Passion in the Classroom.

It is so important that a teacher is passionate about what he or she is teaching.  I have had numerous experiences in which my teacher has not been passionate about the subject he or she was teaching.  This has definitely negatively impacted not only my learning, but also my view on that subject as a whole.  Not only did this affect me, but numerous of my classmates as well.  This was especially relevant in my 8th grade year.  My social studies teacher was clearly not passionate about what he was teaching and simply sat behind his desk and gave us assignments to do each class period.  He had minimal interaction with any of the students, and did not know any of our names.  I remember countless class periods spent coloring maps or filling out worksheets.  Before that class, I actually enjoyed social studies.  However, since that class, social studies has been one of my least favorite subjects.  A counter example of this actually occurred in the same year.  We were required to take Woods class, something that I dreaded.  I went in with a pit in my stomach, but to my surprise, came out actually enjoying the class.  This attitude was definitely partly the result of the teacher.  He was so passionate about what he was teaching and was very involved in our learning.  He always had a lot of energy in class, and was so excited when we accomplished something that was challenging for us.  I never thought I would enjoy a class like that so much, but fortunately, it was a great experience.  Taking these two examples, it is obvious that a teacher's attitude and passion toward the subject matter directly impacts the students' viewpoint on the subject matter.  It is important that we enjoy what we teach, or at least pretend to enjoy it, for the sake of the students.