I don’t know how often you read comments on a 1 year old video, but I just had to say I needed this today. With student loan payments coming due next month, and a bunch of other standard teacher stresses going on, I was questioning my choices a bit. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally I wonder why I do this. It’s almost always money related, which I hate. The thing that gets me through it is that I absolutely love teaching. Then a week comes along where I feel like I’m not a “good” teacher anyway, and doubt starts to creep in. The algorithm did me a solid sending me this recommendation today. You gave me what I needed. Thank you for your passion, your humor, and your wisdom.
Student debt is what it is man, tons of people die with it.. just live in the moment and do the best you can.. I am starting my teaching degree next year and I am beyond stoked to share my passion and knowledge of history with bright young people. We are valued my man!
And you did us a solid by sharing your Honest experience. I am not yet a teacher, but I feared that I would fear this at later times and have thought to myself, what if I am just not cut out for it and all the thoughts that come along with that but I keep pushing forward and like these comments like these help me and others are like so thank you both
Seriously... After that, I made it a regular feature of class. 2-3 times a semester we'd have Q&A day. I don't think it ever had the same magic as that first one but it was always highly anticipated.
@@stephenglover1818 Teaching sometimes means they won't retain the knowledge you give but they will remember the memories you create. I remember mostly only my history classes from high school and that's thanks to Mr. Bacon. He retired 10 years ago and still substitutes at 74. He had a passion to teach like I've discovered and I have a passion for history, teaching, and learning. When you teach you also learn.
As a retired teacher who has "gone back to middle school", thank you for your honesty. More teachers need to hear your messages. We are indeed, people who have the passion to inspire our students despite the pathway we choose to reach them. Good job, Keep up the good work. Terry from Texas.
i left teaching 7 years ago and listening to this made me tear up, recalling all of the wonderful kids and conversations we had during calculus, geometry, trig, whatever we had to learn that day. thanks. those were good moments.
I'm a female teacher who teaches technological English in a vocational school in France. So, in between four-stroke engines and how to choose a headlight bulb, out of the blue, one student (only male students, in their twenties) suddenly asked me if I had seen the French movie "les chatouilles" (it means "the tickles"), which deals with incest. I said I hadn't. He added with feeling that I should watch it. The others asked what the film was about. So he told the story and added that since he was a little boy, his mother had always told him that his body was his, and for nobody else to touch, whatever they may say. I told him he had a great mother. My usually slightly unruly class was silent, drinking in the exchange. And then another voice called out : "miss, how do we know if a girl means "no" when she says "no"?" By then they were captivated. You see, in my school, 97% of the students are male, so girls are a big mystery. And so we had a great, and I mean great conversation about consent, sex, love... I, a fifty-plus woman, them, twenty-year-olds... When the bell rang, a student stayed behind. He wanted to tell me something in private, but he didn't want me to tell anybody else. He looked stricken. I felt genuine concern and told him that was a promise I couldn't make. So we made an appointment with the school nurse, and he came out with the truth : one of his uncles filmed his family members in the toilet and in the bathroom. He had found the tiny cameras. And now his aunt had just passed a certification to be a childminder at home. He was devastated, afraid of what his uncle would do to the little children if he said nothing, afraid of breaking apart his family if he spoke out. The school social worker and the police services did a great job. The student was never suspected by his family of snitching on his uncle. They pretended they had found some footage online and found the uncle's IP address. That episode of my life as a teacher was a roller-coaster of emotions!
wait... so let me get it right, you said you would not tell it to anybody but you just told it to random strangers on internet? do you not think this would have devastated the student as well?
@@EditsagastudiosThis took place eons ago and I rather doubt my former student, let alone any member of his family will ever read a comment in English about foreign teachers. I’m not THAT good an English teacher that an ordinary not-so-interested-in-English student will suddenly develop a keen interest in the lives and woes of overseas teachers and devour videos about them.
My man! Just found this video after a "bad" lecture. Even though students gave me the feedback that I am doing well, I still somehow thought that I failed them. This story carries the essence of teaching and learning. You have to talk to your students, you have to LEARN first to be able to teach. Otherwise you are just the best student in the class, carried away by your own performance. Thank you!!
I’ve been teaching history (World and US) for the better part of a decade. I cannot tell you how much I connected with your story; being overwhelmed, teaching as a performer, wanting the best for my students, but feeling as though I’m going to fail them. Right down to the moment that you closed the laptop and decided to connect with them as human beings. Your story is one that I wish every teacher/person heard. That while we might want to “be the best”, we are our best when we are true and authentic with those around us. I cried when I heard this, because I realized, “I’m not alone!” This feeling that I have to act in order for my students to learn, I realize, like you, that I can just be myself and care for my students; and that authentic presentation, that is what makes me a great teacher. That is when they tell me, “This was the best class I’ve ever had.” Thank you for sharing this, brother.
Great stuff... your authenticity in sharing is real and comes through. Without a doubt you're a great "teacher" because you're an honest adult who shares the truth, even when it makes you look like you're not perfect. I'm assuming you came to that realization because of district-aligned PDs... Keep rockin' brother
This video is exactly what makes me want to teach. Connecting with the youth and genuinely helping them while showing I am there for them. Exactly as you said I want to show I care and love all of my students beyond a grade or test marks. You're awesome.
Man, it's seriously like with every upload you have on this channel you cover or say something that I just REALLY need to hear. 3 preps and coaching has my grading backlog measured in weeks not days...went to school with barely any rest or any prep today just trying to figure it out. I guess sometimes students just need to see that side of their teachers. Thanks for the video, it was very inspiring and impactful.
I'm so glad to hear it. And I can relate: the downfall of my teaching career has always been my delay in getting graded material back in a timely manner. It's my white whale.
It is about the challenges of our own EXPECTATIONS of what must be and what actually turns up. Young people knowing that you care is so important and the no.1 and in your lessons, vulnerability and HUMANITY, you probably gave them more than they had ever experienced in your diligently-planned lessons combine. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for everything. I, a senior student, have been struggling to remember anything I learned from my classes and upcoming semester exams do not help my stress and anxiety. I'm in really bad brain fog. Can't get out of it, but when I'm out of brain fog, I remember it all. I'm just struggling really hard right now and want to cry because I feel like I'm not going to remember everything or anything small. I'm smarter than I know, but it's hard to see that right now. This video taught me that maybe I just need to put my focus off of trying to study all the time and over commit because it's clearly not doing me any good and to just enjoy myself especially since I've been as sick as a dog for the last 4 days. I'm tired of all the pressure time getting shorter and shorter everyday, so the best I can do is push through and know I'll at least make it out alive.
I have been utilizing your APUSH Heimler's History for a long time and I just now found Heimler's History Teachers! Thanks so much for creating this channel. I look forward to using this to help make me a better teacher. I love this story and have always felt that if you can touch their hearts, their minds will follow.
Thank you so much for this Mr. Heimler. I relate so much to being a "performer" for your students so students like you, find you funny and think of you as a good teacher. But what truly makes a difference in a student's life is the true love and care that a teacher gives, being a good listener and a companion in the journey we call life. Thank you for being the reminder of that.
Thank you for this reminder. It’s been quite a few years and our students (and we) are struggling. Listening to each other and creating space for real conversations are needed more than ever. Also, my students and I think you’re kinda special ✌🏼
For sure. The day I described was before the pandemic, and I think you're right: the urgency for understanding their personal struggles has only been multiplied over the last couple of years. Oh, and I think your students are pretty special too.
That was so deeply insightful and candid. As a teacher with ADHD, I profoundly relate to the performance burnout. I’m getting back into the classroom after tutoring virtually during the pandemic, and I feel so much more comfortable. Thank you so much for your help
I searched "what makes a good curriculum" because I'm trying to learn how to use AI to help me organize my solo online learning and this was the second result. I'm not sure I got any smarter about that. But I did learn a lesson. Thanks.
I really needed this today. Lately, I have been feeling so bogged down by my fast-paced informational writing unit and the mass amounts of grading that comes with it, that I have started to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. I have sensed this void; something is definitely missing, but you helped me find it. I haven't had ANY time to sit and connect with my students. Your reflection just put into words what I have been feeling lately, and I can't thank you enough for making that so clear to me now.
By and far my favorite perspective I’ve seen from a teacher on UA-cam. There is so much ch magical Goodness about letting kids be themselves in this strange world
Thank you for this excellent message, Mr Heimler! My kids loved having you as their history teacher. Now I am a new-ish teacher wondering is it’s the right profession for me. Hearing the impact that you can have on students is very inspiring, among all of the “why I quit teaching” videos out there.
As a person pursuing an education in history to become a history teacher this made me grateful for the hard experiences I needed to have to get to this point, from jobs, family, army, and hardships. That was amazing to watch thank you!
Wow. Resonates with me. I was the main speaker at a camp a few months back. First two sessions went good. The third session, i felt prepared and did the same it with the same intensity but i just felt things were not working well. I went back and felt drained and confused. I still had to speak the next day and i was doubting whether I was able to do it or not. I had my materials ready but I didnt want to just add more. So instead of just doing what i would normally do, I started my session talking about my doubts, my fears and just letting them into the struggles I faced. Suddenly I felt a surge of energy, I felt I was connecting with the crowd and I knew what to talk about. That last session went really good, better than I expected and I got people interacting. Vulnerability can lead to more better possibility and results. I was speaking to people in a drug rehab centre. Maybe they need people to be authentic rather than just performing. I think this applies to many teaching situations. Glad I found you channel! Great content. You gained a new subscriber.
This is the kind of teacher I would love to become. Although I've always wanted to pursue a music career and that idea fills me with pure joy, my heart also wants to become that figure of support and guidance for students and inspire people to become a better version of themselves. I still have one semester left of my English teaching bachelor and I dont know how my life will turn out at the end. Either way, I just want to add value to people's lives whether if it's through my music or by being the best teacher I can.
Couldn't agree more. The rapport between students and teachers is of utmost importance. Students will forgive a lot, as long as you are authentic and treat them with respect.
I teac Business Studies and Languages. But this piece has just opened my eyes to another way of teaching and making ny learners feel the sense of belonging.
I had a no show of a student today and your video popped up... BEST SYNCRONICITY EVER!!! thx for the honest video! i will be back to it for sure! keep it up Mr Heimler!
Thats awesome man. What a wonderful story. For me it makes me think about how unrefined and simply messed up our education system is. To think that kids go through 8 periods every single day with every single one of those periods doing the exact opposite of what you described doing. I mean they are so much lacking in authenticity around them. That shit is not healthy. That shit makes you crazy. And then we don’t know what home environment they go home to either. They sit still in a brick building for 8 hours, they’re treated like shit and then their teachers act like robots and treat their students like robots. All day they learn about math, science, but never get to ask whats on their mind, or converse in creative ways, hell when do they get to be a person
There are so many things that children would value being taught more than the content they actually get given. Sounds like that's true in the USA as well as here in the UK.
As someone who’s been a 911 dispatcher for the better part of a decade, I’m making a huge career shift into education. I’m going back to school to get my degree in secondary education and I’m so nervous. You’re such an incredible storyteller, and that’s that kind of teacher I want to be. I want to connect with my students, talk to them like they’re people not just kids. Make learning interesting, and if I’m lucky, be good at it. I’ve had a whole other career. A whole other life, basically. I just hope to succeed at this new chapter.
Schools should be places where students can find people they can look up to and the priority of schools should not be to educate knowledgeable people, but to educate moral individuals who know themselves
Our students flourish and engage when they see the human side of us. You’re right, we can and do perform and plan and execute…but it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes taking that “pause” and just being plain human and vulnerable with our students and engaging them at that level is just the break and inspiration needed. Well done, sir. I agree with some of the other comments. You just keep posting homerun videos. I’m a first year AP US History teacher. I’m in my 21st year of teaching. I’m a rigorous student of my profession and practice and I’m a first year teacher all over again. You’ve helped so much. Thank you.
If my principal came in while I was doing that, I'd be deemed "ineffective" and reemed out. The reality is we are hired to teach content. Those conversations can only be moments, unless you are tenured. Even then, learning content is important. No, not just rote memorization, but memorizing your times tables does come in handy throughout your life. Relating content to their lives is helpful, too.
I do not know what your level is wether high school or university, of course my situation is likely different to yours as I teach language to kids between the ages of 10 and 18 and music to all ages. Planning to me is not the structure of the class or what I am going to say, it is simply what am I going to talk about, re:subject and then I engage in a conversation with the students. I work with images or key questions, everything is as peripatetic and socratic as possible. The course has a structure but the individual classes less so and sometimes they flow depending on what questions or ideas get raised in class. I am rarely if ever lost for words and rarely resort to regurgitating something I did once before. I am also certain there is less pressure on me than you as I have a lot of freedom in what and how I teach. Most of my classes have the qualities of what you are describing here.
I was always the monkey when I taught in China as a fake teacher (TEFL) I'm now starting again in Spain at 39 and I connect with this so much. I still want to make my students smile, but I want to show them that I care. Huge mountain I have to climb now, but really digging my heels into this wonderful career. ❤ Maybe one day I'll even become a real teacher, degree and all. Thank you for inspiring me! 🙏
The past can never repeat and the best way to teach history is the humor in how we were that ignorance the way we peaked through curtain of time. No one should be teaching for safety because we can get blamed
You helped me be a better AP World History teacher. I think the challenge for a lot of us is to look past our comfort zones and consider how we can do better at what we do. The Flynn Effect comes from us evolving our practice with the times as much as it does from technological improvements.
@sandponics In the sense that examples before context is far superior than context before examples I agree with you but there is a lot of content that does better at promoting recognition rather than comprehension. These are two different matters. What I appreciate here is about Heimler helping me learn that it was all about the relationships more than the "learning", which, in the defense of a lot of content creators in the attention economy... they know very well.
I’m a teacher and what you taught me about what makes a great teacher woke me up to the fact that it’s never truly about a brilliant performance that transforms them. It’s about quietly and slowly, making an honest and genuine connection with them. They’ll learn everything they need to know on the job anyway.
Mr.Heimler, as someone who wants to be future history and loves to performance based teaching too, in current day how to balance coming to school with that firey passion but also the calmness to just connect?
Bruce Springsteen is legendary for a lot of reasons, one of them being his epic 3-4 hour shows. As a high school English teacher where literature was still on the menu, I'd do 5.5 hour marathon performances of our canonical classics everyday until the unit was kaput... and I did the biggest shows with the worst hangovers imaginable... The worse I felt, the harder I drove. (Like Jimmy Fallon, I hear.) After a while, the charisma factor wears off, the coolest teacher ever gets stale and the real strategies of targeting teenaged brain development oriented scientific information and skill development transfer to proficiency strategies becomes paramount. Yes, sobriety helps, but public school stressors don't.
It wasn't the marathon performances that got Springsteen his connection with the audience... it is the little stories he shares with us that we identify with our stories... the little, "I got you, okay" and "Hey, let me tell you about this one time when..." and you share a moment of real humanity, the hard and soft, hot 'n cold middle of the lonely night stuff. That's what I think was what my former students felt when they wrote me MY evaluation letters, after, right after, I had submitted the semester grades. That's when it really counts. And on the street later on when you see them with their kids, too.
How frquently do you think these discussions should be with our students? The ground reality is, we have to take lesson plans, we have to take curriculumn to the class, course completion etc.
I don't really like to comment, just wanted to say thank you, the performance aspect resonated with me. I've often wanted to make class discussion based, but struggled because there's so much information. Thanks for this video Heimler!
When I realized most teachers are merely entertainers, I became disappointed in the whole thing. You became a therapist and felt good about what happened. But that doesn't help students learn history.
I did have some 'teaching moments' in America but as a teacher I only came into my own when I left the States and taught at international schools, first in China and then Mauritania. In the States, one spends so much time babysitting while overseas I was a full-time educator. My students learned more than most American students and I learned more...we were flying high.
This is what makes you the kind of teacher that impacts lives. My AP Biology teacher did this, more one one one, with a couple of us. She is one of the reasons that I went into Pharmacy. My oldest is taking APUSH this year and has spent the summer watching your videos in her spare time. I bought the ultimate review pack and the notes pack and downloaded them all right away. Glad I did because it looks like you've gone solo and they changed the review packet slightly. How do I go about making sure I have continued access to your packets? I can buy them again from your site, just let me know.
Such a phenomenal video. Captivating story and extremely relateable. I think often vulnerability is misrepresented or feared by teachers. But I feel when we can see our students' humanity and they can see ours, thats when you REALLY start to create transformations in students lives. Great content as per usual!🙌 cheers to failing forward!
I don’t know how often you read comments on a 1 year old video, but I just had to say I needed this today. With student loan payments coming due next month, and a bunch of other standard teacher stresses going on, I was questioning my choices a bit. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally I wonder why I do this. It’s almost always money related, which I hate. The thing that gets me through it is that I absolutely love teaching. Then a week comes along where I feel like I’m not a “good” teacher anyway, and doubt starts to creep in. The algorithm did me a solid sending me this recommendation today. You gave me what I needed. Thank you for your passion, your humor, and your wisdom.
Student debt is what it is man, tons of people die with it.. just live in the moment and do the best you can.. I am starting my teaching degree next year and I am beyond stoked to share my passion and knowledge of history with bright young people. We are valued my man!
And you did us a solid by sharing your Honest experience. I am not yet a teacher, but I feared that I would fear this at later times and have thought to myself, what if I am just not cut out for it and all the thoughts that come along with that but I keep pushing forward and like these comments like these help me and others are like so thank you both
YOU ARE A LEGEND. THIS KIND OF HONESTY IS THE ONLY THING WITH THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD AND WAKE US ALL UP.
Yep! I have always found in my 32 years, the unscripted honest "conversations" are the most powerful. And they always happen when we least expect it!
Seriously... After that, I made it a regular feature of class. 2-3 times a semester we'd have Q&A day. I don't think it ever had the same magic as that first one but it was always highly anticipated.
@@HeimlersHistoryTeachers by the way I recommend your videos all the time to my students. Thanks for making them!
teaching isn't about being a good performer
@@stephenglover1818 Teaching sometimes means they won't retain the knowledge you give but they will remember the memories you create. I remember mostly only my history classes from high school and that's thanks to Mr. Bacon. He retired 10 years ago and still substitutes at 74. He had a passion to teach like I've discovered and I have a passion for history, teaching, and learning. When you teach you also learn.
As a retired teacher who has "gone back to middle school", thank you for your honesty. More teachers need to hear your messages. We are indeed, people who have the passion to inspire our students despite the pathway we choose to reach them. Good job, Keep up the good work.
Terry from Texas.
i left teaching 7 years ago and listening to this made me tear up, recalling all of the wonderful kids and conversations we had during calculus, geometry, trig, whatever we had to learn that day. thanks. those were good moments.
I'm a female teacher who teaches technological English in a vocational school in France. So, in between four-stroke engines and how to choose a headlight bulb, out of the blue, one student (only male students, in their twenties) suddenly asked me if I had seen the French movie "les chatouilles" (it means "the tickles"), which deals with incest. I said I hadn't. He added with feeling that I should watch it. The others asked what the film was about. So he told the story and added that since he was a little boy, his mother had always told him that his body was his, and for nobody else to touch, whatever they may say. I told him he had a great mother. My usually slightly unruly class was silent, drinking in the exchange. And then another voice called out : "miss, how do we know if a girl means "no" when she says "no"?" By then they were captivated. You see, in my school, 97% of the students are male, so girls are a big mystery. And so we had a great, and I mean great conversation about consent, sex, love... I, a fifty-plus woman, them, twenty-year-olds... When the bell rang, a student stayed behind. He wanted to tell me something in private, but he didn't want me to tell anybody else. He looked stricken. I felt genuine concern and told him that was a promise I couldn't make. So we made an appointment with the school nurse, and he came out with the truth : one of his uncles filmed his family members in the toilet and in the bathroom. He had found the tiny cameras. And now his aunt had just passed a certification to be a childminder at home. He was devastated, afraid of what his uncle would do to the little children if he said nothing, afraid of breaking apart his family if he spoke out. The school social worker and the police services did a great job. The student was never suspected by his family of snitching on his uncle. They pretended they had found some footage online and found the uncle's IP address. That episode of my life as a teacher was a roller-coaster of emotions!
C'est dommage. But, good for you all!
wait... so let me get it right, you said you would not tell it to anybody but you just told it to random strangers on internet? do you not think this would have devastated the student as well?
@@EditsagastudiosThis took place eons ago and I rather doubt my former student, let alone any member of his family will ever read a comment in English about foreign teachers. I’m not THAT good an English teacher that an ordinary not-so-interested-in-English student will suddenly develop a keen interest in the lives and woes of overseas teachers and devour videos about them.
"Someone who cares for their students and acknowledges that their lives are bigger and more complex than my classroom."
Beautiful.
My man! Just found this video after a "bad" lecture. Even though students gave me the feedback that I am doing well, I still somehow thought that I failed them. This story carries the essence of teaching and learning. You have to talk to your students, you have to LEARN first to be able to teach. Otherwise you are just the best student in the class, carried away by your own performance. Thank you!!
I’ve been teaching history (World and US) for the better part of a decade. I cannot tell you how much I connected with your story; being overwhelmed, teaching as a performer, wanting the best for my students, but feeling as though I’m going to fail them. Right down to the moment that you closed the laptop and decided to connect with them as human beings. Your story is one that I wish every teacher/person heard. That while we might want to “be the best”, we are our best when we are true and authentic with those around us. I cried when I heard this, because I realized, “I’m not alone!” This feeling that I have to act in order for my students to learn, I realize, like you, that I can just be myself and care for my students; and that authentic presentation, that is what makes me a great teacher. That is when they tell me, “This was the best class I’ve ever had.” Thank you for sharing this, brother.
Great stuff... your authenticity in sharing is real and comes through. Without a doubt you're a great "teacher" because you're an honest adult who shares the truth, even when it makes you look like you're not perfect. I'm assuming you came to that realization because of district-aligned PDs...
Keep rockin' brother
This video is exactly what makes me want to teach. Connecting with the youth and genuinely helping them while showing I am there for them. Exactly as you said I want to show I care and love all of my students beyond a grade or test marks. You're awesome.
Man, it's seriously like with every upload you have on this channel you cover or say something that I just REALLY need to hear. 3 preps and coaching has my grading backlog measured in weeks not days...went to school with barely any rest or any prep today just trying to figure it out. I guess sometimes students just need to see that side of their teachers. Thanks for the video, it was very inspiring and impactful.
I'm so glad to hear it. And I can relate: the downfall of my teaching career has always been my delay in getting graded material back in a timely manner. It's my white whale.
It is about the challenges of our own EXPECTATIONS of what must be and what actually turns up. Young people knowing that you care is so important and the no.1 and in your lessons, vulnerability and HUMANITY, you probably gave them more than they had ever experienced in your diligently-planned lessons combine. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for everything. I, a senior student, have been struggling to remember anything I learned from my classes and upcoming semester exams do not help my stress and anxiety. I'm in really bad brain fog. Can't get out of it, but when I'm out of brain fog, I remember it all. I'm just struggling really hard right now and want to cry because I feel like I'm not going to remember everything or anything small. I'm smarter than I know, but it's hard to see that right now. This video taught me that maybe I just need to put my focus off of trying to study all the time and over commit because it's clearly not doing me any good and to just enjoy myself especially since I've been as sick as a dog for the last 4 days. I'm tired of all the pressure time getting shorter and shorter everyday, so the best I can do is push through and know I'll at least make it out alive.
I have been utilizing your APUSH Heimler's History for a long time and I just now found Heimler's History Teachers! Thanks so much for creating this channel. I look forward to using this to help make me a better teacher. I love this story and have always felt that if you can touch their hearts, their minds will follow.
Thank you so much for this Mr. Heimler. I relate so much to being a "performer" for your students so students like you, find you funny and think of you as a good teacher. But what truly makes a difference in a student's life is the true love and care that a teacher gives, being a good listener and a companion in the journey we call life. Thank you for being the reminder of that.
That was the emotional gut punch I didn't know I needed. Especially with my 3 week old daughter asleep in my lap. Thank you for these tears.
Thank you for this reminder. It’s been quite a few years and our students (and we) are struggling. Listening to each other and creating space for real conversations are needed more than ever. Also, my students and I think you’re kinda special ✌🏼
For sure. The day I described was before the pandemic, and I think you're right: the urgency for understanding their personal struggles has only been multiplied over the last couple of years. Oh, and I think your students are pretty special too.
You are a true Rockstar Mr. Heimler. I can't thank you enough for inspiring me to be a better educator! Keep on, keeping on!
I sure will. You too!
That was so deeply insightful and candid. As a teacher with ADHD, I profoundly relate to the performance burnout. I’m getting back into the classroom after tutoring virtually during the pandemic, and I feel so much more comfortable. Thank you so much for your help
I really needed this today. This is my 4th day teaching 9th grade biology for the first time ever (right before mid terms). Thank you for sharing
Needed this. I’m retiring from the military in about 5-10 years and switching to teaching history
It’s nerve racking to do one thing for 20 years and then switch over but this gave me some bit of confidence
I searched "what makes a good curriculum" because I'm trying to learn how to use AI to help me organize my solo online learning and this was the second result. I'm not sure I got any smarter about that. But I did learn a lesson. Thanks.
I really needed this today. Lately, I have been feeling so bogged down by my fast-paced informational writing unit and the mass amounts of grading that comes with it, that I have started to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. I have sensed this void; something is definitely missing, but you helped me find it. I haven't had ANY time to sit and connect with my students. Your reflection just put into words what I have been feeling lately, and I can't thank you enough for making that so clear to me now.
By and far my favorite perspective I’ve seen from a teacher on UA-cam. There is so much ch magical Goodness about letting kids be themselves in this strange world
Thank you for this excellent message, Mr Heimler! My kids loved having you as their history teacher. Now I am a new-ish teacher wondering is it’s the right profession for me. Hearing the impact that you can have on students is very inspiring, among all of the “why I quit teaching” videos out there.
As a person pursuing an education in history to become a history teacher this made me grateful for the hard experiences I needed to have to get to this point, from jobs, family, army, and hardships. That was amazing to watch thank you!
Wow. Resonates with me.
I was the main speaker at a camp a few months back. First two sessions went good. The third session, i felt prepared and did the same it with the same intensity but i just felt things were not working well. I went back and felt drained and confused. I still had to speak the next day and i was doubting whether I was able to do it or not.
I had my materials ready but I didnt want to just add more. So instead of just doing what i would normally do, I started my session talking about my doubts, my fears and just letting them into the struggles I faced. Suddenly I felt a surge of energy, I felt I was connecting with the crowd and I knew what to talk about. That last session went really good, better than I expected and I got people interacting.
Vulnerability can lead to more better possibility and results. I was speaking to people in a drug rehab centre. Maybe they need people to be authentic rather than just performing. I think this applies to many teaching situations.
Glad I found you channel! Great content. You gained a new subscriber.
Beautiful message. A good reminder for all teachers.
This is the kind of teacher I would love to become. Although I've always wanted to pursue a music career and that idea fills me with pure joy, my heart also wants to become that figure of support and guidance for students and inspire people to become a better version of themselves. I still have one semester left of my English teaching bachelor and I dont know how my life will turn out at the end. Either way, I just want to add value to people's lives whether if it's through my music or by being the best teacher I can.
Couldn't agree more. The rapport between students and teachers is of utmost importance. Students will forgive a lot, as long as you are authentic and treat them with respect.
Your unique teaching style keeps me coming back!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this awesome and super genuine story! God bless you!!
First rate talk. Thank you sir. This from a 76 year old guy, I salute you
I teac Business Studies and Languages.
But this piece has just opened my eyes to another way of teaching and making ny learners feel the sense of belonging.
Okay now-that hit me square in the heart. I think I’ll be pondering this for a while. ♥️🎯
Well, I really appreciate you watching it. It felt good to tell that story. It feels even better to know it resonates with someone else…
I had a no show of a student today and your video popped up... BEST SYNCRONICITY EVER!!! thx for the honest video! i will be back to it for sure! keep it up Mr Heimler!
I appreciate your unique approach to teaching!
Thats awesome man. What a wonderful story. For me it makes me think about how unrefined and simply messed up our education system is. To think that kids go through 8 periods every single day with every single one of those periods doing the exact opposite of what you described doing. I mean they are so much lacking in authenticity around them. That shit is not healthy. That shit makes you crazy. And then we don’t know what home environment they go home to either. They sit still in a brick building for 8 hours, they’re treated like shit and then their teachers act like robots and treat their students like robots. All day they learn about math, science, but never get to ask whats on their mind, or converse in creative ways, hell when do they get to be a person
There are so many things that children would value being taught more than the content they actually get given. Sounds like that's true in the USA as well as here in the UK.
As someone who’s been a 911 dispatcher for the better part of a decade, I’m making a huge career shift into education. I’m going back to school to get my degree in secondary education and I’m so nervous. You’re such an incredible storyteller, and that’s that kind of teacher I want to be. I want to connect with my students, talk to them like they’re people not just kids. Make learning interesting, and if I’m lucky, be good at it. I’ve had a whole other career. A whole other life, basically. I just hope to succeed at this new chapter.
Good luck. I bet you have heard it all. Thank you for what you did.
Schools should be places where students can find people they can look up to and the priority of schools should not be to educate knowledgeable people, but to educate moral individuals who know themselves
Our students flourish and engage when they see the human side of us. You’re right, we can and do perform and plan and execute…but it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes taking that “pause” and just being plain human and vulnerable with our students and engaging them at that level is just the break and inspiration needed. Well done, sir. I agree with some of the other comments. You just keep posting homerun videos. I’m a first year AP US History teacher. I’m in my 21st year of teaching. I’m a rigorous student of my profession and practice and I’m a first year teacher all over again. You’ve helped so much. Thank you.
I’ve gained so much from this, you’re a great teacher!
im crying... you're right! connection is everything
If my principal came in while I was doing that, I'd be deemed "ineffective" and reemed out. The reality is we are hired to teach content. Those conversations can only be moments, unless you are tenured. Even then, learning content is important. No, not just rote memorization, but memorizing your times tables does come in handy throughout your life. Relating content to their lives is helpful, too.
Brilliant! Thank you for this story.
This was incredibly well-explained, thanks!
You’re fantastic at teaching difficult subjects!
You’re great at teaching difficult concepts!
I do not know what your level is wether high school or university, of course my situation is likely different to yours as I teach language to kids between the ages of 10 and 18 and music to all ages. Planning to me is not the structure of the class or what I am going to say, it is simply what am I going to talk about, re:subject and then I engage in a conversation with the students. I work with images or key questions, everything is as peripatetic and socratic as possible. The course has a structure but the individual classes less so and sometimes they flow depending on what questions or ideas get raised in class. I am rarely if ever lost for words and rarely resort to regurgitating something I did once before. I am also certain there is less pressure on me than you as I have a lot of freedom in what and how I teach. Most of my classes have the qualities of what you are describing here.
You’re great at teaching difficult ideas!
This is the kind of teaching we need to give our youth. We need to stop focusing on arbitrary benchmark standards and teach core values.
I was always the monkey when I taught in China as a fake teacher (TEFL)
I'm now starting again in Spain at 39 and I connect with this so much. I still want to make my students smile, but I want to show them that I care.
Huge mountain I have to climb now, but really digging my heels into this wonderful career. ❤
Maybe one day I'll even become a real teacher, degree and all.
Thank you for inspiring me! 🙏
Was not expecting to cry at the end what a beautiful story man God bless you bro
Most beautiful thing I have ever watched today sir
I almost cried hearing your words, thank you
The past can never repeat and the best way to teach history is the humor in how we were that ignorance the way we peaked through curtain of time. No one should be teaching for safety because we can get blamed
Maan!!, you were so inspiring...hats off to you!!!
Wow. This touched my heart and soul. Love from a teacher to a teacher. Salute you brother. 🎉❤🎉❤😊
Thank you for sharing 😊
You helped me be a better AP World History teacher. I think the challenge for a lot of us is to look past our comfort zones and consider how we can do better at what we do. The Flynn Effect comes from us evolving our practice with the times as much as it does from technological improvements.
I think you're absolutely right...
@sandponics In the sense that examples before context is far superior than context before examples I agree with you but there is a lot of content that does better at promoting recognition rather than comprehension. These are two different matters. What I appreciate here is about Heimler helping me learn that it was all about the relationships more than the "learning", which, in the defense of a lot of content creators in the attention economy... they know very well.
Thank you for this so helpful
I’m a teacher and what you taught me about what makes a great teacher woke me up to the fact that it’s never truly about a brilliant performance that transforms them. It’s about quietly and slowly, making an honest and genuine connection with them.
They’ll learn everything they need to know on the job anyway.
Really inspiring thank you. I too feel like I need to perform, entertain..... this was so wonderful.
I needed to hear this today. Thank you.
You are most welcome!
Amazing brother! Great share!
Mr.Heimler, as someone who wants to be future history and loves to performance based teaching too, in current day how to balance coming to school with that firey passion but also the calmness to just connect?
Awesome video. Great Stuff.
wow I'm starting my teaching journey (not in history) but this real resonated with me
You don't just have a class, you have a community. Yes thats real education.
excellent video, i liked this so much, being an assistant professor, I can relate with the content totally
Bruce Springsteen is legendary for a lot of reasons, one of them being his epic 3-4 hour shows. As a high school English teacher where literature was still on the menu, I'd do 5.5 hour marathon performances of our canonical classics everyday until the unit was kaput... and I did the biggest shows with the worst hangovers imaginable... The worse I felt, the harder I drove. (Like Jimmy Fallon, I hear.) After a while, the charisma factor wears off, the coolest teacher ever gets stale and the real strategies of targeting teenaged brain development oriented scientific information and skill development transfer to proficiency strategies becomes paramount. Yes, sobriety helps, but public school stressors don't.
It wasn't the marathon performances that got Springsteen his connection with the audience... it is the little stories he shares with us that we identify with our stories... the little, "I got you, okay" and "Hey, let me tell you about this one time when..." and you share a moment of real humanity, the hard and soft, hot 'n cold middle of the lonely night stuff. That's what I think was what my former students felt when they wrote me MY evaluation letters, after, right after, I had submitted the semester grades. That's when it really counts. And on the street later on when you see them with their kids, too.
What grade was this particular history class? And, how would earlier grades respond?
Noticed the stack of books on the right, those are the same books used in a grad course I took this past spring. Perhaps we took the same course?
Gilder-Lehrman? If so, then yep!
Admin would burst in and write me up for this.
And I’m being fired currently. Again.
Sorry to hear about that..
How frquently do you think these discussions should be with our students? The ground reality is, we have to take lesson plans, we have to take curriculumn to the class, course completion etc.
This sounds like English class. Anything that wasnt planned, off topic, or irrelevant...happened during English hour.
Thank you for this unexpected gift, Steve. You ARE the man!
🙏
I really loved this
You always make learning feel like a breeze!
Great video ❤
Oh that d a good story! ❤ as a teacher I love it
I am beyond thankful to be an educator in the Heimler era😊
Whoa, I have an era?! Nice...
I’ve failed so hard I got put on a PIP now I don’t know what future holds. I don’t know if there is coming back from this.
MAAAAN , i needed that😢
I don't really like to comment, just wanted to say thank you, the performance aspect resonated with me. I've often wanted to make class discussion based, but struggled because there's so much information.
Thanks for this video Heimler!
You're welcome! Glad I'm not the only one who struggles...
5 preps oh my God… four is inhuman, 3 is the max of what teachers should have. But FIVE?!
i was wondering when i'll stop feeling i'm a bad teacher cause i always give myself a hard time, starting this now
Wow, love this!! ❤
Uhu great story. Total gold.
Thanks, man.
Of course
When I realized most teachers are merely entertainers, I became disappointed in the whole thing. You became a therapist and felt good about what happened. But that doesn't help students learn history.
I did have some 'teaching moments' in America but as a teacher I only came into my own when I left the States and taught at international schools, first in China and then Mauritania. In the States, one spends so much time babysitting while overseas I was a full-time educator. My students learned more than most American students and I learned more...we were flying high.
This is what makes you the kind of teacher that impacts lives. My AP Biology teacher did this, more one one one, with a couple of us. She is one of the reasons that I went into Pharmacy. My oldest is taking APUSH this year and has spent the summer watching your videos in her spare time. I bought the ultimate review pack and the notes pack and downloaded them all right away. Glad I did because it looks like you've gone solo and they changed the review packet slightly. How do I go about making sure I have continued access to your packets? I can buy them again from your site, just let me know.
Such a phenomenal video. Captivating story and extremely relateable. I think often vulnerability is misrepresented or feared by teachers. But I feel when we can see our students' humanity and they can see ours, thats when you REALLY start to create transformations in students lives. Great content as per usual!🙌 cheers to failing forward!
Cheers indeed! I just checked out your channel and I’m super impressed!
@@HeimlersHistoryTeachers Thanks! Keep milking them brain cells! Lol🙌👍🎉
This is the teacher I wish to be with Photography.
👍 If you like your subject and love your students, you will become a great teacher
Go to other coubtries if you feel unfulfilled and move on until find one country that give opportunities for participate
Very beautiful!