NAME:
Susan Valentino
SCHOOL:
Regina Dominican High School
ACTIVITIES:
SCHOOL PHONE:
(847) 256-7660
Maria Vassiliades is a graduate of New Trier High School. She holds a
bachelors of arts in English Literature from the University of Illinois at
Chicago and a masters of arts in English Literature from DePaul University.
Since 2000, Ms. Vassiliades has taught English and writing at various
institutions of higher education, including the College of Lake County
(Grayslake, Illinois), Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, Illinois),
and the Hellenic American University (Athens, Greece). Her teaching
interests include business writing, academic writing, the Harlem
Renaissance, twentieth century American literature, women in the middle ages
and contemporary American fiction. She is currently completing coursework
towards a master of teaching in secondary education at National Louis
University.
Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote that in order to develop our human
potential, we must blend two very unlikely opposites: a serpent and a dove.
Teaching, for me, imperatively needs this combination, this blending. An
educator must combine “the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the
dove, a tough mind and a tender heart,” in hopes of touching the lives of
his/ her students on a level that extends the classroom (King 14). Like the
serpent, a teacher must demonstrate toughness—a sense of control over the
classroom and the material. Like the serpent, a teacher must demonstrate
strength—confidence in what he/she is teaching and confidence in his/her
abilities. Like the dove, a teacher must demonstrate softness—compassion
and understanding towards students. The dove is a symbol of peace, a symbol
of inspiration and hope; the teacher must become an embodiment of these
qualities. Thus, the fusion of these two unlikely opposites, the serpent
and the dove, becomes imperative in all good teachers.
Furthermore, to teach effectively, a teacher must be able to demonstrate a
passion and enthusiasm for the material he/she is teaching. This is
extremely imperative, as enthusiasm for one’s discipline can be transferred
to students previously uninterested in the subject area. Failure to do this
can turn students off, causing them to erroneously misjudge a field by the
unenthusiastic attitude the teacher demonstrates. Teachers have the power
to make or break students. This is something that everyone in the
profession should not take lightly.
Works Cited
King Jr., Martin Luther. “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart.” Strength to
Love. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981.
