{"id":202276,"date":"2016-09-08T13:01:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T17:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=202276"},"modified":"2023-08-02T13:03:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T17:03:36","slug":"branch-to-branch-alum-lynda-mullaly-hunt-on-the-value-of-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2016\/09\/branch-to-branch-alum-lynda-mullaly-hunt-on-the-value-of-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Branch to Branch: Alum Lynda Mullaly Hunt on the Value of Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Best-selling author, former third-grade teacher, and\u00a0Neag School alumna Lynda Mullaly Hunt \u201988 (ED), \u201997 MA<\/a>\u00a0authored\u00a0the following piece on the value of teaching, which was originally published\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0September 2016 edition<\/a>\u00a0of the National Council of Teachers of English\u2019s peer-reviewed journal,\u00a0<\/em>Voices from\u00a0the Middle.\u00a0Mullaly Hunt is\u00a0the author of middle school-aged novels\u00a0<\/em>One for the Murphys<\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>Fish in a Tree<\/a>.\u00a0Access the original piece by Mullaly Hunt via the\u00a0NCTE website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I remember an especially bad day as a third grader. While the class lined up to go to music class, I counted the lines on the floor, jumping a bit when I sensed movement out of the corner of my eye. At first, I didn\u2019t understand why my third-grade teacher held out her hand to me. My gaze crawled to her face.<\/p>\n

\"Lynda<\/a>
\u201cThe highest compliment a teacher can pay is high expectations,\u201d says best-selling author and Neag School alumna Lynda Mullaly Hunt \u201988 (ED), \u201997 MA. (Photo credit: Stefanie Dion Jones\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou ready?\u201d she asked, with a tilt of her head and a half-smile. I took her hand and held it all the way to music. As the last student into the music room, I still remember having to tell my hand to let go.<\/p>\n

That teacher didn\u2019t change my life that day, but it was a branch. I have said for years that my teachers were like trees; all my life, I have swung from branch to branch, teacher to teacher, and many gave me something to hold on to. I am who I am today because of those kindnesses.<\/p>\n

Please keep in mind that teaching is a profession that requires an intelligent and creative mind, a caring heart,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>at least a four-year college degree. However, it doesn\u2019t pay like it. It\u2019s time-consuming, emotionally draining, and isn\u2019t appreciated enough by those outside of education. However, it is also incredibly rewarding and exhilarating. It\u2019s soul-building.<\/p>\n

Teachers can change a day for a kid, as my third-grade teacher did for me, and that\u2019s great. But when teachers make an impact on many different days strung together \u2026 well, then they change lives.<\/p>\n

What a teacher says sticks. That\u2019s why the good ones are vigilant in spending their words carefully. That old saying that begins, \u201cSticks and stones\u201d isn\u2019t true. Words have enormous power and the best teachers know how to use them. Words can change a kid\u2019s perception of the world \u2014 or of himself.\u00a0That\u2019s powerful stuff, life-altering, world-changing stuff.<\/p>\n

As teachers, we know we sometimes have kids who do not have emotional safety nets at home and so our impact is even greater. As Nicholas Ferroni (2015) said, \u201c[Kids]\u00a0who are loved at home come to school to learn. [Kids] who aren\u2019t come to school to\u00a0be loved.\u201d The student learns best when the child feels happy and whole. Really, could there be a better gift for a child? It lays the foundation for everything else \u2014 including academic success.<\/p>\n

And the thing is, many of the children we help won\u2019t even realize the ramifications until years later, which brings me to the sweet memory of the pictures and notes I received from my students over the years. I hung them on the door behind my desk. But, being that former child, I never let myself forget. Teachers know that it\u2019s the kids who\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>write you letters or draw you pictures who often\u00a0really\u00a0<\/em>need you.<\/p>\n

Some of the most powerful things conveyed by teachers are said without saying anything. When a teacher takes a hand,\u00a0she says,\u00a0I see you.\u00a0<\/em>When he gives a student an assignment back and asks for a redo, he says,\u00a0I believe in you<\/em>. When she stays up late, studying everything there is to know about a topic so she can answer questions and spark further discussion, she models enthusiasm for learning. When he creates engaging units and provides surprising facts, he fosters curiosity.<\/p>\n

When she gives an assignment meant to be shared with others, she shows us we have a voice that matters. When she encourages thinking out of the box, she fosters creativity. When he compliments us on our work ethic rather than our talent, he shows us that we\u00a0determine for ourselves how high our dreams can take us. And \u2026 when he hands us the book, just the right book, specifically for us, it can be the beginning of, well, everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWords have enormous power, and the best teachers know how to use them. Words can change a kid\u2019s perception of the world \u2014 or himself. That\u2019s powerful stuff, life-altering, world-changing stuff.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Lynda Mullaly Hunt \u201988 (ED), \u201996 MA,\u00a0author<\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fish in a Tree\u00a0<\/em>was born from such a book and from such a teacher. That novel of mine is a much-too-late thank-you note to my sixth-grade hero who \u2014 and\u00a0don\u2019t doubt this \u2014\u00a0saved\u00a0<\/em>me. Mr. Christy smiled when I walked into the room every morning. He arranged for me to tutor first-graders in math. I took his trust in me seriously, and I think I grew three inches just because my back was straighter.<\/p>\n

One day, he handed me a book entitled\u00a0Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing\u00a0<\/em>by Judy Blume and asked that I go home and read it. When I asked why I should, he leaned forward, locked eyes and responded,\u00a0\u201cBecause I think you\u00a0can\u00a0<\/em>\u2026 And I\u00a0want you to\u00a0try<\/em>.\u201d Honestly, I would\u00a0have pushed a mountain down the\u00a0street if he\u2019d asked me to, just because\u00a0he\u2019d cared enough to ask.<\/p>\n

This book led to others and soon, I discovered a book entitled\u00a0The Cay<\/em>\u00a0by Theodore Taylor, and, boy, was I hooked. I read it 18 times in a row. As an adult, I realize that\u00a0The Cay<\/em>\u00a0is about a boy learning to accept help that he doesn\u2019t initially want. I have to believe in some divine intervention that brought me a love of that book and that teacher at the same time. Studies of the effects of reading fiction on the human brain have proven that children can learn these skills of bravery and resilience by reading about characters who have that journey. I know the book helped me learn to open up that year. To be honest, prior to sixth grade, I hadn\u2019t always been the easiest kid to help.<\/p>\n

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Soon after, Mr. Christy said he was proud of me after seeing my Smithsonian-worthy book report project. I\u00a0did not respond. He laughed a bit, telling me that it was customary to say thank you after receiving a compliment. I still didn\u2019t respond. Or rather, I couldn\u2019t. While writing\u00a0Fish in a Tree<\/em>, I drew upon the emotions of this day when I wrote, \u201cI have both too many words and not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, I had two teachers in middle school who carried on his tradition, two more necessary branches.<\/p>\n

Then it was on to high school. I entered Carol Masonis\u2019 10th-grade algebra class having barely passed math the previous year. She was not a hand holder. She swung a wooden pointer as she walked up and down the aisles, using it to slap desks to ensure attentiveness. She held a high bar of expectation for math and respect of others and for ourselves. She took guff from no one. And if you were chewing gum, you\u2019d better have some for everyone in the class and double for her. She was tough.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But kids have excellent authenticity detectors. I\u00a0knew this teacher was the real deal. She cared about\u00a0us, although I don\u2019t recall her ever saying that outright. However, she did call me to her desk one day, held up a quiz that I\u2019d received a 100 percent on, made eye contact, and told me what a good math student I\u00a0really\u00a0<\/em>was. I would receive a 100 percent on\u00a0every\u00a0<\/em>test\/quiz thereafter.<\/p>\n

However, what really floored me were the stories told about her at our high school reunion. It turns out that the things she did for me were minimal compared to what she did for others. In us, she created a band of future teachers who wanted to make the world a better place for kids who are usually invisible. Just like she had.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Masonis understood two important truths: One, the highest compliment a teacher can pay is high expectations. And, two, if we strive to see the child first, the student benefits. There are so many children out there longing to be seen, and many of them are taller than we are. This very human need doesn\u2019t end in elementary school.<\/p>\n

As a public speaker and writer, these teachers are still with me as I take what I\u2019ve learned from them and\u00a0pass it on. I hope that, as an author, I can impact kids with my books, but, no matter what that impact is, it doesn\u2019t compare to being there. Every day. Having the ability to look kids in the eye, take them by the hand, build them up, spur them on, be their cheerleader, or buoy them when they need it. Extend branches.<\/p>\n

There is no substitute for showing up in person. Thank you for doing that.<\/p>\n

You matter. You are impacting lives every day in both\u00a0the small things you do and the big ones. By the end of your career, just imagine how you will change the world.<\/p>\n

Who knows? Maybe one of your students will write a\u00a0book to thank you one day.<\/p>\n

Originally published in\u00a0Voices from the Middle<\/em>\u00a024.1 (September 2016), pp. 17-18. Copyright \u00a9 2016 by the National Council of Teachers of English. Used with permission.<\/h4>\n
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Access\u00a0the original\u00a0<\/em>Voices from the Middle\u00a0piece\u00a0here<\/a>. Follow Lynda Mullaly Hunt on Twitter at\u00a0@LynMullalyHunt<\/span><\/a>, or visit her website at\u00a0lyndamullalyhunt.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Learn more about the Neag School\u2019s teacher preparation programs, including the\u00a0Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s (IB\/M) program<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG)<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Click the images below to check out\u00a0other stories and videos featuring Neag School alumni talking about the value of teaching:<\/h3>\n
\"Kristin<\/a>
Neag School alum and English teacher Kristin English \u201903 (ED), \u201904 MA shares her thoughts on teaching in a piece titled \u201cEverything Is Possible.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Best-selling author, former third-grade teacher, and Neag School alumna Lynda Mullaly Hunt \u201988 (ED), \u201996 MA authored the following piece on the value of teaching, which was originally published in the September 2016 edition of the National Council of Teachers of English\u2019s peer-reviewed journal, Voices from the Middle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1855],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1878],"class_list":["post-202276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-neag"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-29 01:01:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202279,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202276\/revisions\/202279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202276"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=202276"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=202276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}