Well, for one night at least.
After graduating from college, my friend Liz taught at a public elementary school in the Bronx for 4 years through Teach For America. You'd think a Jewish girl from Oldtown Philly would be intimidated by such a prospect. Not Liz. In fact, I'd classify her as the teacher every kid wants - funny, smart, and not afraid to get down and dirty in the classroom. For example, if the kids got too rowdy she'd instill a 20 minute mandatory "dance party" so they could let off a little steam (of course, during this time she'd work on her Soulja Boy as well). She also made frequent house visits, and ended up befriending many of the kid's parents (well, mostly single moms actually).
But what really made Liz such a jewel in the classroom? She treated her kids like equals. Like friends - even loved ones. And the stories that come out of such relationships...
Well, they win The Moth GrandSlam storytelling competition. Other Moth storytellers include Janeane Garofalo and Margaret Cho, so I'd say Liz's in pretty good company.
This is what a modern teacher should do. A typical teacher sets boundaries in which the student became afraid already of the teacher and not see him/her as a friend. This will mostly affect the student.
Posted by: medieval clothing | April 12, 2010 at 11:33 AM