The Christian EducatorA publication of North Valley Baptist Schools

A Love for Learning

By Merinell Taleon

I was in sixth grade. I was sitting in my seat, and the teacher called my name. She asked me to answer a math problem on the board. I was a bit perturbed that she would ask me of all people. She should have known that of all the subjects, math was the worst for me! How dare she try to make me look like a fool in front of my class! But being the good student that I was, I hesitantly came forward. Just as I suspected, I froze. From that moment on, I felt like a failure and lost my motivation to learn. I came to the conclusion that math would always be my worst enemy. I only hoped that someone would care enough to help me gain back my confidence.

I took this experience and learned a valuable lesson from it.  I did not necessarily apply this as a student at that time, but I have now as a teacher. I have seen the struggles some of my students have encountered and can identify with them. So I asked myself, “What can I do to give them back a love for learning a particular subject? What could my past teachers have done to make learning desirable?” With that in mind, I tried several methods. Some proved to be very successful, while others proved not quite as successful. Regardless, I knew that it was my duty to help each student reach his highest potential. I want to be a teacher who instills a love for learning. 

Sacrifice. It takes hours of preparation to do lesson plans and even more to make your lessons fun and exciting. Leave a lasting impression, and your students will remember it for life. There is nothing more gratifying to a teacher than igniting a love for learning.

At the end of one particular school day as the students prepared to leave, I made the announcement that there would be no school the following Monday.  Instead of hearing the usual hurrah's and yay's I was surprised to see several disappointed looks. They did not want a day off; they wanted to be in school. That’s when I knew I had made a difference.

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