From your very first day of kindergarten, to your last weeks of high school, teachers play a significant role in the daily lives of students. They are given the responsibility of instructing and disciplining their students to equip them for the rest of their lives and their future careers. Almost everyone can look back and remember a teacher who has changed their life in some way.

The impact that a teacher makes on a student can last for years. In many cases even adults can credit their teachers for their accomplishments — and maybe even their failures. Although a student may only be in the classroom of a teacher for one or two semesters, the effect that the teacher has on the student may last a lifetime.

Teachers make a difference in both the academic and personal lives of students. However, much of the student’s success depends on the student himself. Good teachers want to help their students to succeed, but it is up to the student to accept the teachers advice. The student must be looking for success for the teacher to be able to help them.

Kaylee Ferguson, ’19, looks to her past junior high teacher as a role model for herself.

“Mrs. (Hallie) Rojeski has always been a role model for me,” Ferguson said. “I liked her class because of the good Christian role model she is. She also helped prepare me for high school. I feel like I am prepared because of her teaching.”

Many students look to their past or present teachers as role models. When students feel that their teacher cares for them and wants them to succeed it makes most students feel important and motivates many of them to work harder at their studies. A positive role model can change a student and make them do things they never thought they could do before.

My goal as a teacher is to teach the material that I have been charged with teaching, so if you are in chemistry I want you to know chemistry and if you are in physics I want you to know physics. However, the goal for the students is bigger. I want students who are committed to Christ and I want to model that for them. I want students who are hard working. We want to impact their entire life, so hopefully what we do in class transfers over to what takes place all the way across their life. — Scott Bucher, current campus chemistry teacher

Music teacher Susan Ainley has been a positive example and role model for Celeste Counts, ’18, since she moved to FC.

“Mrs. Ainley has been a role model in my life since seventh grade when I moved here and joined choir,” Counts said. “I used to always be the shy kid and be in the background, but when I joined choir Mrs. Ainley pushed me out of my comfort zone. She has helped me become a more outgoing person.”

Teachers can also influence students by helping them discover talents they never realized they had before. Often, students find themselves considering other future careers that they never would have been interested in previously. These newly found talents can greatly change the life of a student.

Jeremiah Sieperda, 17′, recalls a past teacher from a previous school who gave him a new interest.

“I had a shop teacher who saw that I was pretty good at working with wielding and drafting,” Sieperda said. “He kept pushing me to expand in shop class and I really enjoyed that. He was such a good teacher that I decided I wanted to pursue a career in welding.”

The goal of the a teacher is not just to teach the curriculum to the students, they also want to make a difference in the lives of those they teach. Fresno Christian teachers also want to make sure they teach from a biblical standpoint and make a spiritual impact on the lives of their students.

Chemistry and physics teacher Scott Bucher not only wants his students to learn the curriculum, he also wants them to become committed to Christ.

“My goal as a teacher is to teach the material that I have been charged with teaching, so if you are in chemistry I want you to know chemistry and if you are in physics I want you to know physics,” Bucher said. “However the goal for the students is bigger. I want students who are committed to Christ and I want to model that for them. I want students who are hard working. We want to impact their entire life, so hopefully what we do in class transfers over to what takes place all the way across their life.”

Whether they know it or not, teachers do impact the lives of their students. Not only can teachers change their students perspectives on academics, they can also influence their hobbies or career options as well. As students reflect on the influence of past teachers, it is important to remember to thank them for everything they have done for their students.

For more information on this topic, visit teach.com.

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