By Justine M Chance
I guess I first thought about teaching children in 1940 when I was an elementary school child. Through 4th grade, I attended a one-room school, housed in our only community church in the Tennessee hills near Perryville, TN. I loved my teacher, Miss Vernon Striegel and I once chose to sit inside with her at recess when all the others went out to play “deck ball,” “pop the whip” or “hopscotch.” Miss Vernon once drew me a lovely sailboat picture.
As I watched her, I was mesmerized at the attention directed at me, the seventh in a family of eight children.
As I grew older, I learned from my mother how she had once dreamed of being a teacher. But, in rural Henderson County, in 1916, she was unable to travel to Lexington for the teacher exam. She graduated 8th grade and was such a gifted teacher of others in the classroom, her elders urged her to take the exam that would qualify her for a teaching certificate. However, she and my dad married when she was 17 and her teaching career was never realized. Fortunately, my older sister became a teacher so that made it easier for me to follow in her footsteps. I asked my parents if I could borrow the money for college, just as my sister had done, and I was on the road to becoming a teacher.
My first teaching assignment was in St. Bernard Parrish in Louisiana. I had 53 first graders!
I lost my voice trying to be heard over them all. My only moment of rest was during the time when the Catholic children left for catechism. This was all but about three or four of the 53 children. It was my only break of the day and I was thankful to have a moment to catch my breath! Amazingly though, all those children learned how to read that year. We used the Dick and Jane reading series—they loved those books!
As a teacher I like interacting with students, watching them accomplish goals, being successful and improving their self-concepts. I’m kind of a counsellor, so from that angle I enjoy watching students become more self-actualized; when they achieve one thing, they feel more confident in accomplishing something new.
If I could make one change to the teaching profession, I’d like to see teachers be given more autonomy to be able to zero in on their own teaching style. Every teacher has a different way of approaching instruction, and he or she shouldn’t have to use the exact same methods and materials as everyone else. In the long run, a teacher needs to know what the final product looks like, but in getting there, they should be allowed to use their own approach to achieving those objectives. I am not a fan of scripted instruction.
My favorite PBS show is Frontline.
It is factual, yet it holds my attention. The writers, directors and producers really know how to take a person inside a topic. Frontline makes the content so real; you feel as if you’re part of the story. Recently, I watched the “Bitter Rivals: Iran and Syria” episode and found it so interesting. We need to know what’s going on in our world and Frontline is a fantastic resource for helping me understand. I wish more people would avail themselves of PBS content. Besides, there’s too many commercials on other channels!
I found out about WFSU’s Education and Engagement team through my daughter, Dr. Diane Kroeger. She keeps me up to date on the newest educational outreach projects. WFSU’s Education team does amazing work for the children, parents and teachers of our community. They even visit surrounding counties: Bay, Gadsden, Taylor, Jefferson and Wakulla! I am so proud of the outstanding ways parents and kids are benefitting from their work. And, I love how PBS touches the lives of children and then they grow up and remember inspirational experiences and characters such as Mr. Rogers. No other television channel has that effect on helping children become such productive citizens.