National Network for the Study of Educator Dispositions

“Have you stopped recently to ponder where you might be today if it weren’t for an exceptional teacher or two who decided you were special and worthy of a significant investment of their time and effort?” asked Dr. Mark Wasicsko, Dean and Bank of Kentucky Chair in the College of Education and Human Services at Northern Kentucky University. “Was it destiny or a twist of fate that placed you in their charge? These questions can bring to mind good memories about exceptional individuals who played a major role in shaping and even transforming our lives. The National Network for the Study of Educator Dispositions is soliciting and compiling stories of great teachers and the qualities that made them memorable. Your recollections about your favorite teachers can help contribute to a large-scale, nationwide study sponsored by NNSED.”

Wasicsko said the goal is to collect more than 5,000 accounts of great teachers, glean the characteristics that made them so successful, and study the implications for preparing the next generation of educators. “In addition, we plan to publish studies, articles and a book about what we discover so it can be shared with educator preparation programs around the country.

You can help by telling about your favorite teacher online at the Great Teachers, Great Memories website (www.favoriteteachers.org) or by mailing your submission to Great Teachers/Great Memories, College of Education and Human Services, BEP 206, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Height, Kentucky, 41099. Respondents should include the teacher’s name, school(s) where he or she taught, the first characteristic that distinguishes that teacher, a specific memory about him or her and a description of how that teacher treated them as a student. For more information, call 859-572-5229.

“For a teacher there is probably no greater tribute than to be remembered kindly by a former student,” Wasicsko said. “Please send us your memories and be sure to drop a note to the teacher. It will make his or her month.”