Best Teachers

Two teachers in two years managed to change my entire view of the English language. The duo of Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Velarde helped me grow not just as a student, but as the fledgling young adult I was becoming.

Mrs. Adams, an immigrant originally from Russia, helped her students hone their abilities to use the English language for communication. We were drilled in the details of grammar and tasked to discover the author's errors in sample newspaper articles. Instead of testing us over each single section of grammar rules, she provided the opportunity to work individually or in groups to create a pamphlet on a specific section and then teach it to the class. I feel that this was a far more mature way to handle the students, and we stepped up to the plate; I feel that I learned more creating and teaching a lesson than I would have by the traditional lecture/quiz method.

Mrs. Adams also put us through a variety of simulations; the two that immediately spring to mind are Skyjack and the American Dream. Skyjack provided teams of students with an associated country, which they then had to maneuver through various political and economic decisions, trying to amass the maximum number of points while retaining the goodwill of the other groups. Although there were countries along the line of a G8 member-nation, the majority of them were at best regional powers. This helped me to dissect global situations with an ability to see beyond the slant of the news outlet. The American Dream simulation included two projects; one following the immigrants that passed through Ellis Island, and one focusing on what the American dreams means, both to ourselves and others. The Ellis Island segment chronicled the paths that immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries took to become citizens. We learned what these people hoped for. The second project focused on what each student and the people he interviewed thought was the quintessential American Dream. After interviewing people about their experiences with immigrants, immigration, and what the American Dream means to them, I compiled their answers into a book of experiences, covered and bound.

Mrs. Velarde handled the literature half of the course. Exposing us to classics such as Lord of the Flies, Night, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Tom Sawyer, among others. Every set of chapters (usually 3-5) came with associated study guide questions. Primarily due to these questions, we went into the class knowing how to read a book; we came out of the class knowing how to understand a book. Each question was usually a level three question utilizing Costa's Levels of Questioning, with a number of level twos thrown in as a cushion. But lest we forget them, there were also the projects that went along with the books. These projects allowed for a certain degree of latitude in their interpretation, as well as allowing me to indulge my streak of competitive building. Instead of writing a paper on the symbolism of the various locations in Lord of the Flies, we designed a map of the island with a certain number of the various locations, then explained the significance of each location. However, there is leeway for students to deviate somewhat from the standard instructions. My map was instead a 3'x4'x2' model of the island sculpted out of Styrofoam and decorated with crafting clay. Likewise, for Night we had to design a Holocaust memorial with at least a certain number of symbols built in. Mine had half again as many symbols as needed, as well as having functioning lighting.

In short, each of these classes was difficult. Whereas most gifted teachers in Albuquerque Public Schools would hand out A's to the majority of their class just for participation, we had to earn the grade we got. Due to the same mistake repeated throughout a paper for Mrs. Velarde's class, I actually scored a -12. After the first year in their classes, we were then re-sorted into an upper class and a lower class, with the upper class moving at a quicker pace, less monitoring, and more chances to grow as individuals.