Respect

The whole notion that teachers are supposed to be these supreme beings above you is just ridiculous to me. I think a good teacher is one who considers themselves to be completely equal to their students. Sure, in class they have knowledge that they are sharing that the students don't yet know, but those same students know tons of things that the teacher doesn't know. So this whole charade of teachers seeing themselves as superior is just such an ego trip, to me.

For me, to be honest, I find my students to be even more intelligent than the average person. I respect my students and their thoughts and opinions much more than I respect those of the people who are supposedly my "equals." My students are always so clever and imaginative and hilarious. Dull thinking, mindless regurgitation and conformity are simply do not have a place in my classroom. I find that I am completely on my kids' side to be themselves - and bonus points for being totally crazy and strange!

I'd be that teacher that if a student didn't know an answer on an exam but wrote a really clever retort, I'd not only give them the points, but I'd give them bonus points. I want my kids to learn English and feel happy, excited and conforfortable with expressing themselves in the language, but more than that I want to instill in them that being their unique them and loving it is the most important thing ever. Teaching English is just the guise under which I can try to teach what I really find important. ;)

XOXO