Why the best teacher I ever had wasn't my favorite...

I have been lucky to have had lots of amazing teachers throughout my life.

But the teacher I appreciate the most wasn't my favorite teacher, it was the teacher who truly challenged me.  Mr. Hudson was old, he had high expectations, and he gave a lot of work.  He was in no way the teacher from a movie that gives great speeches, or that shows me how to learn by rapping, or through his coolness changes the culture of the school.  But he was exactly the teacher I needed. 

He had us do things like create blueprints for houses, design simple machines, and give 15 minute presentations on periodic elements. I was jealous of my friends who made posters and color coded maps and got 100% for turning things in on time.

He had no room for nonsense or excuses, and had a reputation for being the toughest grader in the entire school.

I didn't like Mr. Hudson.  I thought it was ridiculous that 1 mistake was the difference between an A and a B.  I hated that he made me start all over when I did things wrong.  And I was deeply frustrated that he made me feel challenged for the first time in my life as a student.

But I have never gained as much from a teacher as I did from him.  When I got things wrong I redid them.  When I didn't understand something I asked questions.  When I messed up I fixed my mistakes.  I read directions.  I double checked my work.  And I paid attention in class.  I learned to pay attention to the details.  I learned that process is just as important as product.  I learned that fast doesn't matter if it isn't also right.  I learned that challenges can be overcome with perseverance.  And I learned a lot about math, science and social studies in the process.

Mr. Hudson was the greatest teacher I ever had because  he held me to high standards and taught me how to be successful.  His goal wasn't to be my friend, it wasn't to make me feel good, it wasn't to even be the best teacher.  His goal was that I would leave his class with tangible knowledge and skills I could take forward in my future.  And he was always fair, always gave us the opportunity to grow and do better, and let us know he cared about us because he would give us chances to fix things and get better at the stuff we weren’t great at.   The purpose of his class and teaching was always growth above all else.

And I never got to thank him.  If I could I would tell him that I recognize how influential and important he was in my life.  That I appreciate how much I learned from him.   That I value that he challenged me to grow.  And that even though he wasn't my favorite teacher, he was the best teacher I ever had.

For how I have used these lessons to create a classroom where student both succeed but also have fun and feel safe check out my courses here! Or get individual resources including freebies here!