My AP Psychology teacher from my senior year in high school was Mrs. Woodward. She taught me many things during that year, but the most important thing she taught me was to love learning, and that learning can be fun.
Every class Mrs. Woodward had an activity or a movie for our class to watch to better understand the material we would be discussing that day. She never stood in front of the class and lectured, but kept the entire class involved in every discussion and lesson. I cannot remember one time when I sat in that class and felt bored or that I wasn't learning something. I still, to this day, refer to that class for many things and have applied many of the lessons I learned in my life today.
After taking Mrs. Woodward's AP Psychology course, I considered becoming a teacher for the first time in a long time. I wanted to impact students like she impacted me. I wanted to show kids that going to school can be fun and enjoyable if given the appropriate environment. The environment Mrs. Woodward provided for me and her other students was truly one of kind. Almost every inch of every wall was covered in either projects, successes students had, or posters/signs to help students remember information from past lessons.
We did multiple group and individual projects throughout that year, but there's one that really stands out. We were learning about social norms in class for a few weeks and one day we came to class and were told that what we were wearing that day would be what we would be wearing for the next week. If you know what a social norm is, then you know that wearing the same outfit for a week is definitely a social norm. A social norm is doing something that is against what everybody thinks is the "norm." That project, wearing the same outfit for a week, helped explained what a social norm was and implanted it in my mind. There aren't many things I can say I still remember learning in high school, but having a knowledge about social norms is definitely something I will remember for a long time.
Mrs. Woodward also showed to me that teachers can be friends with their students and at the same time be a teacher. When teachers understand this, that is when they gain the respect of their students. I have so much respect for Mrs. Woodward, and because of that it made me want to excel in her class.
