The “Teach” documentary shows the importance of believing in our students and building

relationships with them. One indicator of this came in the form of interviews with famous people
in which they gave a testimony for the importance of teachers based on how teachers have
impacted their lives. When these relationships we build may not be enough to truly help
students comprehend the material, we must persevere. Failures will happen but how we work
through these failures indicate who we are as teachers.
I found that the praise Lindsey Chinn, the algebra teacher, received about being a great
teacher stemmed from the impact she made on her students. I immediately noticed how she
was very intentional with giving the students a solid need to know. She directly related what they
were learning, with the real world so that the students understood the importance of the
material. This increases engagement immensely, and I think she also increased engagement by
showing students the same respect that teachers expect to get from students. She was humble
in a sense that I related to class when we talked about reflecting and it made me think about
how we can always work to be better.
Another positive thing I saw in Lindsey’s classroom was her mindset that every student
can be successful. I liked how she emphasized that students do want to be successful, and
many times their mindset affects this. As teachers we can help their drive for success by making
sure they know we believe in them and then giving them the tools to reach that success. She
does this by seeing that each student is unique and therefore needs unique instruction. One
way she is doing this is 360 degree math in which she stands in the middle of the room and is
the audience to the students. This gives students an active aspect of learning in which they can
move at their own pace while getting lots of practice in.
Joel Laguna, the AP World History teacher, was very inspirational due to the positivity
that he radiated. He was very honest and real with his students which made him relatable and
shows students that they can trust him. At the same time of being real with them he is also
passionate and positive. He genuinely wants what is best for every student, which demonstrates
a lot of the good within teaching.
In terms of math identity, growth mindset, and math anxiety; Chris and Brooke were
excellent examples within the documentary of how these things affect the math success of
students. The quotes of Chris “My grade is bad, I don’t know how to fix it, I can’t study enough,
and I can’t try hard enough because I’m just not there” were impactful because we will hear that
as teachers and it is important to know how to help students who feel that way. It is also
important to recognize that students are at different stages in their understanding and learning
level. Their teacher, Shelby, uses Khan academy to assign students lessons that match where
they are at, from there higher level students can peer teach other students and she can work
one on one with students who have the highest need. This is a great example of technology
usage to help personalize learning, and get students excited to learn.
Matt Johnson had a great view of the importance of a safe and supportive learning
environment. He really recognizes that there are many aspects of students' lives that are not
safe and supportive. I love the emphasis he has on making sure students know that he cares
about them and is in their corner even if there aren’t others in their corner at home. This helps
him to hook students in and get them engaged. He does have the challenge of teaching
students reading at a grade level much lower than the grade they are in.
 With all of these successes, there are also failures. This is a very real part of teaching
that is nothing to be ashamed of, but the important thing is to find a way to get past that. When
we realize we are the guide for our students and it is our job to find the best way to teach them
then we open up the possibility of success for them. We need to view the failures as an indicator
of what isn’t working, and when this happens we need to reflect on why it isn’t working so we
learn. We can learn from teaching so we can also use that in our classrooms to enlist students
to teach their fellow classmates so they learn as well.