The Impact of a Teacher: Transforming Students and Adults

By Melissa Harrison

Before I stepped into my classroom, I believed I would positively impact my students. Little did I realize how many others would also be touched by the experiences and conversations in my classroom.

I have come to discover that teaching is a never-ending adventure. When I think a lesson plan is the worst of my worries, a seasoned colleague who is having technology challenges enters my classroom. Our conversation spirals from the initial technology problem to managing student behaviors. Even as a novice teacher, I’m able to assist colleagues by reflecting on and applying what I learned from the incredible classes I took at the University of South Carolina.

These classes helped shape me into an attentive teacher determined to understand each of my students. I introduced my seasoned colleague to the identity map experience I completed at USC and encouraged her to try it with her students. Success! She returns a week later with great feedback, confidently stating she can do this!

The classroom is a sacred place where learning occurs for both children and adults.

I never imagined becoming a teacher but looking back, I realize my entire life has prepared me for it. Working in a laboratory as a pharmaceutical representative and managing environmental health at a renowned hotel all contributed to my journey into education. Each position I held involved teaching.

CarolinaCAP, an alternative pathway to becoming certified to teach, was the final piece of the puzzle to land where I was destined to be all along — in the classroom.

The program placed me directly in the classroom with coaches who helped make the transition successful. The graduate classes at the University of South Carolina during my first year also helped me prepare for and pass both Praxis exams. I also completed ten micro-credentials, all in three years. The support from CarolinaCAP was invaluable and connected me with a network of my peers and resources I could rely on whenever I faced challenges in the classroom.

While no course assignment can fully prepare a teacher for uncomfortable conversations with students and their parents, educators hone these skills through time, experience, and targeted coaching support. I often found myself in situations where real-life challenges weighed heavily on the families I served. They often shared personal struggles with me when I expected our conversation to focus solely on their child’s academic progress. It takes a lot to balance the weight of these experiences and conversations. As a teacher, I learned firsthand that we are not only there for the students but also parents and guardians.

CarolinaCAP also provides Virtual Learning Communities (VLCs) hosted by seasoned teachers and education professionals that discuss many important topics. The VLCs assisted me many days, especially the discussions about classroom management. 

Leading a classroom with 30 students and one assistant can prove challenging when nearly a third of the students decide to partake in unsafe and off-task activities during centers. When this happens, I realize I can only tend to one fire at a time, and I’m already overwhelmed! But I push on, take one step at a time, think back to what I’ve learned from the VLCs, apply strategies in the moment, and remind myself that I can do this.

I find the needed hats—psychologist, disciplinarian, mom, supporter, and mediator—and do the best I can. I also thoughtfully and respectfully redirect the assistant to promote a more effective and supportive presence in the classroom. She recognizes her approach is not the best, adjusts her tone, and makes better efforts to ensure students receive her positively.

When chaos occurs in the classroom, it is also the perfect time for visitors and informal observations. On the day of my observation, if challenges arise, I can feel like a failure. But one of my students inevitably approaches, hugs me, and says, “I wish my friends would behave.” Then I find that fire again to remove the hat of defeat and replace it with one that states, “I do this for a reason!” I remember that all is not lost; I must regain control, think about the unique needs of my students, and tailor my actions to minimize the negative and focus on the positive all around me.

Positive impacts await those who step into the classroom daily. Whether it’s to retrieve a forgotten backpack, be present for a parent or student in need, or vent about an issue with a trusted colleague, it’s powerful to be part of conversations that start with a problem but end with someone feeling uplifted.

Here’s to a day in a teacher’s classroom — today, it’s mine.