet of hydrogen sulfates, to be exact. This is the compound that water processing plants use to remove chlorine from drinking water. The substance is so heavy that the fog it produces moves independently from the surrounding water, creating the illusion of a river flowing underwater. But there are other real rivers that play tricks on you. Take, for example, the Mystery River in Indiana. It's the longest underground river in the United States. Explorers discovered the river and its cave system, Blue Spring Caverns, in the 19th century. Nearly three miles of the river are navigable. Isn't that impressive? You can book a boat tour on a river that you can't even see. But the most mysterious river on the planet is the Saraswati River in India. The coolest part about it is that it doesn't exist. It was an alleged river only mentioned in ancient literature. For centuries, people thought it was just a myth. Then satellite images showed that it might be real. Ancient texts spoke of a major confluence of three mighty rivers: the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati. The first two are visible today, but where's the third one? That's what scientists decided to find out. Images from an American satellite showed the presence of underground water in the area. Until then, researchers thought these were paleo-channels, meaning that water flowed through them a long time ago. But to their surprise, it appeared that there was still water inside these channels.
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Comments (1)
Effective teachers are good! Great work! ♥️