Teachers are known for teaching students, but some teachers say they can also learn from their students.

“Students can bring a lot to the class, what they’ve been through makes you wonder what it’s like to be in their shoes,” math teacher Lisa Colwell said.

Different students have been through different situations, and when that’s brought to the classroom, teachers can learn from that. Such as, if a student brings up a topic in discussions that they know well just because they’ve been in a situation involved with it.

“Every class has different learning styles, and I have to keep that in mind when I lecture,” American history teacher Ron Leikam said.

Some teachers have learned to adjust to the various ways that students learn, which according to Leikam, is different throughout every class yet you see every style throughout the year.

“Being ‘old school’ I question everything and they take it in stride without question,” Spanish teacher Lora Haynes said.

Haynes admires how quickly her students embrace to new technology and without reservation, while she is hesitant and used to the older technology.

“I learn if my teaching skills can meet the needs for their education purposes,” math teacher Jerett Pfannenstiel said.

Other teachers access how well their students grasped the lesson, and if they feel that it doesn’t click, they come up with a better way to teach the material.

“I learned that no two students are alike so you have to treat them individually,” teacher Cathy Kuhn said.

Some teachers know that students are different, and that sometimes there is more than one answer to a question depending on that student.

“They teach me patience, like when they all want to talk at once and they all want me to listen at once,” Kuhn said.

Teachers sometimes learn to be more patient with students. Sometimes, something comes up that a student can’t control, so they might fall behind which makes a teacher be more patient. A teacher might learn that they need to have more patience by listening to their students more and not yell at them.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” assistant principal Tom Albers said. “Teachers help students grow and learn and students teach us.”

16jschaffer@usd489.com