Belief Essay

I believe teachers should be enthusiastic and excited about shaping the minds of their students. If somebody isn’t willing to work hard and be an influential teacher, then he or she should choose a different career choice.

I still remember my first day of middle school. I had so many butterflies in my stomach, and was nervous to meet my teachers. My very first class of middle school was World Geography with Mr. Buona and I remember thinking great, a history-related class. I hated history. When I walked into the class I found a seat and was waiting for class to start. Mr. Buona began with telling a joke and going over the syllabus. We then dove into the lesson and went over the PowerPoint, and throughout the lesson Mr. Buona would pause and ask a question and offer gum to who could ever answer the question correctly. In addition to asking questions Mr. Buona would constantly crack a joke, and his jokes were actually really funny. Mr. Buona had a skill of pulling the focus of the entire class into what he was saying. He was approachable and enthusiastic, and even after one day of class I was in love with World Geography in room 33 with Mr. Buona.

My next class of the day was Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Brown. Seeing as math is my favorite subject, I was pretty excited to start class. I thought for sure this was going to be my favorite class of the semester. However, I would soon discover I was mistaken.  Mrs. Brown was an elderly woman who very much resembled a toad. When she walked across the room to her desk, it looked like she would rather be anywhere else in the world other than in room 15 of Corry Area Middle/High School. When she spoke she spat her words as if they left a disgusting taste in her mouth. She was very strict and made it clear that she would have order in the class room. Nobody dared to speak in her class for fear of the “death look” and being utterly embarrassed. Math was my favorite subject, and Mrs. Brown somehow managed to make me dread going to Pre-Algebra every day.

Unlike Mr. Buona, Mrs. Brown didn’t make learning enjoyable; actually, she did the opposite. She made learning a chore and something every student dreaded. When comparing the two different teaching styles of Mr. Buona and Mrs. Brown, I discovered something important about teaching, something that was a key ingredient in producing an effective teacher: enthusiasm. While Mr. Buona had a cheerful disposition and looked excited to be in class every day, Mrs. Brown acted like it would kill her to smile. I quickly learned the effect of having an enthusiastic teacher, compared to a dry teacher, could have on my education.  When I had a class with a teacher like Buona, happy to be there and eager to teach, I was willing to work harder and do better in the class. I think this is because the class was enjoyable, and fun to be in. I actually looked forward to going to school, so school work didn’t seem like such a hassle.

From the time I was in fourth grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher. There are no words to describe how I knew; it was one of those things where you just know. To me it was clear: I was born to be a teacher. Taking Mr. Buona’s World Geography class helped me realize exactly what kind of personality traits I want to have as a teacher. I want to be just as enthusiastic and excited about teaching as he was, and this is where my belief that teachers should be enthusiastic was born. Mr. Buona had such an impact on me that I ended up nominating him for Edinboro’s very own prestigious Golden Apple Award, and on June 2nd, 2008 he won! You can check out the video at yourerie.com !