Paper 2: Compare/Contrast essay - Draft

Amanda Rogers
Dr. Sonia Begert – Instructor
English 101
10/31/13

       In a world where education is at the root of success, it is fair to say that educators play an important role in today’s society. Often, it seems as though we tend to underestimate the true importance of a teacher. Those who decide to teach have accepted the challenging task of shaping young minds into something powerful. A duty so important, we as society find it a difficult concept to grasp. When I ask myself “What makes a good teacher?” three significant qualities come to mind. A good teacher must encourage students to be creative, make learning enjoyable, and most importantly, believe in their students.  Mr. Crawford, from Ordway Elementary School, and Robin Summerfelt, from Academy Northwest are two prime examples of teachers that possess these three qualities. While many educators today lack the enthusiasm and creativity students need to become driven, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught in a unique and memorable fashion that captured the educational interest of their class.

Mr. Crawford was without question the most popular third grade teacher in Ordway Elementary school. Every second grade graduate hoped they would be lucky enough to find themselves in Mr. Crawford’s classroom the following year. Well-liked by staff, faculty, and students, Mr. Crawford had a uniqueness about his teaching style that so often teachers are short of. Always wearing a smile, Mr. Crawford would grasp the attention of the class each morning by writing on the blue chalkboard so loudly, you could see the chalk dust fall when it clicked against the board. Just when you thought you were in for another boring lesson, he would reach for his guitar, which was always at least an arm’s length away from him. “Sing with me!” he would shout. The entire class would break into an educational song he had so eagerly taught us in the previous weeks. With his voice so encouraging and inspiring, how could we not help but smile and sing along? The gentle strumming of each chord played was another reminder of how Mr. Crawford was not there to make learning stressful, but to make learning exciting and creative as it should be. When he wasn’t making the class laugh by telling jokes or doing funny impersonations, it was not unusual to see him walking up and down the halls playing his guitar and singing with his class following behind in a single file line. By incorporating free-expression and humor into his daily lessons, he was able to personally demonstrate to his students just what is meant to express yourself as an individual. He encouraged his student’s creativity by pushing them to be outspoken and express themselves without ever feeling ashamed. Mr. Crawford was able to grasp the attention of his students while making them feel nothing less than comfortable with themselves.

High-school, of course, is much different than elementary school. Robin Summerfelt was a High School teacher at Academy Northwest, A private school based primarily on independent studies. Many teenagers who chose to be part of a smaller learning environment, or those were not so favorable of the public school system often found themselves at Academy Northwest. When enrolled, each student would be assigned a “mentor”. Robin Summerfelt, however, was not just a mentor, in a sense she was a life coach. Similar to Mr. Crawford, Robin recognized that teaching with an encouraging attitude was effective. Mrs. Summerfelt knew the reason the majority of her students could not succeed in public high school, was because they were not given the chance to freely express themselves as a student. She brought out the creativity in her students by giving them the opportunity to incorporate what they loved into learning. For example, if you were musically-inclined, she might ask you to write a song about particle physics. If you loved bike riding, she would ask you to creatively describe the scenery at every rest stop.  The way she allowed her students to include their individual interests into their school work gave them the confidence they needed to believe in themselves. Mrs. Summerfelt let it be known that it is okay to have a passion, and always urged her students to never be someone they are not to gain the approval of someone else. “You are your own person” she would say. A sentence so simple, only a special kind of teacher like Mrs. Summerfelt could truly convey the meaning of.

Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt both had a true love for their profession, and when teachers genuinely enjoy teaching, it makes the experience more enjoyable for their students. Mr. Crawford was always happy to be in the classroom. Teaching in song and rhyme was his specialty. He came up with many catchy jingles I still sing in my head to this day. For example, while teaching long division he’d reach for his guitar and have us sing aloud: “Divide! Multiply! Subtract! Bring down!”  He would make lessons fun and enjoyable by including the entire class, such as the time his daughter, Beth, was expecting her first baby. Every morning he would choose a student to call and check on her. This was known as “The daily Beth watch”. Mr. Crawford wrote a list of topics on the chalkboard for which the student would interview her about. He would put the phone on “speaker” so everyone could be involved. By including his class on these fun and creative activities, it made his students eager to come school every day. 

Much like Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt had a way of including her students so that it made them feel special and important. She would praise her students aloud for any accomplishment they had achieved, great or small. Her way of making learning enjoyable was by creating a comfortable and stress-free learning environment. In Mrs. Summerfelt’s classroom, students did not feel as though they were under the intense amount of pressure students often feel in public school. Instead, they were driven by her enthusiastic attitude about learning. She would often hold group conversations about what dreams and goals her students hoped to accomplish one day, and would offer advice to help them reach those goals. At the end of the day, students would leave her classroom confident knowing they had a teacher who supported them in any future endeavors they hoped to explore.

In addition to encouraging creativity and making learning enjoyable, both Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in their students. No matter what age, staying on track in school is certainly not always easy. When you start to fall behind, it is easy to become discouraged and does not take long before you feel like giving up completely. Mr. Crawford would not let this happen. He constantly reassured his class that they could do anything they set their mind to. To give his class a live example, one day he brought in a close friend, Steve Rhodes. Steve was a well-known cyclist who had overcome some significant life issues. He spoke to the class about how he was able to overcome poverty and a severe drug addiction by finding his passion for bike riding. Steve and Mr. Crawford expressed to the students the importance of never giving up, no matter how adverse the obstacle may be.

Similar to Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in every one of her students. She appreciated each student for who they were and would never give up on them no matter the circumstances. For example, she always assured that even if one of her students were to land in jail, she would be the first one in the courtroom to vouch for them. She constantly kept in touch with her students to make sure everyone was on track. It was rare if she did not email or call at least twice a week to offer words of encouragement, or just a listening ear.  By being so passionate about her student’s success, it made them want to work hard to earn their high school diploma. Students in both Mr. Crawford’s and Mrs. Summerfelt’s classes were happier and successful because of their teacher’s dedication.

With education being a crucial requirement in today’s society, it takes a special kind of educator to keep their students motivated. While Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught two entirely different age groups, in two drastically different schools, they both helped their students discover their individuality by thinking outside the box, and using creative and enjoyable teaching techniques. Both greatly valued their role as a teacher and fully dedicated themselves to the success of their students. By making learning an enjoyable experience, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt made a significant impact on their students’ lives forever.