A teacher’s guide

Teaching was a second career for me and I taught mathematics at Roosevelt High School for 21 years before retiring. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching all my students. I found it a positive experience due, in large part, to abiding by the following:

1. “No teacher should strive to make others think as he thinks.” – George MacDonald.

2. “Complicated rules to adjust behavior are a weak substitute for simple principles.” – Mary Woolstonecraft

3. “Plan for what is difficult while it is still easy; do what is great while it is still small.” – Sun Tzu

4. “The main goal of a lesson is for students to think about things in a new way.” – The Teaching Gap

5. “Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is waging a great battle.” – Philo

Although the study of mathematics was my primary goal, it was also the vehicle to develop intellectual honesty and emotional maturity in my students, and expand their capacity for perseverance.

Lastly, on those days when everything that can go wrong does go wrong, particularly on a day that you are being evaluated, remember this: “Life is too important to be taken seriously.” – Oscar Wilde

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 8:54 AM with the headline "A teacher’s guide."