About me:  Why Teacher Who?

    One of the most common questions I get is: "Why do you call yourself Teacher or Teacher Who?"  Well, allow me to explain...

    The short/quick answer is that I am paying tribute to my favorite television who "Doctor Who" on BBC America.  This show is about a human-looking Time Lord who travels the universe--and in time of course--setting right things that go wrong.  He calls himself The Doctor because he helps to heal the evils of the universe.  He does not want credit for his deeds and therefore never gives his real name.  He simply introduces himself as "The Doctor."

    The REAL answer though is quite similar to The Doctor's reasoning.  Several years ago, my principal was reviewing some of my students' work and the next day she graciously gave me the teacher of the month award which was posted in front of the time clock for all to see.  On the certificate, she noted that one of the reasons I had received the award was because I was "responsible for dramatically improving the students' writing ability."  Now I know this was sincerely meant as a compliment, but that comment bothered me a bit.  It was the STUDENTS who were responsible for improving their scores... not me.  The glory and compliment should have been theirs for all the hard work they put in. 

    From that time on, I decided that I would like to be known simply as a teacher.  I am merely a cheerleader/coach/mentor/compass helping to point young people in the right direction; the students are the ones who do the work and succeed.  I made the choice that I no longer want to be known by name nor given credit for my students' achievements/accomplishments.  Who the teacher is--or his/her name--shouldn't matter; students deserve the praise/recognition for the work they do.  So from then on I've requested that students simply call me "Teacher" or "Teacher Who?".