Within a single school year, the typical student spends about 1,260 hours a year with their teachers. A good teacher may teach about the Civil War and how to solve for x, but a great teacher provides one with knowledge and skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
The majority of high school students, at some point in their learning career, have felt disdain towards school. Teenagers spend a substantial amount of our day on our phones and are consequently becoming less and less interested in real people and events. Even before screens, school is not something most kids look forward to attending. Given the overwhelming presence of technology in modern society, it is especially difficult for teachers to develop a connection with their students, let alone achieve a lasting impact. Most teachers simply accept this, and take on teaching with a “get the job done” approach. However, it is key to note that there are certain teachers who go above and beyond, creating new and innovative ways to keep kids engaged in school.
What makes a teacher a good teacher? What makes them leave an impact on you? These are questions that I thought about a lot as I reflected on the teachers throughout my academic career who left a mark on me. I have always considered myself to be a fairly enthusiastic student but rarely have I thought of school as anything exciting or especially fun. However, there have been a few classes that have been an exception to this. Throughout my years of school, I have been taught by countless teachers, but only a couple have been memorable enough to influence my writing, my humor, and even my interests.
The American memoirist and poet Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This quote piggybacks on the idea that a good teacher can leave an impact beyond what they taught.
When I first stepped inside Booker T. Washington Middle School, I was 11 years old. At that point, I was still in fifth grade, figuring out which school I would want to attend for the next three years. Booker T. was not the first school I toured, but it is the only one I remember vividly.
I recall being a small fifth grader in a group with twenty other kids. Like me, they had wide eyes and big dreams as we explored this foreign building. The hallways were narrow and much longer than the ones from my elementary school. The eighth graders showing us around seemed so grown up. I remember looking up at them in shock, wondering if I’d ever look as big as them.
They led us into a classroom on the third floor, which was located at the very end of the hallway on the left. I can still picture that hallway to this day, with its dark green tiles and artwork on the walls. “This is Mr. Behar, a sixth grade humanities teacher!” one of the tour guides explained to us. We entered the room, and the entire class turned to look at us. I remember Mr. Behar’s voice as it boomed across the room into my eleven year old eardrums. I remember the class erupting with laughter, and the smile on his face as he entertained his students. Most of all, I remember this moment as the one where I had decided I would attend Booker T.
Sure enough, when I walked into my homeroom the first day of sixth grade, I immediately recognized the classroom. Yet I was still unaware that this class would change my life.
Josh Behar is a high-energy teacher who uses a tough-love and humorous teaching approach to make learning as fun as possible. “I think most teachers lecture because it’s easy. But it’s not fun. The reason I created projects where students work in teams, research constantly, and present as a team, is to have fun,” Mr. Behar said. The facts I learned from these projects have stuck with me longer than any lecture.
Mr. Behar not only prioritized helping us with our presenting skills, but also fostered an environment full of love and learning. The shared love for him and how he taught brought the entire class together. Because of Mr. Behar, I was a part of a tight-knit group of kids that loved goofing around and having fun, just as much as their teacher. Mr. Behar’s ability to keep kids engaged with playful banter made him feel like he was more of a friend than just a teacher.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a cultural reset for everyone, especially teachers. The majority of teachers found it isolating and even alienating. “To your students, you were just a person in a small box and that’s what they were to you,” Stuyvesant high school Mathematics teacher Gary Rubinstein said. “It was a time when we all started to crave human connection because it wasn’t as easy to find.”
The year and a half of remote schooling was a hard time for many students. However, those who had a goodhearted and understanding teacher experienced a fundamental difference. Stephen Dickey was my seventh grade Science teacher. I would join his Zoom classes after lunch each day, and he would always ask the class what they had eaten. This moment was particularly memorable, because at this point in time, any effort made by teachers to communicate and make connections with students was extremely appreciated, because it was a particularly lonely time. “I think that both my students and I felt an extra yearning for meaningful human connection during that time, which made the rapport, inside jokes, and traditions we were able to co-create over Zoom all the more meaningful,” Mr. Dickey explained.
Mr. Dickey inspired me to develop a love for science that I never really had before, and he gave countless kids emotional support in a time of need. His compassionate, comical, and understanding personality made him an ideal teacher for a kid going through any sort of difficult life transition – something that middle school is all about. His ability to make students feel comfortable around him is why so many kids will be able to look back at their middle school science class fondly.
By talking to my former teachers, I have learned that the people who inspired and impacted my former teachers have happened to be teachers as well. Keira Dillon, a fifth grade teacher at P.S. 163, said that her greatest influences were her father (a former teacher) and her old music teacher. She said, “When I decided to teach, I knew I would be a better teacher, if, like my dad and my favorite teachers, I shared what I loved.” Ms. Dillon illustrated her passion for teaching by sharing her love for musicals and music with the class. Her passion gave me an appreciation of musical theater, which has become one of my biggest passions. Passion is a principle element of being a good teacher because it sparks motivation in students. If a teacher is passionate about their teaching, students are more likely to become passionate about what they’re learning.
Amelia Khemani ’26 recalls her eighth grade Social Studies teacher as one who has particularly had an impact upon her. “Now, history is my favorite subject, and I think my knowledge of current events will add to what I want to be when I’m older. I feel like her class really helped me love history because she was so into teaching history,” Khemani said These experiences convey that a key component of good teaching is passion — because it creates a memorable and long lasting impact.
Although having an outstanding teacher is a universal experience that many people can relate to, teachers are not appreciated enough in our society. In fact, some teachers do not even realize the impact they have on people. “It is incredible and humbling that even one student would be able to point to something from my class that affected them positively,” Ms. Dillon said, showing how teachers cannot only impact you, but can be impacted by you. Teachers are a fundamental source of inspiration for many, yet they remain severely underappreciated, not only by some of their students but by society as a whole. It’s time we begin acknowledging teachers for their contributions and secure them a place in the spotlight.
“It is incredible and humbling that even one student would be able to point to something from my class that affected them positively,” said Ms. Keira Dillon, a fifth grade teacher at P.S. 163.