Golden Apple Essay Post #1
I thought I would post my Golden Apple essays. There are 11 in total. I have two finished. They must be done by Friday. I am a SLOW writer. I’m praying for a snow day. Seriously.
Here it is. Comments are welcome. If I you think I need to change anything, let me know before I send it in!
a) The most influential teacher in my life was a man named Carl Pullen. Mr. Pullen was my ninth grade German teacher, my humanities teacher my senior year of high school, and he is one of the main reasons I am an artist and a teacher today. His class was highly interactive and he somehow managed to make it both practical and inspirational. In Mr. Pullen’s class, you did not just conjugate German verbs about eating, you role played a dinner at a German restaurant complete with menus, waiters, and instructions on cultural etiquette. Before you knew it, you were ready for a night out in Berlin, and you barely even realized that you were learning! It never felt like work. In Mr. Pullen’s humanities class, you didn’t just read about sculpture and dance; you sculpted and you danced! He was an amazing teacher who captured his students with stories about his life, his travels abroad, and his family. He was very, very funny, and was able to speak intelligently on a wide array of subjects. Most importantly, however, he inspired his students. He opened up a whole new world of art and literature, exposing us to old ideas that were brand new to us. He taught the Greek classics and used high quality, excellent, modern examples to make them come alive. He taught history and philosophy and talked not just about the who’s and what’s, but the why’s. I believe that I learned more about the world in Mr. Pullen’s classes than I did in any traditional history class I could have taken. Mr. Pullen’s teaching has affected my own on many levels. He is certainly one of the reasons I chose teaching as a profession, but beyond that, his model of teaching lessons that were both inspirational and practical is something I use often. As a music teacher, I want my students to understand the rudiments of music. I want them to possess the ability to read and play and to sing, but more than that, I want it to mean something to them. I want them to recognize and value beauty. My desire is for my students to come to a place where learning music is its own intrinsic motivation. I craft classes that are fun and classes that take students beyond their own world. Rhythm is not just an exercise, it’s a game, and songs aren’t just melodies with nice or entertaining words, they are the expressions of real people with real stories to tell. Additionally, I strive to emulate Mr. Pullen’s model of exposing students to excellence. I take great care in choosing quality literature and musical pieces that have depth and meaning, regardless of my students’ ages and ability levels. Simple can be profound, and quality can be entertaining, but cute without depth or beauty just doesn’t cut it. I am grateful for Mr. Pullen and the positive effect he had on my life. I am keenly aware that who I am today is due, in part, to his influence and that of a hand full of other excellent teachers. Because of this, I understand and take very seriously the profound effect that my words, actions, and teaching may have upon my students.
