Lasting Impressions

Lasting Impressions? Do you ever think back to your childhood or elementary, middle and high years? From those reflections, what experiences left a lasting impression on you that have lasted over time and perhaps will last a lifetime?

When I reflect back, I have a plethora of lasting impressions that have affected who I have become today: how and why I think they way I do; how and why behave the way I do; how and why I believe in what I believe; and how and why I am an educator today!

During my childhood years, I remember all of the positive comments that family members bestowed upon me that helped to boost my self-esteem. For example: you are so beautiful, you are very smart and never let anyone tell you differently, and you can be what ever you want to be... These comments and many others helped to develop and mold my self-esteem and provided me with ample mental confidence and power to achieve any goal that I had set for myself.

In elementary school, I remember how nurturing and positive my teachers were to me. That type of environment made it very easy for me to attend school; I loved going to school for this reason and learning new things everyday! My Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Podza, taught me: how to use my quiet voice so that I would not disturb others who were working, how to be kind to others, how to finger paint (lots of fun) and draw, and how to make homemade cards for my parents for the different holidays, and to laugh- because laughter makes people feel real good. I remember my Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Pingley, who is the mastermind behind what I do today! Everyday she was overly enthusiastic and she made all of us feel really good and we learned lots of cool things. Most importantly, she always took the time to tell us how much she really enjoys coming to work everyday to be with us and how much she loves each and everyone of us.

In middle school, I had one lasting impression that was one of the most pivotal points in my life! My eighth grade Science teacher, Mrs. Pruitt (Broskey now), saw in me the intellectual potential to do great things. She took me to the side one day and informed me that I was smart and if I really work hard and put my mind to it I can get an A in her class (I did). She also said that I have so much potential to excel and accomplish whatever I want. This one small moment of kindness was a catalyst for change in me. I gained a new found respect for myself and a higher level of self-esteem. From that point on, I did excel in all classes, and I am doing great things today and hopefully I will have many more years of it.

In high school, I especially loved the writing assignments in English because it provided me with the opportunity to showcase my creativity and artistic ability. I remember taking vocab words and turning those few words (twenty I think) into original short stories, or when I got to take on the roll of the mythical character Cyclops (Polythemus). I became Polythemus and created a heroic journey (no pun intended) for him to experience: he had to find his long lost father Poseidon who disappeared when Polythemus was young. I wrote Polythemus' journey filled with many emotions and adventures. I received an A++ on that assignment and it was on display for other students to read. It was an awesome experience writing that story and I still have it and the other vocab short stories in my possession! Last year I shared my Polythemus story with a seventh grade teacher who was hoping to have her students do a similar assignment; the students loved the story.

I never was bored of going to school; for me it was filled with anticipation of what I was going to learn new that day, week, month and year!

Today, I am thinking about my use of technology in the classroom and how these authentic experiences will affect my students, and I am thinking about the environment that I create for my students and how that environment plays a role in student experiences and learning. Then, I ask myself, "Is my use of technology in the classroom, effective in leaving a lasting impression on my students?" , or "What types of lasting impressions am I hoping to instill in my students with each technology integrated lesson?" As we each create, plan and implement our practicum lesson and unit plans, are we asking ourselves these very same questions? At the end of the lesson or unit, are students finding a connection to themselves that will leave a lasting impression?

Do you have lasting impressions from your childhood or elementary, middle and high school years? In planning activities, lessons, or units do you ask yourself the questions mentioned in the paragraph above? Or, do you have a different approach?