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When I began my teaching career at California State University, Chico, I was struck with the truth: I knew the material; I was a SME (Subject Matter Expert). I did not know how to teach what I knew. I did not want to become one of those professors/teachers who made learning more challenging than necessary. Thus, I began to understand the role of teacher and more importantly, why understanding the role is important. Sadly, the negative examples came to mind first. I remembered the teachers who demanded answers instead of asking questions, the teachers who showed no compassion for slowness, the teachers who allowed rudeness to live in their classrooms. I remembered how those situations made learning tougher. And I determined that I did not want to be that kind of teacher because the teacher's job is to do as the title states: Teach, share knowledge in such a way that students learn the material/skills. When students learn the material/skills, the students no longer need the teacher; the students have graduated, so to speak. This is the innate value of education, this teaching/learning experience. For once students learn, they own forever that knowledge, that skill. I reached out to a former professor, asked him to be my mentor. He became the first colleague to share his knowledge with me. He became the first to listen to my ideas, to validate from his experience what I was thinking, and to challenge me to further think and define and understand this career I was embarking on. I have been blessed with many mentors, many colleagues who freely and sincerely shared their knowledge. Their modeling of good teaching behaviors helped me grow as a classroom teacher. I began to understand that is what good teachers do--guide students, motivate students, challenge students, show compassion and empathy to students, be clear with students, encourage students to be the stars of the classroom. Because I teach primarily writing courses, there is always a reading component to the class. Day one of the class students receive their first homework assignment. They are responsible, collectively, with helping create our semester-long reading list. I explain to my students that we are a community, that we work together to build the community, that their first contribution is to choose some of our tools, so to speak. Consistently, students have told me that first assignment sparked them, motivated them to return to English class because they felt included. Learning a new skill or improving an existing one cannot be done without vulnerability. It is imperative the classroom--virtual or otherwise--be a safe place, a place where errors are made and gently corrected, a place where students feel safe to learn. Students continue to reach out to me years after being in my classroom to share their new achievement, to say "thank you" when they experience another area where the skills I taught them are necessary. Teaching is all about the students; they are the center, the reasons for being there. Understanding that allows teachers to begin the important job of teaching, of helping their students become stars.
