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What Kind of Teacher Do Our Kids Need?
Why teaching requires vulnerability
“The university annually recognizes a Teacher of the Year, with each School able to nominate a candidate. We would like to nominate you on behalf of the Law School. Do you agree to be nominated this year?”
The Vice Dean of Education sent me this message.
Ten years ago, I would have answered within minutes.
“Thank you very much for your email. I’m genuinely honored and happy to accept the nomination. It truly means a lot to me that my colleagues believe I would be a suitable candidate for Teacher of the Year. Teaching has always been one of the most fulfilling parts of my work. Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the nomination. Whatever the outcome, I already feel privileged to have been nominated.”
And I probably would have meant every word. The nomination would have been a confirmation that I was doing something right.
And back then, I definitely knew, or thought I knew, what a good teacher was.
Teacher of the Year
Good teachers rise above the material. They have full command of it. They can explain it without hiding behind slides or jargon. They can answer questions, connect examples, and turn complexity…
