Prerequisite to Becoming a Teacher

Prerequisite to Bcoming a Teacher or Well-Speaking English Canadian

Eight years ago, I was highly enlightened reading
Bill Sherk's instructional book “Try to Keep Up With Me!”

“Eyeball to Eyeball contact is very important in maintaining an attentive class.
Start each lesson in a way to deliberately capture the students' attention."

The most important people in the entire education system were not the directors or administrators
or even the teachers. The most important were the students. Even though retired, the VIP of the Northern Secondary School taught a class each day.

The best way to guarantee a well-balanced class, is to have a well-organized lesson.

To Student Teachers, Andy Lockhart at the Ontario College of Education stated, If you have any special interests or hobbies, such as bird-watching...traveling...photography...or antique cars, look for ways to work those interests into the lessons to add sparkle to the teaching.

Miss Travers, (whose Christian name was Lily, we discovered)
was the best Latin and History teacher I had. Entering the September classroom,

she captured my attention: short in height...grayish-silver-haired...wore thick-rimmed glasses...

yet, with a smile river-broad.

Every lesson taught, she introduced with a personal experience.

Her home was a smallish white-frame bungalow, not far from our high school.

 Loving gardening as a hobby, she attempted growing her favourite flowers ~ hollyhocks ~ with a southern summer exposure. For some reason, they failed to grow and produce her colourful blooms. Finally, late one spring, she told us of her success...there would be her favourite flowers to admire. How Joyful she was!

Prior to the end of June closing, a few friends and I
walked to her 'few blocks away' comfy home.
Yes! There were her colourful hollyhocks standing 3 to 4 feet tall
painted in full bloom on her southern wall.

Command of the Written Word:

Prepare: List in point form all you want to mention, then arrange in logical sequence
.Produce: Convert your point form to sentences and paragraphs
.Polish: Read carefully to correct and improve.

Omit needless words! Result? A more EffectiveWriting Style;
.Magic Recipe!!! Choose the Right Words and Put Them in the Right Order!

Start each class by deliberately saying or doing anything to grab their attention.

This is excellent advice and also a great challenge if you try something different every day
for the almost 200 days of the school year.

There are just 3 ways to Remember things!

Impression...like running into a glass door

Repetition...like learning the letters of the alphabet; Association...IRA...Irish Republican Army

Don...lives near the Don River...Erica...Miss America

Planet Earth is the only home we have ~ and we would be wise to take good care of it.

“Show your students that you are generally interested in helping them to achieve academic success!”

(in speech by Father McGrath ~ a Roman Catholic priest
to 2,000 Teachers for Professional Development Day at Massey Hall):

Respect...Commitment...Responsibility:
Impress these values upon your students ~ not only as students ~
but also future citizens in their society.

On Bill Sherk's retirement from teaching, Gord Hazlett stated,Life is like a roll of toilet paper: the closer we get to the end...
the faster it goes!

Someone once said, “The greatest gift any human being can give to another
is the gift of a good example.

Ron Kendall, a VP, was the Master of Ceremonies at a particular High School Assembly.

He stood at a podium with a microphone on one side of the stage.

The curtains were drawn across the stage.
Suddenly, and without warning, 3 young students (???) wearing masks, stepped out from behind the curtains and on to the centre stage...pulled their pants down in unison...and 'mooned' the entire school audience. Then they quickly pulled up their pants and disappeared. Some teachers chased after them ...but could not catch them! The whole assembly was in an uproar. Mr. Kendall tried to restore order after this interruption. Stepping up to the microphone, he said:Ladies and Gentlemen! You saw them ~ and I saw them!
And what you saw...is what they are!”

The monk joined a monastery and had to take a vow of silence. He could speak only 2 words once every 7 years. He prayed every day...read the Bible...and worked in the fields. The years rolled by.
Finally, after 7 years, the abbot called him to his office and said, “You may say 2 words. What might those 2 words be?” Too Cold replied the monk. “Well,” said the abbot, “We've had several complaints from the other monks. We'll try to hang some extra animal skins over the open windows on the north side...and that may help. Now! Back to your prayers.”

The next 7 years rolled by and the abbot called the monk into his office.
“Young man, you may now say 2 more words. What 2 words would you like to say?”
 Food Rotten! said the monk.
Ah, said the abbot, a familiar complaint from the other monks as well.
I'll speak to the cook and we'll see what we can do.”

Another 7 years rolled by. The abbot called the monk into his office and asked

what 2 words he would like to say now.
 I quit! Said the monk.
“Well, I'm glad to hear that,” replied the monk.
Because you have done nothing but complain ever since you came here 21years ago!

Scripted by Merle Baird-Kerr...January 19, 2020

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca