Teacher shares pointers for peers

When Jack Rightmyer started his teaching career, he was advised by veteran teachers not to smile until Christmas.

Mr. Rightmyer was nervous enough, having signed on to teach high-school English at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady just four years after he had graduated from there. Being stern in the classroom led to an unsatisfying first semester of teaching for him.

Now, with 27 years of teaching experience, he shares what he has learned about creating a more positive learning environment in "A Funny Thing About Teaching: Connecting with Kids through Laughter and Other Pointers for New Teachers."

The middle-school English teacher in the Bethlehem School District said his teaching style was greatly influenced by teachers at ND-BG, particularly Paul O'Brien and Brother Raymond Smith, CFC.

"When I thought back on teachers I enjoyed, I found they had a common thread: They had a sense of humor," Mr. Rightmyer said.

Mentors' impact

Mr. Rightmyer became an English teacher because of the impact Brother Raymond had on him. "I had so much fun taking his classes, reading challenging books and stories, having great debates about life and literature, and writing so many different types of stories, poems and essays that I wanted to keep doing it," he said.

Dr. O'Brien was the reason Mr. Rightmyer stayed in the profession, despite the difficult challenges he faced as a new teacher.

"It was important to have a mentor like Paul O'Brien," he said. "I would not have lasted very long in the classroom if I had not found a mentor like him."

While the book is written for newcomers to the classroom, Mr. Rightmyer, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Ballston Lake , said veteran teachers might also enjoy it.

"You can get stale after a few years of teaching," he said. "You can forget that there are actual people sitting in the class and that the class isn't just about content."

Positive attitude

People in other fields might enjoy the book, as well, since Mr. Rightmyer pointed out that "it's all about the attitude you bring to your job."

Although he enjoyed teaching high school, Mr. Rightmyer loves the "age level and energy level" of the middle school students he teaches today: "I'm never bored."

For those who teach middle school, Mr. Rightmyer suggests being available to students. There are times he knows that he is the only adult who will listen to the student that day.

Along with the challenges of being a 13-year-old, Mr. Rightmyer said there are additional pressures on middle school students now. "It's harder to be a middle school student," he said. "There is much more reading and writing than I ever did. The kids are also involved in so many things."

As a parent of two grown children, Mr. Rightmyer is troubled by the trend of overscheduling children's time. "Kids start playing travel sports teams in third and fourth grade," he said. "We don't let them just be kids. When they have free time, they can't figure out how to organize a pickup game."

One of Mr. Rightmyer's best experiences is hearing from former students.

"One of the greatest parts of teaching is getting an email out of the blue from a former student and hearing that they've been teaching English for ten years because of something I said to them years ago; or walking in the mall and a person coming up to me and telling me that a book discussion we had made a difference in their life."

(When his book was published, Mr. Rightmyer sent a copy to Brother Raymond. Now, the mentor will attend the author's book signing: May 3, 1 p.m., at The Open Door Book Store in Schenectady .)

(05/01/08) [[In-content Ad]]