Despite now too often being relegated to the position of baby-sitter, a teacher at one time was meant to be a source of inspiration. Specifically, a teacher is supposed to bridge the space between ignorance and understanding.
People today expect automation in education. Teachers are seen as vendors of distilled information and, consequently, robbed of their actual value. Good teachers continue to chart pathways to understanding in spite of social efforts to crush this behavior in the name of efficiency. Unfortunately, a growing percentage of educators are selected for their willingness to process students as though these children are just paper work being filtered through another level of government bureaucracy.
The best teachers are in awe of their subjects and try to help the student understand why he should love the topic as well. One of my best professors earned my admiration by opening my eyes to the magnificence of every work we studied. I will never forget how he brought Beethoven to life, explaining fiercely that no one had ever heard anything like this musical madman's work; that at the conclusion of his ninth symphony, Beethoven had to be spun around to register the explosive fanfare that had commenced because he, the man who had written this masterpiece, was too deaf to hear even thunderous applause.
Danielson, my professor, bridged that gap between my ignorance and understanding and it wasn't a matter of relaying the facts to me; instead it was a matter of challenging my perspective and illuminating a pathway down which I had to choose to walk. An adequate teacher explains to you that a forest exists; a good teacher shows you it from afar; a great teacher takes you on a path deep inside and says "listen to the sounds, smell the air, and understand why it was worth coming here!"
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