Lessons for life

What makes a good teacher?

There are a lot of inspirational quotes on the Internet for teachers. From Benjamin Franklin to Nelson Mandela, famous people have inspired us with words of wisdom.

Franklin was quoted as saying, "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

Mandela was equally inspiring when he said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world."

You don't need to be famous to teach or to be passionate about the occupation.

"Although I bet most teachers would say this, my favorite aspect of teaching is definitely having the opportunity to impact the lives of my students," says Kris Betz, a teacher at East Penn Elementary School in the Lehighton Area School District.

"Because I teach kindergarten, it's up to me to help my students to succeed and develop a love of learning and of school early on. I feel lucky and blessed every day that I walk into my classroom because I love getting to know the children and share in their days. I enjoy watching my students grow and learn," says Betz.

"Within a few weeks of starting school, my classroom always feels like an extension of my family. For me, the best part will always be connecting with my young students and developing lasting relationships with them."

Betz may not be famous, but every year she has the opportunity to shape young lives.

"As a full-day kindergarten teacher, our program is very academically full and sound, and I'm so proud to be a part of it. All day long we work on reading, writing and math and it's fantastic to see the students change from day one to day 180," Betz says.

"At the end of the year, they leave me as authors and readers. Many people assume that it is all play at this age, but that's far from the reality. I used to teach first grade many years ago, and we are doing more in kindergarten now than we did then. As a teacher there can be very challenging situations, but I love it."

A common myth about teachers is that they work hard for 180 days, and then their summers are a time for total relaxation. Not Betz.

"Summers are very busy at my house, but also wonderful. I spend some time at the beach and doing a little other traveling and day tripping. I try to spend as much time as possible with my girls."

Daughter Molly is 21 and a fourth-year occupational therapy student at Misericordia University. Hannah is 17 and will be a senior at Tamaqua Area High School.

"I love having both of my daughters are home with me. It's good to all be under one roof for a few months."

Good teachers can be hard to come by. There are teachers who teach because they get the summers off and there are teachers who teach because they want to make a difference.

"I have been working in education since I was out of college. I always worry that parents will see me as the 'old teacher' as compared to the fresh-out-of-school educators. Because of that, I really make an effort to learn and implement all that I can professionally. I think it's important to follow the trends in education and stay current," Betz says.

Her efforts have paid off. Her class earned a trip to the Franklin Institute and she earned a $500 classroom grant because her students had shown tremendous growth on their "Success Maker" program.

"The hardest thing about summer ending and school beginning is simply realizing that time is passing by quickly," says Betz.

"As a teacher, I get a fresh start every September but I also have a real way to mark the passing of the years. The transition back to the busy fall routine is always a big challenge for me. I try as hard as I can to stretch out some of the special pleasures of summer. Once school goes back, time management is difficult both in and out of the classroom. It's hard to balance a mountain of kindergarten work each night with the needs of my own daughters," she says.

"But I truly can't imagine doing anything else."