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Cameron Becker

English 091

Professor Ludwig

10 January 2017

Teachers

Teachers have the power to shape their students. They help us become what we want to

be. In the passage I Just Wanna Be Average, Mike Rose, a Professor of Education at

UCLA, writes about some of the teachers he had growing up and how they made him who he

is. I agree with Mike Rose in that a good teacher can make all the difference in the lives of

their students, both for good and for bad.

Some teachers are not the best role models. While in the vocational classes at his school,

Mike Rose had a series of terrible teachers. They ranged from the overly abusive to the

hopelessly under prepared. One teacher, Brother Dill, was an unstable man. Mike Rose says

that When his class drifted away from him, which was often, his voice would rise in

paranoid accusations, and occasionally he would lose control and shake or smack us (346).

Worrying about being hit by the teacher does not make for a great learning environment. On

the other extreme, he had the brand new Spanish teacher, Mr. Montez. He says that Spanish

was a particularly rowdy class, and Mr. Montez was as prepared for it as a doily maker at a

hammer throw (Rose 347). an new teacher might be excited to teach the young minds, but

are more likely to be under-prepared. These were not teachers anyone would want to learn

from.

Like Mike Rose, I also had a less than ideal teacher growing up. During my time in the

school system, I also had had a bad teacher. His name was Mr. DeMartini. I had him for two

years for both fourth and fifth grade at Cedar Creek elementary school. Like Mr. Montez, he

was a brand new teacher with no prior experience teaching children our age. Also like Mr.
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Montez, he could not handle the class. We would throw things across the room to each other,

give each other answers during tests, and one time there was even a fight inside the

classroom. Needless to say, I do not remember learning much about the subjects we covered,

and that came to haunt me for many years to come.

Having the right teacher at the right time can make all the difference in a child's life.

Mike Rose was moved from the vocational track during his sophomore year. Now that he was

on the collage prep classes, he was able to meet the teacher that would change his life for the

better, Mr. MacFarland. Mr. MacFarland was a beatnik with a masters degree who taught

senior English. Due to his natural excitement and charisma, he was able to inspire Mike Rose

to work harder then he had in years. Mike Rose said that I worked very hard, for

MacFarland had hooked me. He tapped my old interest in reading and creating stories. He

gave ma a way to feel special by using my mind. And he provided a role model that wasnt

shaped on physical prowess alone, and something inside me that I wasnt quite aware of

responded to that (Rose 355). later on, Mr. MacFarland would help Mike to get accepted

into college. This is the kind of teacher we all want in our lives.

Unlike Mike, the teacher who inspired me to be a better student did not happen until I

was already in college. His name is Chef Daniel Otto, and he is a culinary arts teacher here at

College of the Canyons. His class expectations were simple: show up, make the dish for that

day, have him try it, clean up, and go home. In practice however, they were some of the most

grueling and insightful classes I have ever had. He demanded that every dish was up to his

standards in both flavor and presentation. With some classes lasting upwards of nine to ten

hours twice a week, it was like being in a real, professional kitchen. When a dish came out

delicious and beautiful, he would make you feel proud of the food you made. That is the

feeling I want feel every time I make something. Chef Otto is the reason I want to someday

own my own restaurant one day.

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The truth of all this is that a teacher has a major role on the students they teach. Emily

Gallagher of the NYU department of psychology says that, Teachers play an important role

in the trajectory of students throughout the formal schooling experience. Although most

research regarding teacher-student relationships investigate the elementary years of

schooling, teachers have the unique opportunity to support students academic and social

development at all levels of schooling. . . . positive teacher-student relationships enable

students to feel safe and secure in their learning environments and provide scaffolding for

important social and academic skills. Teachers who support students in the learning

environment can positively impact their social and academic outcomes, which is important

for the long-term trajectory of school and eventually employment ( Gallagher). she is saying

that a teacher can help the life of the student in both the short term and the long term with

success in life.

Mike Rose and I have had very different times growing up, but we both had teachers

who either hindered us or inspired us to do our best. For Mike Rose, it was Mr. Montez and

Mr. MacFarland. For me it was Mr DeMartini and Chef Otto. So think back and remember all

the teachers, coaches, and tutors that you had during the years. Would you be the person you

are to day with out them?

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Works Cited

Rose, Mike. I Just Wanna Be Average. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, ED Samuel

Cohen, 4th Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2014, pp. 345-358

Gallagher, Emily. The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic

Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students. New York University,

2017, http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2013/fall/gallagher