11/02/99

Why Teach?

My teaching career began in the 9th grade, at age 15. I had studied flute for five years by then and was quite accomplished. When the teacher from whom I took private lessons moved to Florida to accept a position as principal flutist in a symphony there, he referred several of his beginning students to me. I was flattered by his faith in me and loved the challenge of teaching. I used every ounce of my imagination to motivate my students to listen carefully and practice their pieces slowly in order to avoid mislearning. Together we found out how incredibly difficult it is to undo errors stamped in during a whole week of practicing wrong notes or wrong fingerings. Then there was the magic, when one of the children had learned all the notes and turned them into beautiful music! The interplay I experienced between teacher and student, one imparting and the other acquiring, each adjusting to and learning from the other, is a process of discovery that both fascinates and humbles me to this day.

After graduating from college, I pursued a master's degree in elementary education, a degree that required one semester of full-time student teaching. I had the good fortune to be assigned to Horace Mann Elementary, an ungraded public school in Newtonville, Massachusetts. The principal at Horace Mann was a pioneer in her field, a hands-on educator who became acquainted with every student and family in the school community. She routinely read stories to each class and set aside a "parents" afternoon each week to welcome parents into classes to observe and participate. She created an atmosphere in that building that has given me inspiration as an educator ever since. She believed, as I do, that every child loves to learn; and, furthermore, that curiosity and the drive toward mastery are inborn.

I remember Liam, a shy 8-year-old in my group, who rarely wrote more than a sentence or two in his morning journal and never spoke up during class discussions. So I was surprised by his response to a creative writing assignment I gave one afternoon. I had collected an assortment of household objects (bar of soap, paper clips, can opener, etc) and put them inside a brown grocery bag. I asked each student to reach into the bag (eyes closed), pull out one object, and write a story about BEING that object for a day.

Liam pulled a penny out of the bag and wrote a hilarious, fanciful tale called, "A Day in the Life of Benny the Penny." Liam wove robbers, unstitched pockets and overflowing rain-gutters into a captivating exercise in imagination. His fellow students loved it, prompting him to write about one narrow escape after another. Benny the Penny adventures became a regular feature in our monthly class magazine and Liam became quite a celebrity around the school.

The challenge for me as a teacher is to find a way to tap and nurture the unique talents and interests in every child, even as I follow a curriculum of content and essential skill development. I may not succeed with everyone, but I never give up on anyone either. After leaving the classroom to become a school psychologist, the challenges have been the same as in teaching, just in a different setting with smaller groups and adult students, as well.

I find it ironic, remembering Liam, that I'm a writer now myself, still teaching, but also helping fellow writers get their works published for the first time. That must be what people mean when they say, "You've come full circle!"

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.