Teachers, you love them or you hate them. Throughout all the years of the good and the lacking, you’ve been able to learn enough to get to your current grade level. With every year that passes, so does another group of teachers and teaching methods

There are generally five types of teaching styles according to Concordia Online Education.

The lecturer, the teacher to generally have one way presentations while the students take notes.The coach styled teacher shows students only what they need to know, and  the activity makers are visual promoters and encourage students to self-learning. Group style teachers promote team building within the classroom by allowing students to work together. Or finally, there is the blended style, a combination of all styles.

Teaching styles try to connect with students by establishing a positive and supportive role in the student’s academic progress.

“I feel that teachers give the first and lasting impression on a student, when a student enters a classroom they usually get a feel of what the classroom is going to entail. So if a teacher is monotone and always has a lecture style, the students’ reaction or students’ success might not be as high,” Crystal Travis said.

Although the teacher’s job is not to entertain students, it is vital to engage them in the learning process. Teachers know to include visual components to their lessons in order to capture the class’s attention and get the material taught and explained. For a few teachers who were asked what style of teaching they preferred in high school, most answered visual and interactive styles.

“I was definitely a visual learner. Even when it came to English. I wanted the teacher to show me how to do it, how to write a poem, show me how to break down sentences,” Travis said

Teachers help students prepare for the real world and learn to think for themselves, as well as how to work with peers in problem solving situations.

“We are preparing them for college and preparing them to be independent learners,” Crystal Davis said.

There are also limitations after a certain age  and students will be the ones responsible to control their actions, and knowing when to let the teacher know when they need help.

“It’s more important for a student to work independently at this age. A teacher wants to understand that you can think for yourself,” Travis said

For students, it is crucial to have an educator fully invested in their work.  A study conducted by Harvard economists tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years from fourth grade to adulthood. The results showed a good teacher can influence a student’s chances to attend college, earn more money, and lead to a more successful future.

“When you have students being able to rely on the teacher and the same way that they can rely on themselves it’s always a positive effect,” Travis said

But a constant problem that affects teacher’s methods is the required curriculum to be taught at a specific time. The specific curriculum calendar means rushed lessons, quizzes two to three times a week and no time to take a break if the teacher’s style needs more time.

The year may seem long but the schedule is planned out to remind teachers and students, how much time they have and what they need to cover in that time period.

Even though rushed curriculum and state wide testing gets in the way, teachers still work towards the goal of educating students to the best of their abilities, and helping them grow and succeed every day of their job.

When asking teachers what they love most about their job, everyone had the same response:

“The students. I do it for the students.”