AshleyLynnJones

972-415-2205
AshleyLynnJones@KSU.edu

Ms.Jonesisa2ndgradeteacheratJackFrostElementaryinGeorgetown,Texas
andiscurrentlypursuingherMasterofSciencedegreeinCurriculumand
InstructionDigitalTeachingandLearningthroughKansasStateUniversitysGlobal
Campusprogram.Ms.Joneshasbeenteachingfor7yearsnowandhasamassed
anassortmentofaccoladesincluding2015JackFrostTeacheroftheYear,2015
H-E-BExcellenceinEducationAwardStateFinalistand2012FujitsuTrailblazer
AwardforInnovationinTechnologyandTeaching.

AftercompletingherMastersstudies,Ms.Jonesplansoncontinuingteachinginthe
classroomwhilealsousinghernewfoundknowledgetocontinuetoeducatenot
onlytodays21stcenturylearners,buttohelpwillingteachersignitetheirown
technologyfiresandpassionsforthefutureofeducation.EventuallyMs.Jones
wouldliketobetheheadofaCurriculumandInstructionDepartmentinanAustin
orDallas/FortWorthareaschooldistrict.

Whenshesnotteachingorworkingonherstudies,Ms.Jonesenjoysallthegreat
outdoorsAustinhastoofferaswellasspendingtimetravelingtheworldwithher
family,hikingandbikinglocaltrailsandbingewatchingNetflixshows,fullseasonsat
atime.
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TeachingWith
Heart

Whatisitthatmakesagoodteacher?Isitmemorizationofcurriculum?The
numberofyearsyouveaccumulated?Theamountofworksheetsfiledaway
after21years?Howmanysuccessfultesttakingminionsyoucreate?

Afterreadingmypaper,youllfindoutbeinganamazingteacherintodays
classroomactuallyhaslesstodowithpacingcalendarsandobjectivesandmore
abouttheheart,therelationshipsbuiltandtheoverallcharacteroftheeducator.
Youllfindoutthatstudentsrememberwaymorethatyoudoratherthanthe
assignmentsorthetestsyougivethem.Itsonlyaftertheyrelonggonedothey
trulyrecognizedandrealizetheimpactyouhadonthemnotjustacademically,but
emotionallyaswell.

ItwasthelastdayofhighschoolmyFreshmanyearandIrememberitlike
itwasyesterday.Clubspackedandreadytogo?Ms.Hindeaskedasshepeered
overhersilveraviatorsandlookinglikethecoolestteacherintheworldsittingin
hersilverBMW325ionapicturesquedayinPlano,Texas.
Youreallymeanit?Golfwithme?Iaskedshockedbutalsoexcited.Iwas
nervousbutincrediblyflattered.Wasthisgoingtobeagrade?Areteachers
weirdoutsideoftheclassroomwalls?Dotheyhavemultiplepersonalities?Are
theylikenormalmembersofsocietyorpartofasecretclanthatlives
undergroundandnooneseesexceptfrom7:30to3:30eachday?Aswarmof
questionsranthroughmyheadasIwaitedherresponse.
Ofcourse!shereplied.Itoldyouwedplaygolfbeforeschoolletoutand
well...schoolslettingout.Letsgo!
ItwasfromthatdayonthatIrealizedthatteachingwasntjustabout
textbooksandobjectivesortestsandwowmeprojects,butitwasabout
connectingwithaperson,amentor,andrealizingthattheyweremorethanjusta
Mr.orMs.Lecturerintheclassroom.Theywerereal,theycared,andthey
showedit.
Agroupof5ofusreallyconnectedwithoursoccercoachandherbest
friend,Ms.Hinde,insuchanincredibleandpositivewaythattothisday,19years
later,Istillcontactherandthankherfortreatingmelikeahumaninsteadofa
number.Forgivingmeencouragementandsupportwhensomeoflifesmost

difficultmomentsattackyourteenageyearsandforinspiringmetobethetype
ofteacherIamtoday.
Ibelievethatteachingfromtheheartencompassesavarietyoftechniques
andrequirementstonotonlyreachtheheadofthelearner,butmoreimportantly
theheartofone,too.AbrilliantarticlebyMr.RichardLeblancsimplytitled
Good

Teaching:TheTop10Requirements
arewhatIbelieve,ifallteacherstruly
embraced,tobethecorefundamentalsofwhatteachingshouldbe.Ifall
teachersusedthe10suggestedstrategies,thenIbelievestudentswouldcomeout
feelingmorelovedandempoweredandstrongerthaneverbefore.Fortimes
sakeIcannotshareall10,butaftersharingahandfulofthemwithyou,Iinviteyou
tocheckoutthecompletelistforyourselves.

Goodteachingisasmuchaboutpassionasitisaboutreason
Studentsareexcellentjudgesofcharacterandcircumstance.Whenyoure
angry,theysenseitandleaveyoualone.Whenyouresad,theygiveyouhugs
withoutasking.Whenyourehappy,theydelightandshareinyoursamejoy.Why?
Becausetheyfeelyourpassionandfeedoffyourenergy.Yourteachingshould
beconveyedtheexactsameway.Itsaboutcaringforyourcraft,havinga
passionforitandconveyingthatpassiontoeveryone,butmostlyimportantlyto
yourstudents(LeBlanc,2010).Onlyyoucanmakeaboringlessonaboutcapitals
andcurrencyexcitingandrelevantatanyagelevel.Forawholeschoolyear,and
sometimesbeyond,youaretheirmasterofmotivation,aguruonteachinghowto

learn,anddoingsoinamannerthatisrelevant,meaningfulandmemorablethat
almost20yearslater,theystillcometoyouwithstoriesandexcitementandlove
thattheydidwhenyoufirstmetthem..
Award-winningeducatorandauthorofthebest-selling
LifesGreatest

Lessons
,HalUrban,startsmostofhisbooksaskingonesimplequestion,IfIasked
youtonameyourfavoriteteachersfromkindergartenthroughgraduateschool,
itwouldbeeasytoanswerwouldntit?(Urban,2008)Inashorteramountof
timeittookmetowritethissentence,mostofuscouldnotonlylistourtopone
ortwoteachersbyspecificnameandgrade,butalsogivesixmorereasonswhy
andwithoutbeingaskedto.Everysingleoneofthemcomedowntotheirpassion,
theirexcitementandtheircommitmenttomakingtimewiththemmeaningfuland
special.
AccordingtoSagaBriggs,authorof25WaystoInstitutePassion-Based
Learningintotheclassroom,shestates,Whenstudentsaremesmerizedbytheir
learningenvironmentsoractivities,therearemyriadresponsesintheirbrains
makingconnectionsandbuildingschemathatsimplywouldnotoccurwithoutthat
passionoremotion.Thepassionandemotionareproductsoftheenvironmentand
excitementtheteacherbringstohisorherclassroomeachday,andnotjuston
PDASorevaluationdays.Ifthesamecareandcraftsmanshipareconveyed
througheachlesson,thentheunderlyingmeaningandpurposeandobjectivewill
shinethroughbeforetheyevenrealizewhattheyrelearningislearning.Wehave
noideathetrueimpactourattitudeandexcitementhaveintheclassroomuntilwe

seejusthowmuchpassionandenergystudentscangivebacktousbecauseof
us.
A.J.Juliani,authorofInquiryandInnovationintheClassroom:Using20%Time,
GeniusHourandPBLtoDriveStudentSuccess,bringstolightoneofthemost
powerfulandprofoundpiecesofresearchbybridgingtheconnectionbetween
powerfulteachersandpowerfullearning.Researchshowsthatteachers-not
books,nottechnology,notbuildings,notevenclasssize-arethesinglemost
powerfuldriverofstudentperformance.Thatresearchisimportantfortwo
reasons.First,itputsanenormousamountofresponsibilityandpressureon
teacherstodrivestudentsuccess.Second,itshouldbeourguidingprioritywhen
wethinkabouthowtoimproveourschools.Betterteachers=betterstudents.
Whetheritsaparent,ateacher,afriendoranotherco-worker,whensomeoneis
passionate/animated/driven/excitedaboutsomething,byhumannature,weare
drawntotheirexcitementandknowledgeandtendtorememberwhattheysay
longaftertheyvesaidit.Itstickswithus...justlikepassionateteachingandlearning
doestoo.

Goodteachingisaboutnotalwayshavingafixedagenda
Howmanytimeshavewebeenfrustratedalessonplandidntgoexactly
accordingtoplan,thateachworksheetcopiedwasntfilledoutcompletelyorthat
amazingvideoonsharksdidntevenmakeitintoalesson?Whileitsimportantto
haveathoughtoutguideforeachobjectiveexecuted,goodteachingisabout
understandingthatsometimeslife...just...happens.Goodteachingisaboutnotalways
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havingafixedagendaandbeingrigid,butbeingflexible,fluid,experimenting,and
havingtheconfidencetoreactandadjusttochangingcircumstances(LeBlanc,
2010).Youhavetobeabletowalkawayattheendofeachdayknowingthat
whether10%ofthelessonor110%ofthelessonwasaccomplishedthatitwasstill
impactfulfortheday.
LeilaChristenbury,fromtheAssociationforSupervisionandCurriculum
Development,believes,Goodteachingcomesnotfromfollowingarecipe,butfrom
consistentlyputtingstudentneedsfirst.Sometimes,greatquestionsfrom
studentsorunforeseenteachablemomentsdeviatingfromthe2hourplanned
lessonplanshouldeasilybeaccommodatedforwhenthereismoreandbetter
learningelsewhere.Likeallthingsinlife,Aperfectbalancebetweenbeingan
authoritariandictatorontheonehandandapush-overontheother(LeBlanc,
2010)makesagoodteachergreatChristenburygoesontosaythatoneofthe
hardestmessagesshetriestoconveytonewbieeducatorsisthatthereisno
definitiverecipe,noimmutableformulaandnosimplelistofdosanddontsto
ensureeffectiveteachingwhichexcitessomewhilefrustratesandbewilders
others.

Goodteachingisaboutsubstance

WhenIleadatraining,IalwaysasktheattendeesiftheythinkBabeRuth
wouldbeasuccessfulbaseballplayerifheplayedtodaywithAll-Starssuchas
PrinceFielder,DerekJeterorMikeTrout?Igetalotoffunnylooksandeye
rollsandchucklesfollowedbyaprettyuniversalresponseof,No,ofcoursenot.

Hewastoofatandbaseballwasjustdifferentbackthen.Hedneverbeableto
hangwiththebigboysoftoday.Ismilebackandchuckletoo.Towhichmy
responsetothemisprettysimple,Well...Duh.Theirresponsesareprettyhilarious
andtheyareunknowinglyansweringmynextquestion...someevenaboutthemselves.
AsIcontinueonwithmypresentation,theysoonrealizethatifyoutryto
dothingsthewaytheyvealwaysbeendone,youvefailedtonotonlystaywiththe
times,butevengetaheadorbeagamechangerandyourenowjustlikeBabe
Ruthawesomeduringhistime,butnotevenafactorintodaysgameof
teaching.Bytheendofmyshorttimewiththem,somerealizetheysimplysitin
thedugoutanddonttryatall,butyetscreamandcomplainandgripethatthey
arentbeingtreatedasfairlyorgettingacknowledgedliketheiryounger,newer
counterpartsare.Somerealizetheyaresittingonthefencewhileothersrealize
theyareyearlyAllStarGameBallotNomineesandonesothersareconstantly
lookinguptoandadmiring.
Teachingtodayisntjustaboutreadingascript,goinghome,gradingpapers,
drinkingwineandrepeatthenextdayalthoughIbetsomewouldargueitis.No,
teachingnowismoreabouttreatingstudentsasconsumersofknowledge,doing
yourbesttokeepontopofyourfield,readingsources,insideandoutsideof
yourareasofexpertise,andbeingattheleadingedgeasoftenaspossible
(Leblanc,2010).Ibelieveoneofthebigfactorskeepingtodaysteachersfrom
constantlylearningandcrafting,well,theircraft,isthattheydontevenknow
wheretostart.Itsnotalwaysgoingoutandpursuinganotherdegreeorsittingin

hoursofclasses,butcansometimesbesomethingaseasyassearchingforother
teachersonTwitterorfindinganewvideotoshowinclassviaaYouTubeloving
teacher.AccordingtoKaylaKnightatWebDesignandDevelopmentOnline
Magazine,thereare5techniquesforstayinguptodateinaneverchangingfield
including:teachingothers,tryingsomethingnewforeachproject,browsing
showcasesandgalleries,readingblogsandbuildingnetworkingrelationships.Never
underestimatethepoweroflearningfromeachotherandworkingtogether
(Knight,2012).Byrealizingthatyoureallydonthavealltheanswersandthatfinding
otherstomentoryoudontevenhavetobeonyoursamecampusoreveninyour
homestate,youcanbecomeawareofnewtrendsmorequicklyandactivelyby
modelingthebehaviorsofthoseyouadmire.
Thebestwayyoucancontinuetogrowandimplementqualityworkinthe
studentsofyourownclassroomisbyconstantlylearningyourselfandbeingthe
besteducatoryoucanpossiblybe.Itmeansadmittingyouneedhelp,thatgrowth
andchangeisalwaysnecessaryandthatbybeingyourverybest,yourexcitement
andpassionforallyouvelearnedwillcontinuetoinfiltratethemindsandheartsof
allthoseyoucomeintocontactwith.Teachinghascomealongwaysincethe
daysofcolumnandrowseatingandindividualaccomplishmentsusingropememory
todevelopingintoaprofessionthatwearsmanyhatsnevermentionedinany
universityguidewhenselectingeducationalcourseworkclasses.Nowdays,we
arenotonlyjustteachers,butwearenurses,counselors,mentors,mediators,
moms,dads,chefs,artists,tutors,cheerleaders,comedians,detectivesandzoo

keepers,butmostimportantly...wearehuman.Thesoonermoreteachersrealize
thatthekindnessandhumorandfunintheirownheartscanbesharedwithintheir
ownclassroomwallsanddowntheircampushalls,themorenurtured,lovedand
wellbalancedtodaysstudentswillbecomeandyouwillberememberednotfor
whatyoutaught,butforthegenuine,heart-warmingimpactyouhadonanother
humanslife...nomatterhowsmall.

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References

Bart,M.(2011,June28).StudentEngagementTipsfromTeachingProfessor
ConferenceAttendees-FacultyFocus.RetrievedJuly8,2015.

Briggs,S.(2013,May24).
25WaystoInstitutePassion-BasedLearninginthe
Classroom-InformED.
RetrievedJuly9,2015.

Bulger,S.,Mohr,D.,&Walls,R.(2002,February1).StacktheDeckinFavorof
YourStudentsbyUsingtheFourAcesofEffectiveTeaching.RetrievedJuly7,
2015.

Christenbury,L.(2011).
TheFlexibleTeacher.
RetrievedJuly9,2015.

Juliani,A.(2014,January7).HowPassionateTeachingBreedsInnovativeLearning.
RetrievedJuly8,2015.

Knight,K.(2012,October2).TheTop5TechniquesforStayingUptoDateinan
Ever-ChangingField.RetrievedJuly7,2015.

Leblanc,R.(2010,August11).
GoodTeaching:TheTop10Requirements.
RetrievedJuly
8,2015.

Mormon,K.(2013,April18).ALoveforTeaching.RetrievedJuly6,2015.

Sroka,S.(2014,February14).GettingtotheHeartofEducation:Listeningtothe
WholeAt-RiskStudent-WholeChildEducation.RetrievedJuly9,2015.

Urban,H.(2008,January10).Lesson#1:
Goodteachersshareonespecialquality
.
RetrievedJuly8,2015.

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