--Original published at Bogo's Blog

Growing up in Ghana, West Africa, school was very different for me. The relationship between teacher and student was a lot more intimate and close knitted. Our teachers were basically our second parents and they were treated as such. This actually made education very competitive for us since we did not want to disappoint our teachers by getting bad grades. I remember studying weeks before a every big exam or test just so I could get a good grade and impress my teacher. This relationship was lost when I moved to the United States in September of 2012. The relationship was much more formal with the teachers and you would never really tell your teachers how life was going back home. I felt like in Ghana our instructors knew their students personally so they knew how to approach teaching a class so everyone was on the same page. Some even went as far as coming to their students homes to give them extra hours of school time.

It would be hard for Americas system to be like this because of the difference in culture. It works in Ghana because we’re a very open society and children are raised by the community not just their family. One thing that could be done that is similar to this is having one teacher teach the same group of individuals from first grade to maybe sixth grade. I feel like it will be very beneficial to the students development, both in intelligence and knowledge, if they grow alongside a teacher they have a good relationship with.

--Original published at AlexisPattersonBlog

Throughout my school career I have met a lot of educators who have made an impact on my education. From professors I just met five months ago, to teachers I had even when I was in the 8th grade. Educators are a huge asset to the school system and their role cannot be matched.

There are some teachers that you just connect with. You talk to them outside of class, you see them in the hall and go over and ask how their day was, small things like that. One teacher I had when I was a freshman made an impact on me. Her name was Mrs. Pugh and it was her first year teaching when I was a freshman, so we both were new to the high school. She was my American government teacher, and while I didn’t like any form of history classes at all (never have, never will), she made the hour and a half worth it. She made classes interesting and fun, while still being able to understand the context. One thing that I would suggest the school system changing is to stop putting as much restrictions on everything. A lot of teachers have to take some of the “fun” ways to learn away so that students have to learn to understand it themselves.

Mrs. Pugh became my advisor for our class when I was a senior so I was able to connect with her even more now as we always met to talk about prom and graduation, etc. One thing that was always “looked down on” was interaction with students outside of school or schooling events. I believe that if someone was old enough, like I was for instance, then the interaction would be ok. I was a senior in high school, so I was 18 years old. I don’t understand why if someone wants to be face book friends with someone for instance, how that’s a problem.

Despite those little problems, Mrs. Pugh was someone I could go to for advice on schoolwork, ask how her day was for just small conversations, or even just to tell her about my lacrosse game I had the previous night. Teachers impacts on students are a big role when it comes to not only knowing how smart you are or how confident you may be, but also knowing they are also human, and one of your new friends.

--Original published at Ally'sCollegeBlog

I have lived in Lancaster County my entire life, and subsequently, have attended Hempfield schools for my primary and secondary education. Throughout that time, I have encountered a variety of different teachers. Some have been very helpful, kind, and understanding while others are the complete opposite. The older educators, had a much different style of teaching then someone who is in their twenties or thirties. I was an average student that was motivated but, my grades became poor due to my test anxiety. Some teachers were very helpful and tried to aid me while others just emailed my parents and gave up on me. I definitely had my fair share of both types of teachers.

To improve the education system, I would change the way we base knowledge. I believe that the foundation of school, is the definition of knowledge. Public schools use multiple choice questions on standardized tests to determine our worth as students. They use tests and memorization to tell themselves how well they teach. In hindsight, it is not for the students, it is for the administration and state to give themselves a pat on the back. That is what they consider knowledge- memorizing vocab words or equations. I would want to change that. We should base school on things we actually need. I do not think memorizing the quadratic formula is very important to me becoming a well adjusted adult. Classes on personal finance are much more important than a required calculus class. Why not base your grade on you understanding of the content not memorization. That is learning. I memorized all the forms of deductive reasoning for a test a few weeks ago. I do not even remember them anymore and I never really understood them either.

--Original published at NataliesCollegeBlog

When first responding to this prompt, there were many things that came to my mind about current and past teachers. For starters, when thinking about intelligence, it made me think of a scenario that almost everyone has experienced before. We all had that time where we get back a bad test grade, when we worked so hard to do well, and compared it to the person sitting next to us who got an A. Sometimes we try to feel better about getting a bad grade, by automatically trying to make the excuse that the person next to us is just “naturally smart”. Although there are some people that can pick up information quicker than you, does not mean that they are smarter than you are. Intelligence is not based on genetics, it is based on the work ethic that person has. Personally for me, I know that I need to work really hard in my classes in order to get good grades. People need to realize that work ethic is what determines how well you do in school; whether your instructors are there to support you or not.

My interactions with my educators through college have all been positive; however, I do remember teachers in high school that have made me think of ways that school systems could improve. I think that teachers at college should enforce doing homework more, by checking it for completion. This would not only help the student, but even make life easier for the teacher. I sadly have been one of those students that slacks on doing homework problems, especially math, if they are not graded or checked. If more teachers checked homework it would force kids to learn the material the right way and would help improve students grades too.

--Original published at Alex's Thoughts

The Mozart Effect is an interesting topic, but I firmly believe that Governor Miller’s actions were no more than a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. In theory, the Mozart Effect is sound, but I do not believe it has any real effect in practice. I would like to cite my own life and the lives of my siblings as examples.

When I was growing up, my parents did not force anything upon me besides encouraging me to do well in school and go on to further my education. It did not matter whether the education was trade school or college, but they wanted me to get a certification beyond high school. The expectations were all the same for my siblings as well, and all of us have gone on to college and found successful employment in our respective fields afterwards. One of my siblings is in the process of getting their doctorate, while the other two either have or are on track to get their graduate degrees. I am in school for a dual concentration major in Engineering, so I believe that all of us can be categorized as relatively intelligent. However, none of us were exposed to the music of Mozart as children. Our parents did not put us in special programs beyond a typical preschool, we were not taught subjects like calculus when we were little, and nothing was expected of us but to learn in school, read when possible, and have a healthy and happy childhood. I am extremely glad that my parents raised us this way, as I still have many fond memories of growing up and firmly believe that further pressure besides succeeding in school (like forcing us to listen to Mozart) would have had an adverse effect. My siblings and I now have wildly different tastes in music, but that seems to be the only effect of not having a confining standard of music enforced on us when we were little. Mozart is beautiful in its own way, but I personally believe that forcing a small child to listen to his compositions when they are growing up would have about the same effect on their intelligence that putting a drop of water in a barrel would have on filling it. It may or may not help, probably has little to no effect, and your child is most likely not better off by doing so.

In science, you can never really prove anything to be completely and exhaustively correct. You can only disprove something or add to the evidence and refine the original theory. Cases like my siblings and I, along with countless other intelligent people that never bothered with Mozart when they were small, are the evidence that listening to Mozart as a small child has no noticeable effect on future intelligence or success.

--Original published at Ben's PSY105 Blog

In my experience, most teachers have always been there to support me and positively push me forward in my studies. However, there were definitely some who would seemed to be rooting against me. My work ethic and study habits were never the greatest while I was growing up. Everything seemed easy for me to do, so I never really bothered with the extra practice of homework until about my junior year of high school. Looking back, the best teachers I ever had were the ones who pushed me to work my hardest by providing challenging work which made me feel accomplished to complete it. The most memorable for me was my AP Calculus teacher in my senior year. She wouldn’t assign a long list of problems to do every night, instead she would give just a few challenging problems. For me, she was without a doubt the best teacher I’ve ever had because of how she pushed all of her students to do the best they could but didn’t punish us if we couldn’t get the problems. If she saw us putting in effort, she would always help guide us in the direction of the right answer. It made everyone in the class feel like they were working towards a meaningful learning experience.

On the flip side of this, I have also had experience with teachers who did not seem to have our future success as their best interest. The two most memorable negative experiences I have with teachers came in my 8th grade algebra class and in my AP US History class. In algebra, my teacher told me that she was disappointed that I got a 90.0 at the end of the marking period because she did not want to give me an A. As a young teenager, this experience really left a sour taste in my mouth. Knowing my teacher wanted to give me a lower grade than I had earned just because she didn’t like me felt unfair. In my AP US History class, my teacher openly told the class she didn’t like my dad, another history teacher in the school. Then she went out of her way to single me out in front of the whole class whenever I got anything wrong, no matter how many other people made the same mistakes as me.

I was lucky enough to have a strong support system around me when I was growing up, so even when I didn’t feel like my teachers were rooting for my success I had people there to push me to do my best. There are a lot of young students who aren’t lucky enough to have the same kind of support in their lives that I grew up with. If they don’t have their teachers to make them feel like there’s something worth working for, it is very easy for them to give up on learning and fall behind. Our best hope for success of the kids who don’t have the support from home is that their teachers make them feel like there’s something worth working for in school. Kids all deserve the same opportunity to learn, regardless of what they look like, what their life is like outside of school, or how much money they have.

--Original published at Olivia's College Blog

An instructor’s role in the classroom is very impactful on the pupil’s success and intelligence. From their method of teaching to their classroom rules, teachers control the flow of the classroom environment. Their subtle or not-so-subtle behaviors can determine a child’s intelligence. While genetics may have a role in someone’s intelligence, it is important to understand how one’s learning environment may be related to intelligence. I can relate to this topic from having 15 years in the public-school system. I don’t think it is any coincidence that my favorite instructors were the ones whose classes I excelled the most.

              This is a tricky subject, because no two students have the same requirements for an environment that will allow their intelligence to flourish. For me, I always did the best in classrooms where the teacher was outspoken, friendly, and comical. In our class, we’ve learned that learning is done most effectively when there is meaning attached to the content. I am most successful and feel most intelligent in classrooms where the teacher is lively and engaging, because it cues my semantic memory to extrapolate information from interesting lectures. In classrooms like our own psychology class, I am most comfortable which makes me feel like I am retaining more information.

              At the other end of the spectrum, I have had very poor experiences with instructors who I do not feel connected to in the classroom. The most difficulty for me comes from very dry classes that do not involve discussions, student comments, or questions. In these environments, it becomes hard to find meaning in the information that is information that is thrown my way.

              I think one far reach solution to this is having instructors take tests like the IAT that check their levels of prejudice. This is an extremely influential factor in student success. Educators that are prejudiced to any group of people, consciously or unconsciously, could single handedly determine the success of a student. Whether it is religious, gender, or race prejudice, any biases could manipulate the fair learning environment that every child deserves.

I can see how an instructor’s job is a difficult one since no two students are alike. For that reason, I think it is important for the instructor to be adaptable and open to the differences among students. For example, one could create lessons to accommodate tactile learners, visual, and auditory learners. I believe that welcoming classrooms that are accepting of differences will foster learning and intelligence. Just like employers are required to follow certain guidelines to ensure workplace fairness and safety, I think teachers should understand that their role and classroom environment is largely an indicator of student success and intelligence.

--Original published at WilliamsCollegeBlog

Even though genetics give way to how intelligence someone might be, the learning environment around someone is just as important. Every person you interact with has some sort of effect on you and how you are learning in that specific area. Whether being with friends, family or the classroom, trying to do homework or study can be different. Teachers always give the best advice and are the most encouraging the try your best and ask for help when needed. Every teacher has a different style of learning and their methods reflect the students. Someone who is laid back and easy-going may be the popular teacher but does not mean they are better than others. Typically, those students in the classroom are the same way as the teacher. They will not have strong study habits for that class, and it can be translated into their other classes and grades. Their intelligence is therefore hindered and not at the same level as some other student in a different class growing up. My favorite teacher to this day was my Calculus teacher who I had for three years. He just so happened to be my cross country and track coach, but he still had a positive impact on me and how I am as a student. He was always cheerful, and I never saw him upset about anything. He made me excited for class and honestly made me want to learn the material and understand what he was talking about. I can say having him made me a better student.

One change I would want to make to the school system would be giving time to for the students to have a teacher mentor who they are able to go to for advice once they get to middle school. Obviously, there are guidance counselors for that reason, but they do not have the same impact on us as teachers do. We also do not see them as often as teachers. In college we have our advisors, so something like an advisor secondary education would be help I believe for every student.

--Original published at Jess Principe's Blog

by: Jess Principe

The educators I have had in my schooling experience so far have had an extremely positive impact on me. Aside from the education I have received from them, the knowledge I have learned about the many valuable factors in life outside of education have come from my teachers. Things such as learning how to share or be a good friend when you are in kindergarten, to up through high school learning how to have confidence in yourself, set goals to reach in life, and be intrinsically motivated are all skills my educators helped me to find in myself. I do feel that how educators act towards their students impacts their mindsets, which then affects their actions, which affects of course their futures. Even the subtle phrases or “words of wisdom” that I have learned from my educators are sometimes the ones that have stuck with me the most throughout my life. My coaches, I consider to be as valuable as my educators as well for these same exact reasons.

I feel that one of the best things the schooling systems do and should do more of is opportunities for students to connect with their teachers. For example, we had “advisory” at both my middle school and high school, where we could select a teacher that we felt close with or trusted to always have to go to for advice, picking classes, and guidance throughout our middle school and high school years. These relationships were very valuable to me, I still talk with my advisors a lot, and my family and I consider them close family friends too. These relationships and healthy environments are vital for students to receive from their educators as they grow into adults that later pursue college and careers.