Enchanting Teachers Among Us

Childhood Education, Spring 2004 by Richards, Jan

The word enchanting brings forth images of flying joyfully among the stars to Never Land with Peter Pan, powered by the magic of Tinker Bell's sparkling fairy dust. Or our imagination conjures up an exciting world of elves, witches, and enchanted forests. In the magic worlds of fantasy, we are mesmerized; we are charmed. But enchantment is not a descriptive limited to the world of Disney or Harry Potter. The amazing power to enchant students often is a defining hallmark of great teachers.

Enchanting teachers, those who make learning exciting and attractive, are all around us, and each is effective and inspiring in his or her own unique way. Wonderful teachers generally weave their magic behind closed doors, however, where only their students can experience their charm. I wanted to open those doors a crack and peer inside, even for a day, to try and capture a little of the wonderment they dispense. And so I spent the day with two such teachers: Gilbert Navarro and Debra Nisius. They teach different levels and different student populations, yet both contribute something wonderful to the lives of their students. Both offer inspiration to the rest of us!

Gil Navarro: 1st- and 2nd-Grade Teacher

Gil is in his sixth year of teaching 1st and 2nd grade in a southern California middle class suburb. Oswalt Elementary is a clean, open, student-friendly school where the staff proudly hangs children's work on office bulletin boards. It was easy to find Gil's room. You can't miss the sign on his door, welcoming all visitors with pictures of grinning dinosaurs-a theme that is carried throughout the classroom. Blown-up dinosaurs hang from the ceiling and sit watching from book shelves. Plastic dinosaur models rest by each of nine computers, and three small ones are on the sink board. A box of balls, hoops, Frisbees, and other equipment waits just outside the door, ready for play. Certain touches, such as the step stool by the too-tall sink and the laminated name tags on yarn necklaces for trips to the computer lab or the library (making calling each child by name a breeze), are testimony to the care and effort Gil brings to his work.

This theme of care is evident in every corner, wall, and surface of the classroom. There are boxes of books and tapes, each in envelopes with individual cassettes that Gil bought himself. The students can practice synonyms and antonyms on small computerized machines that give instant feedback and register a score with happy little dings and clicks. Most of all, Gil's love for his students is evident in the monthly newspaper called the Caring Times. Gil has taught them to write articles on people they care about, go to Kinko's to get their newspapers printed, and sell the papers for a quarter to each teacher in the school. Once a month, these 2nd-graders don their special newsperson's hats and shirts and proudly sell their monthly masterpiece. The confident looks on those faces as they line up at the door, ready to do business, present a true Kodak moment! This unique opportunity is just one example of the excitement for learning that Gil Navarro generates.

Gil is a master organizer-a quality that succeeds in giving the class mood a kind of effortless flow. While he works with one child perfecting her story of the week (a result of Writers' Workshop training), four groups of five work in their "centers," rotating every 15 minutes. The children move confidently, noting the chart on the board. Group 1 starts with the listening center. Group 2 works on antonyms. Group 3 sits at the library table. Group 4 works on "Word Muncher" (a computer game) with earphones. There is a peaceful feeling of productivity in the room. Gil's children know what to expect and seem focused and engaged in their own learning.

One student talks too loudly and is called over for a personal chat about appropriate behavior. "How could you have solved the problem?" I hear Gil ask. "Did you talk to the person in the mirror?" There is a mirror at the children's eye level next to the sink. Gil has emphasized character and values in his class, and one of his key messages is that you don't want to let yourself down with rude or unkind behavior. You are expected to apologize to the person in the mirror and try to do better next time.

The tone in this room is one of excitement for learning, pride in accomplishment, and the power that comes from feeling capable and cared for. Gil's students appreciate his caring, as they express here:

"Mr. Navarro is a good teacher because he always thinks about us before himself. . . . He bought some computers so we can have fun. He is the funnest teacher I ever had! He knows a lot of jokes; also, he works very hard so we can be smart and happy."

"He doesn't scream at us."

"He makes it fun to learn."

"Mr. Navarro teaches us very fast. He always loves us."

"He is a funny teacher and he is very kind."

Debra Nisius: 7th-Grade English Teacher

In contrast to Gil's middle class neighborhood school, Debra's school is in a low socioeconomic area. As I stand watching Debra's 7th-graders form two lines and ready themselves to enter their language arts classroom, I hear the following daily ritual: