Claire Fullstead

Dr. Cummings

Intro to Teaching

3 Feb 2005

As soon as you mentioned that we needed to interview a teacher, I thought of my highschool creative writing teacher Miss Seoul. She has had the biggest influence on my reason to want to teach. And whereas I know that she is incredibly intelligent, that is not why I thought of her nor is her intelligence what caused me to learn so much. It was her enthusiasm, her ability to bounce around the room mimicking all of our thoughts in our heads as teenagers, and her love, her deep deep passion for literature and I must admit too that it was her joyous smile when we would find her stories and insight as important to us as she did. She glowed some days with this amazing light. Miss Seoul is an electric, imaginative performer in the classroom. Her idea of a great class period was getting us all either arguing, laughing, or almost crying over some topic that we were reading or writing about. Miss Seoul is essentially what I want to be when I grow up.

It was fabulous to go back and see her. She has not changed a bit. African beads, long dresses, and funky socks still adorn her body as well as the big old sweaters that she wore when she taught me. Her small frame amazes me because it keeps up with her mental and physical strain so well. Miss Seoul is the type of teacher that swears with bleeping noises, takes her shoes off in class, and hugs you when you are having a bad day. Needless to say, it was a blast to sit and talk with her during her prep period. I had her complete attention and she had mine.

She claims to have gone into teaching for the same reason that I want to. She had an amazing teacher in high school that made her think, learn, and want MORE. She admits that when she started teaching she was naive and took a traditional approach, but soon she changed, spiritually she says, and decided that not only did she want her students to love literature and writing, she wanted them to learn about themselves. I asked her about her philosophy and she giggled a bit before declaring that although she did have one typed out her basis behind it was Carpe Diem- Seize the Day. "I feel that life is meant to really be LIVED. I want everyday to be an experience. I was always asked 'What did you learn today?' by my parents when I was younger and I never could think of anything until I began to really dive into reading and writing." I learned more about myself and teaching in that hour than in any lecture class.

She claimed later on that it helps to be a reader and writer yourself if you are going to teach English because your general interest will come out more naturally. "I have had many people tell me to quit teaching and just write, but I can't. I can't see myself sitting in front of my computer for the rest of my life pumping out manuscripts. I love my kids too much and I need them." And, in my opinion, students definitely need her too, that is for sure.

Before I left, I ran into a student teacher that Miss Seoul had mentioned, Miss Guyded, and she whispered that Miss Seoul had just gotten another book published. I was almost in tears as I walked out of the building because Miss Guyded also told me, which I should have known, that she has had three previous books of poetry published. This connects so much with her teaching- being the giver, helper, and the one not to boast about herself.

Teaching definitely makes people more humble and more aware of the things they do outside of classes because they need to be seen as a role model for students. As I think about it, I never really thought, silly as it may be, that teachers did much besides go home and correct papers and sleep. Through listening to Miss Seoul, I see a different perspective. She talked to me not only of her outlook on teaching, but brought up the fact that she has not had a great start on the year because her father is ill. This must weigh heavily on her and probably effects her teaching in some ways. I wish that, as a student, I would have been more aware of the reasoning behind abnormal teacher behavior because I remember when sudden outbreaks of anger would cause me to be angry at the teacher and not at the possibility that it could have been an outside force. As I talked to her about this, it really hit me that teachers were human beings, too, and not gods like I and fellow classmates had probably assumed.

I hope to someday be like Miss Seoul, if not in actual appearance and personality, then in the effect she has on everyone she comes in contact with.