Introductory Post

Hello, TE 822! My name is Stephanie Furlow, a Michigan native who now lives and works in Omaha, Nebraska. Long before arriving in the Cornhusker state, I was raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a small town called Iron Mountain. After high school, I moved to East Lansing where I earned my undergraduate degree from Michigan State with a major in English and a minor in Spanish. I continued my studies at MSU for one year post-graduation in order to student teach and obtain my secondary level teaching certification. My job search then led me to Indianapolis, Indiana where I taught both Spanish and English for one year at a large suburban high school. Next, I moved north to West Lafayette and taught middle and high school Spanish for three years. In 2013, I was hired by an International Baccalaureate high school here in Omaha where I have enjoyed teaching Spanish in their Honors program for the last three years.  

Outside of teaching I enjoy reading, traveling, golfing, working out, trying new restaurants, and walking my German Shepard, Ryka. Perhaps it is a little known fact, but Omaha is a great city where the music, business and restaurant scenes are really thriving. Additionally, we are lucky enough to host large sporting events like the College World Series or the recent Olympic Swim Trials. I have really enjoyed getting to know all that Omaha has to offer.

Many years ago, before becoming a teacher, I saw the 1967 movie titled To Sir, With Love starring Sidney Portier. However, it was not until watching it a second time early in my career that I was especially tuned into its portrayal of the correlation between student-teacher rapport and meaningful teaching and learning. When I was first hired to teach in Indianapolis, the principal of my high school encouraged his staff to bear in mind what he called the three Rs of education: Rapport, Respect and Rigor. He believed that once positive rapport between the teacher and her students is established, then respect will naturally transpire. Further, it is only once rapport and respect are in place that teachers can most successfully take the curriculum to new heights and develop a most prosperous learning community. I know that I have found this to be true, and so did Sidney Portier’s character, Mr. Thackeray, in the film. At the beginning of his teaching career, Mr. Thackeray’s days were spent policing his students while unsuccessfully implementing lecture-based instruction. It was not until Mr. Thackeray created opportunities to learn about his students and for his students to get to know him that he began to earn his students’ respect. At that point, he did away with sit-and-get instruction and instead offered choices in their learning material, developed hands-on classroom experiences, and took the class on a field trip. In many ways, Mr. Thackeray’s lessons were responsive to his students’ needs and, as a result, he became a more flexible and engaging teacher.

Both socioeconomic and racial tensions are presented in this film, and both are addressed by Sidney Portier’s character. But again, it was only with the foundation of rapport and respect that these issues could be effectively addressed in his classroom. Because his students came from poverty, Mr. Thackeray related to his students about his own experience with poverty. Additionally, he addressed cultural differences through the lens of his own African culture, which was different from the majority of his British pupils.

As I have encountered challenging students or have struggled to connect students to aspects of my Spanish curriculum, I often reflect on the journey of Mr. Thackeray along with the three Rs of education. What I find most interesting is how these principles were presented in a movie made in 1967 and are still incredibly valuable in classrooms today.

Stephanie