About Us And Why It's Called "Teach With Heart"

Call me Jerry. I'm a teacher. I've taught for many years in many different places, many different subjects, under many different administrations, and with many, many, many different students. I've had many very successful classroom experiences. And there have been many students and teachers who have said I am a good teacher -- in fact a great teacher. But do you want to know a secret? I'll tell you . . . . .maybe later. It's not really about teaching with heart, but it's a secret about teaching. I'll save it for the right moment.

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Sometimes I present a workshop for teachers. Yeah, I go to teacher conferences and I present a workshop on what I call "human based learning and teaching." It's sort of an antidote to all the "scientific" studies the teachers will hear, and the lectures on integrating technology in the classroom, and the seminars on cutting edge teaching methods and techniques.

My presentation begins with a story about how I guided a group of non-English speaking kids to learn the basics of the English language within six or seven months, and how they could out-perform older kids who studied English in the schools for eight or nine years. A key to that success was throwing out all the textbooks and the methods and the cutting edge teaching techniques that these teacher conferences promote. My workshop nearly always grabs teachers' curiosity if not interest, and ignites a spark of "teacherhood" in them that . . . I don't know. Maybe it's just another workshop for most of them, and they are being kind and "teachery" with their glowing comments and feedback.

Have you seen some "teacher as hero" movies? Movies with famous actors like Robin Williams, Hillary Swank, Kevin Kline, Richard Dreyfus, and Sidney Poitier? Movies about overcoming great obstacles with "heartful teaching?" Some of those movies are based on true events. All of them are about me. No, the writers did not model their stories after my classroom experiences. But they could have and would have made just as good a movie. And the truth be told, I actually model some of my teaching after what I learn in movies. The point is, I've been there; I know what it's like to be a hero . . . a quiet hero.

The main thing I get from movies and plays is not exactly a teaching method or technique. It's an attitude. It's a vibration, maybe - an eruption emanating from the core of my being. That's it. It is "being teacher." And it doesn't really come from movies and plays. It's just that some well-told inspirational stories help - they awaken the teacher and rouse the hero within.

Here I've gone and revealed a small bit of who I am without telling you the secret behind my teaching success. That's what this website is going to be about. It is a simple story - my story. My adventures in the classroom. My wrestlings with realities of the system. My reflections and insights. That's what this website is all about. It's a simple log, a weblog, a blog. I'm writing this as a journal, not as a treatise on how to teach. I'm not trying to sell anything in particular. But if you pick up something from my experience that helps you in any way, well, that's why this website is here, and I will be extremely gratified -- and grateful if you would take the time to comment or send me feedback.

Well, this is the "About" page, and I think I've told you what this website is about, and what I'm about. I call this website "Teach With Heart" because that's what I want to do. That's what I want lots of teachers to do. A lot of teachers have no idea what they miss by "following the book" and denying their own "humaness." More important, our students miss out, and the world misses out on the greatest, most heroic beings of all time just because . . . .Sorry, I got carried away. I really do see teachers as the heroes of our time - and I really have been there. And with this open journal, I am priviledged and honored to take you there, too.

Thank you for joining me.

P.S. About that secret I mentioned in the first paragraph. I will get to it eventually. You'll have to follow this blog and join my mailing list when I have one. That'll be fun. Leave a comment here, okay? Thanks again.