“I learned a powerful lesson that day about courage, tenacity, and class.”
“That I am not unbiased.
I assumed he’d copied or paid for it.
Since it was about a horse, we figured it would be good.
When I read it, it was about a lot more than a horse.'
He went on about all of Steinbeck’s books and what they meant to him personally.
I was SO glad I didn’t accuse him of cheating.”
AnnMaria D.M., Quora
2.
“I knew a student who was a pleasure to have in class.
One day, he was sent to my office because he wasnt wearing his school uniform.
I asked him why, and he said his mother hadn’t had a chance to do laundry.
It turns out they were homeless.
Rick W., Quora
3.
“Just before class a student asked me if he could go to the bathroom.
He said, ‘Don’t I need a pass?’
He returned 10 minutes later, looking very dejected.
At the end of the period, I said, ‘You okay?’
He replied, ‘I got detention for being in the hall without a pass.’
‘Didn’t you say I advised you to go ahead without one?’
‘I didn’t want you to get in trouble, sir.’
I realized this student was superior to me in sensitivity and caring.
I could’ve never imagined doing such a thing when I was a high school student.
The incident showed me not to underestimate the existing values of those whom I presumed to teach.”
Michael H., Quora
4.
“I was giving a lecture to 50 high school students.
I got drunk before the lecture.
I just wanted the paycheck.
I put my feet up on a desk and began reading from my notes in a dull monotone.
It was boring as hell.
Teaching is not about collecting a paycheck.
The onus is NOT on the students to make it interesting.
Good teaching is not just rattling off a bunch of facts while the students scribble down notes.
I handed out pages fromHamletand got the whole class up and acting, and the class livened up.
I went on to make my living from teaching and was never again told that my lessons were boring.
Teaching can be a hard gig, but its damn rewarding when you do it properly.”
Benjamin M., Quora
5.
“There was a young woman in one of my college classes who was frequently late.
It happened often enough that it became irritating and mildly disruptive.
One day, I asked her to stay after class so we could chat.
When she told me that, the few minutes didnt seem that important.
We made a deal that she could come late when she needed to.
Another classmate and friend was already catching her up on anything covered before she got there.
Lesson learned: We never know what burdens people are carrying.
Mel B., Quora
6.
“It was one of the most blatant cases of plagiarism I have encountered.
A student was taking my theology class at a study abroad program in Rome.
He turned in a paper written by another student who previously took the same class.
He changed the name, the date, and nothing else.
So he did, and he passed with a D in the class.
A few years later, LinkedIn recommended him as a connection.
Andrew B., Quora
7.
“I have a baseball bat in one of my school cabinets.
I said, ‘In case anyone ever comes into the school and tries to hurt us.
Its a way of defending my students.
That, and if we ever play baseball.’
For my kids, a school shooting sounds more likely than going outside to play baseball.”
Justin F., Quora
8.
John K., Quora
9.
“My mom was a teacher.
She taught middle school.
She loved to teach.
One day, she got back home quite upset.
She had been having a bad day, and took her anger out on one student.
Lavrentiy E.D., Quora
10.
“I was teaching an undergraduate course on Mathematical Programming.
I just completed a very complex formal proof in class.
It took me over 20 minutes of very boring and dense algebra.
He taught me that I was not as smart as I thought.
This story happened 25 years ago.
That student is now a well-respected colleague and frequent co-author of mine.
Miguel J., Quora
11.
He showed me on my computer.
I realized then that our skills are only good for, at most, five years.
After that, all skills are obsolete.”
