Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William A. Ward
This is a question that I recently read on the Day One app I use for journaling, and it got me thinking about that topic.
Education is one of the most critical aspects of our lives. It shapes our minds, skills, passions, and futures. But education is not only about what we learn from books or exams; it’s also about whom we know from our teachers. Teachers can profoundly impact our lives, sometimes without us even realizing it. In this blog post, I want to share how one teacher changed my life and why I am grateful for her.
The education we get while growing up is like creating new steps in our life staircase. Each step is an educational achievement in which you go — little by little, class by class, year by year — putting new steps in your knowledge. Each stage gives you new opportunities and opens new doors for you. Missing some actions might not affect you very profoundly, but they may also prevent you from reaching your full potential, and that is achieved, in part, through good teachers who inspire you and push you to reach your full potential.
Specific steps are critical to your development and can change your course and potential. Those steps can make essential connections in your head. And that is achieved with good teachers by your side as well as the support of your parents or guardians.
For me the person who helped me build that mathematical step was Ana, in freshman. Educationally speaking, there is a clear and vast difference before and after her. From the potential I believed I could achieve to the grades, I started to have, at least in math and physics.
I hadn’t learned math, or it hadn’t clicked in my head. Once I took classes with her, mentally, something changed. And thanks to her, I studied Industrial Engineering, worked in Finance, and looked for a master’s degree. She was that step in my development that changed my path.
Ana was the most influential teacher in my life because she helped me build my mathematical skills and confidence, which opened many doors for me in my education and career. She also taught me valuable lessons about life, such as curiosity, perseverance, creativity, and gratitude. She was the kind of teacher that every student deserves to have. I hope that you have had or will have a teacher like her in your life. If you have, please share your story in the comments below. If you haven’t, please look for one or become one yourself. You never know how much you can change someone’s life with your teaching.
Now that I have children, it is a topic I have on top of my mind. Luckily I had this teacher. How to ensure that your children have those teachers that change the path they’re on? A good school and involved parents help. But it’s not the only thing, and I don’t know what else you can do as a dad to increase the probability of getting this click. Not all teachers fit all students. A few of my schoolmates will say that Ana was the teacher who marked her life the most, but she was for me.
Furthermore, the educational staircase does not end in college or a master’s degree. It’s a never-ending staircase you build as you grow. You learn from different sources such as videos or books and various topics.
