My Life, My Teaching: It starts with education at Illinois State

Alumni: Dr. Victor J. Rich

Graduation Year:

B.S. 1950, M.S. 1955

Occupation:

Retired from teaching at Western Illinois State University and at Abingdon Junior High as teacher and principal

Major/Minor:

Science Education

It Starts With Education

My parents did not have much education because they had to work on farms that their parents owned. I realized that they could have gone farther with their careers if they had the proper training and education. They both were intelligent, but had no training to advance them.

When I taught in the Philippines, I really found that "it starts with education." The parents would sacrifice everything to provide education for their children. They felt it was the only way for "up and out" of poverty. My graduate school students were very serious about doing well because it was put in their lives that education gets the family out of poverty.

I also learned that my education provided me the opportunity to do well and is responsible for what I was able to do over the years.

How I was meant to be an educator

I had some excellent teachers in elementary and high school. They taught not only the content, but also what it could be for me and for others. I was specially owed by the science classes. Because of my science teachers, I decided that I would become a science teacher too. During student teaching, I felt that I had the skills, knowledge, and attitude to be a teacher. I was promoted in both the public schools and at the university level. Each year I enjoyed teaching more and more.

Reflection on when I made a difference in someone's life

I had quick feedback with my student teachers that I supervised for twenty six years. I could provide them different ways to teach the lesson. This gave them more confidence in their teaching because if one method did not get across they had other methods to use. I was told by many that it really helped them want to be a teacher. One student told me that that I helped more during her student teaching than she learned on campus over the years.

I have been invited to various alumni class meetings after their graduation from the public schools. I was told that I helped them in many ways to like school. I was not like other teachers who often bored them. They recognized my joy of the content and also found joy in learning. In most classes I would have activities that kept them interested. I also tried every day to get at least one laugh from the students. When I taught graduate classes to older and experienced teachers they learned more than they thought they would. I found that to teach teachers, one has to have a lot of variety to keep them interested.

Learned from a faculty member

My biology professors at ISU (ISNU) were full of knowledge and could explain everything very well. I remember during dissection of a fish when we had to discover for ourselves how the fish got the oxygen to live under water. Our teacher made us find the method by ourselves which gave us more confidence in what we have to do when we were teaching.

Another professor who made an impact on my life was Dr. Cecilia Lauby . She was very approachable and had a smile on her face whenever she was helping. She seemed to be delighted to talk with us and that she found joy in her work. That was why I tried to also have joy in my classrooms. I realized that the attitude of the teacher helped the students as well as their skills and knowledge.

I remember that in the building just west of Old Main there was a large statement on the wall: "And gladly we learn and teach." This message stayed with me my whole career.