Kaden Khau 11 - Teachers Influence on Students

Kaden Khau 11 - Teachers influence Students


February 12, 2025

I used to love math. I always thought math was fun and everything just clicked together. But that was until I got one a specific math teacher who completely changed the view on had on the subject during freshmen year. I had already learned geometry in my eighth grade year and went on to double accelerated my freshmen year. I thought it was going to be a breeze through it until they handed me a packet and just started solving problems without really explaining any of it. It was way different than the way I was taught and it really started to confuse me. 

This was like that one video of the long haired blonde guy who talked back to his teacher about handing them "freaking packets" and saying that some kids don't learn that way. But then the next year after, I got a teacher who really explained the steps and how to do the math problems step by step and that really helped me learn.

That experience taught me just how much power and influence teachers have on their students, both good and bad. A great teacher can build confidence and help them excel in that subject, but one who doesn't encourage or support their students can make them unsure of their abilities. Its frustrating to lose the excitement you once had for a subject, but engaging once you find a teacher who can help you gain that excitement back and love it once again. Teachers have the power to shape student's lives, not just in school, but on their worldview itself. They can inspire a student to reach higher, think deeper and never stop believing in their own abilities
                                                                Image from Medium

Comments

  1. Anika SahaniFebruary 19, 2025 at 7:39 PM

    Hi Kaden! I had a similar experience with English, actually! Throughout elementary school I did not do as well in English as I did in other subjects, and I got a low grade on a paper in fifth grade which totally destroyed my confidence in my writing abilities (even though I loved writing). This was especially frustrating because my teacher did not even teach us how to write properly and just gave us the essay, but I did not realize that my grade was only as such because I was never taught how to write in that manner, leaving me thinking that I am simply bad at English. A few more teachers who did not really teach later, I still thought I was not a good writer. However, I still ended up taking English 9 Honors and English 10 Honors. Throughout these classes, I gained a far better ability to craft complex essays, which was aided by enthusiastic teachers, and my English 10 Honors teacher empowered me so much that I decided to take the one class I never thought I would: AP English Language and Composition! Now, I love to write and believe I can be a good writer once again. Through reflecting on my progress after reading your blog, I realized how large the impact that teachers truly do have on our abilities and how much we like a subject.

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  2. Emerly LeeFebruary 19, 2025 at 7:56 PM

    Hey Kaden, after reading your post, I can heavily agree with you that the way that teachers teach plays a big role in how students learn. It would often bewilder me when teachers who had no interest in their students and always were hell bent on not listening to them, actually became teachers. I for one can relate to your story, as during my sophomore year I took an honors class in which the teacher “taught” per say, but wasn’t really interested in catering their teaching to their students. I strongly believe that teachers who choose to ignore their students' needs claiming that their teaching is the best way, are people who should never have been a teacher. Moreover, on a wider scale, I think teachers like that are detrimental to our generation. While some would argue that rigor is what makes people better, I believe that rigor isn’t entirely the truth, more so teachers should be vigilant that their students are learning and be open to letting students make mistakes, while also allowing them to get back on their feet. The impacts teachers have are remarkable, but oftentimes it takes one teacher to change young students' perspectives on their abilities. Thank you for sharing your post.

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  3. SadiaFebruary 19, 2025 at 8:27 PM

    Hello, Kaden! I agree with you that teacher's influence on a child is strong, both in a good and a bad way. If a teacher influences in a good way, the child will love that topic, and gradually gain interest in it, on the other hand if the teacher doesn't help the student while they are struggling, the negativity will stay with them just like the good one. If I think about it, all those "hard classes" are not entirely based on the topic or subject, teacher's also play a crucial role. I remember going through this as a sixth grader, when basic algebra came into picture, I struggled to grasp how the sign switches or how fractions switch when brought on the other side of the equation, but after my dad explained it to me, I could understand it way better than what I was taught. That was when my attitude towards algebra changed, though if I am being honest I still like geometry better. Anyways, I found your blog interesting and I liked your way of viewing power.

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