Why Influential Teaching Matters

In American cinematography, classic films like Lean On Me and Dead Poets Society are well-known and loved. Both movies have a common denominator, an influential male lead. These actors, Morgan Freeman and the late Robin Williams, respectively, portray public and private school educators. Freeman’s role as principal  transforms the school and its students by fostering respect, exacting discipline, and genuinely caring about the environment in which they study. Williams’s teacher role is more comical than serious, teaching his students about the pleasures of reading and writing poetry. Both teachers prove why influential teaching matters.

The measure of a great teacher often lies in his/her influence. How much the children learn does not have to be weighed in the number of books they read or lines they memorize, but rather what they can discover from the teacher that affects their way of learning. If a teacher, professor, or even an aide shows the promise behind gaining and appreciating knowledge, the students can be impacted.

Now, it has been the practice of teachers for hundreds of years to have every student be taught in the same exact way. But, personalized lesson plans can more significantly affect the structure of learning. For example, my former English Writing teacher, Robert Moulton, had specific nuances that he brought to the classroom.  He gave us assignments that were “free-range,” where we’d all be assigned to read any book we’d like and then present to the class what we’ve learned in any style we’d like. I once had the opportunity to illustrate a story’s timeline and events by way of composing a musical score similar to that of a movie’s soundtrack.  This freedom of expression was so different from the way most teachers instructed their students.

He introduced our class to “7 All 7,” which was a plan to write for 7 minutes in a journal every day of the week. It was proven to improve your writing style. At the end of the writing session, some students chose to share with the class what they wrote about. Robert Moulton often inquired about students’ opinions on every assignment he gave so he might ascertain lesson plan flaws. And when students left his class to graduate, they left with fond memories and a high respect for him, much like how the pupils of William’s and Freeman’s characters left them. Mr. Moulton is the greatest, most positively influential teacher I have ever encountered in my educational career because of how he used his position of power to help his students. Through unconventional, yet positive instruction, new methods, and providing an outlet for creative expression, Robert Moulton changed the educational outlooks of many of his students.

Influential teaching leads to excelled learning in students. Teachers can be personal mentors. A teacher has the potential to be a friend to a student and influence important decisions in their pupils’ daily lives. With more influential teaching, we can increase the number of students who genuinely wish to obtain knowledge.