By Adam C. Rohdie
At Greenwich Country Day School, each year we welcome a cohort of 25-30 recent college grads into our co-teaching program. A standard interview conversation I have with each of them begins with thinking back to a teacher they had growing up who they would most like to emulate in their teaching career.
I hear stories of inspiring 3rd grade teachers, middle school coaches, or high school honors teachers. When I press the candidate to dive deeper into “why” this teacher had such a profound impact on them I never hear: “they had a unique pedagogical approach to teaching fractions,” or “their lesson on the three causes of the Civil War was illuminating.”
Rather, to a person, what they describe is how the teacher made them feel—”capable,” “special,” “safe,” “cared for,” or ”motivated.” It was Maya Angelou who said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Great teachers have that uncanny ability to be both experts at the delivery of their curriculum as well as in finding ways to create deep and meaningful relationships with each and every one of their students. These teachers know that students thrive in a learning environment where the children are known and cared for; where they are safe to take risks, ask questions, and share ideas. They know that a classroom where there is mutual respect, where learners are seen, heard, and valued creates an environment where students learn at deep and meaningful levels. Great teachers teach with the passion, the care, and the rigor that comes from the conviction that teaching young learners has an inestimable impact.
In June, as we celebrate graduation season, great teaching becomes tangibly evident. Not just in quantifying percentages of graduates and college acceptances, but in the myriad expressions of appreciation students share with their teachers. Students take a moment to write a heartfelt message or buy a small token of their appreciation because they want to express how much their teachers have meant to them. Just last week, at our end-of-year faculty and staff party, three ten-year-olds stormed in to present their 5th grade teacher with a necklace they all chipped in to buy. While the particular piece may not have been one the teacher would have picked for herself, it is one she will treasure for a lifetime.
As you and your family delve into summer, take a moment to reflect on how lucky we all are to have great teachers in our schools, teachers that care so deeply about what they do. Never forget the famous words of Henry Adams, which I slightly misquote, “A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops.”
Congratulations to the Greenwich 2024 Graduates!
Happy Summer!