The Downfall of a Great Teacher Essay -- Interview Essay

The Downfall of a Great Teacher Surrounded by a circle of students, Mr. Garrett answered questions, gave instructions, and explained assignments. I slowly approached the circle and stood on its periphery. Four years ago, I had been an insider. Now I was an outsider, who peered over the chattering students and slipped into the circle undetected. Old high school memories came rushing back. A few moments passed before Mr. Garrett turned to me with a smile. â€Å"Katie!† he said, â€Å"It’s good to see you. I’ll be with you in just a minute.† Turning to a student on his left, he asked her if she understood the assignment. â€Å"Of course, Mr. Garrett. Your class is easy.† Easy? Mr. Garrett? Was she talking about the same Mr. Garrett who had required us to read The Octopus and The Biography of Malcolm X just four years ago? I wondered. Maybe I had not heard her correctly. What I remember about Mr. Garrett’s eleventh-grade honors English class was the challenge. Good grades were not earned easily in a class of students concerned about one thing—getting into a prestigious university. That meant earning nothing less than an A. And Mr. Garrett made us work for it. Class periods were spent analyzing difficult literature, reviewing and practicing English grammar, and developing our writing skills. Furthermore, Mr. Garrett’s encouragement and concern for his students were evident. I may have wondered if I would receive an A in his class, but I never wondered about his dedication and love for teaching. Still reminiscing, I took a seat at the back of the classroom while Mr. Garrett took roll from a seating chart. Meanwhile, the class busied itself with a â€Å"Daily Oral Language† exercise. The exercise asked students to corr... ...ntial in this area,† I explained. â€Å"I don’t want to move back home and live with my parents.† Mr. Garrett seemed to understand my explanation. As our conversation came to a close, I realized that it was not Mr. Garrett the person who had changed, but Mr. Garrett the teacher. The observation and interview echoed an important theme in The Roller Coaster Year—the need to keep one’s teaching fresh and new and to somehow avoid teacher burn-out. I left my old high school feeling melancholy and a bit sad; a person whom I’d admired, respected, and esteemed for many years had come down from his pedestal in one short afternoon. As an experienced and seasoned teacher who now has become a victim of teacher burn-out, Mr. Garrett taught me the importance of maintaining a crispness in one’s teaching and the importance of taking preventive measures to avoid such a fate.