Chapter 4: The Memorable Sister Candida and Her Passion For Poetry

Each year I teach educational psychology to pre-service teachers, grounding students in the concepts and theories of psychology and encouraging them to examine their instructional practices from these theoretical perspectives. On the first day of class, I ask students to draft an essay identifying a favorite teacher and reflecting on qualities that set this teacher apart from other, less well-liked teachers. As the semester progresses and we discuss topics such as motivation in the classroom or instructional strategies that promote learning, students regularly revisit this essay and analyze the behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes of their favorite, and sometimes their least-liked, teacher. Thus the request to reflect on my favorite middle-school teacher was a pleasant surprise.