I was asked to write about my most influential teacher or learning experience. My education is complicated, but I think the following paragraphs show that I am a life-long learner who loves the adventure of new experiences and knowledge.
My elementary education experiences are full of strict, militaristic teachers who were looking to find out what was wrong with me. In China, the central government controls all curriculum, conducts standardized tests, and schedules long days of school. By the end of a school day, I was supposed to feel defeated, but I often felt checked-out. Now, I can hardly recall my elementary school years because I was told I was never good enough, and as a kid, I felt it best to escape into my little world of drawing and reading comics. I am creative, and I thrive in creative situations. China’s education system hates individualism and disapproves of creativity.
When I think of teachers who made me excited about learning, I have to go all the way to Canada and specifically to my postsecondary experience. I have had several excellent teachers, but one recent teacher that stands out is Jennifer, my first year Biology instructor at CNC. I had to take the course to pursue my goal of becoming a Teacher, and I had no experience with success in Biology. I was not excited. Jennifer was in Quesnel and taught the course through DDI (Direct Delivery Initiative) at 8:00 A.M. three days a week. I should have hated this course. However, after a long night of nursing my baby, I was still excited to get up and go to class. Jennifer is an inspired lecturer who loves her subject, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Her assignments made me go aside and find slime and fungus, take pictures of different species of trees, plus swab dirty areas of the college. When Jennifer showed the class a video about a male spider who did an extraordinary dance to impress a female spider, only to be eaten by the female spider without a thought. The female spider turned her “husband” into the food for their babies. At that moment, the whole class had exactly the  same shocked reaction including Jennifer who had probably watched that video dozens of times. She explained, “Can you believe what you just saw!?!” That shows Jennifer was committed to living the classroom experience. She was one of us.  I think Jennifer inspires her students to think about their own lives in context to the course material, although I have never thought about eating my husband. Plus, she encouraged me to explore. I think that Jennifer is a real-life version of Ms. Frizzle, my all-time favourite teacher. Even in a video version, Jennifer was a captivating teacher. After the course, I wanted more! If I had the time and money, I would take more Biology courses, which sounds crazy because I have never wanted to take Biology in the past. When I came home from school, I was excited to tell my kids about what I did in school that day.
Education is an adventure!
Makuch, Eddie. (9/2/2017). “Ghostbusters Star to Voice Ms. Frizzle in New Magic School Bus Show.” Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghostbusters-star-to-voice-ms-frizzle-in-new-magic/1100-6447691/
At any level, I know that education is an adventure when I feel the hairs on arms tingle and my brain wants to know more. When education is an adventure, I feel like I am improving myself, and my confidence surges in direct relation to the new knowledge. A great teacher shows students that education is a call to adventure—and once it’s been had, it can never be taken away.
