A good teacher is a gift that keeps on giving

It is amazing to witness and enjoy the gift of a good teacher. Sometimes it’s a delayed gift – one which you only recognize the value of after the teaching has finished. I was so happy to write this letter to our school principal last week.

I am compelled to write and let you know about an example of just what a positive impact a single year with an individual teacher can have on a student and the way they perceive themselves, their strengths and their weaknesses.

To set the scene, my daughter Kate has always been a confident reader and writer, but to my alarm, came home during her grade five year with “I’m crap at maths” written on her hand. And so began a mother’s campaign to turn around a negative mindset which had no basis in fact whatsoever. I only had limited success in convincing her that she did not have “a crap maths brain”, despite showing Kate her AIM tests, reports and other evidence to the contrary. It was of great concern to me that my daughter would fall prey to that old stereotypical attitude that girls can’t do maths.

When Kate and I attended our first parent/teacher interview with D, around this time last year, he suggested Kate do an “EYT” program in maths – I turned to her and commented that someone with a “crap maths brain” would not be considered for this (insert a tween eye roll here!). D was surprised to hear of Kate’s negative self-perception and let her know that it was his opinion that she had a fine maths brain. By the end of last year, Kate had earned her highest mark ever in Maths. David had obviously provided her with the opportunity and the encouragement to extend herself and she ran with it. Her teacher’s opinion and support reached her in a way that a mother simply could not.

However, the story doesn’t end with just a good report card - D’s gift goes beyond the Primary School gate. Kate had to fill in a questionnaire on starting at Melbourne Girls College and one of the questions asked was “what are you most proud of during primary school?” and her answer was simply “how much I improved in maths”. It is clearly a source of great pride to Kate that she has overcome her negative mindset and flourished as a young mathematician. She came home from school just yesterday and told me that maths is her favourite subject this year and that she is considered a “maths girl” in her class.

I am appreciative of the education and development Kate has experienced at NFPS which has contributed much to a happy and settled transition to secondary school life. However, the gift of helping change a child’s self-perception/self-assessment/self-confidence for the better goes way beyond mere preparation. I would like to acknowledge D’s valuable contribution here –and sincerely thank him for helping my daughter blossom even further.

It is as if he helped Kate let go of a negative belief and in doing so, released all this energy and passion. As if she just didn’t have the confidence to get behind herself and the self-belief to invest her energy in this direction. I spoke with D the day I sent the letter and he was glowing. As a second year teacher the note really meant a lot to him – he said he felt completely inspired and was so glad to be a teacher that day.

So if a teacher has made a difference in your child’s life – let her/him know. Oh, and let the principal know too ;)