Compare and Contrast Teachers
Mrs Kinnard teaches mathematics and Mrs Witherspoon teaches English. These subjects are, quite possibly, as different as two subjects can be. However, the teachers show other differences as well as certain similarities. Both are experts in their fields and have good reputations. While they vary in teaching, testing and grading styles, they both treat their students as individuals.
Mrs Kinnard and Mrs Witherspoon are very different in terms of their teaching methods. Mrs Kinnard who teaches maths, tends to use lectures as means of educating her students. She also gives out examples to the class in order to aid learning. Mrs Witherspoon, on the other hand, teaches English through methods which do not include lectures. Instead, she favours interactive class work and discussion. Furthermore, unlike Mrs Kinnard, she rarely provides examples to the class. In their teaching methods, therefore, the two teachers differ substantially.
Testing is another area in which the two teachers are obviously contrasting. When testing the class, Mrs Kinnard usually tests via the computer. She also tends to use multiple choice questions and pop quizzes. Mrs Witherspoon opts for somewhat different testing methods, relying more on paper tests including problem solving. She also uses scheduled quizzes, rather than pop quizzes, as a testing method. As with teaching methods, the two women adopt very different testing strategies. Of course, as maths and English are vastly different subjects, it is perhaps inevitable that their tests will be similarly contrasting.
Both teachers are also very different when it comes to grading their students. Mrs Kinnard grades by points, where as Mrs Witherspoon grades by giving a letter to each student. Furthermore, Mrs Kinnard drops each student’s lowest grade, while Mrs Witherspoon rarely does this. Additionally, Mrs Kinnard uses extra credit for grading purposes which, once again, Mrs Witherspoon does not. Grading style is, arguably, not heavily dependent on subject. Maths and English can both be graded either by points or by letter; the difference here seems to be down to the individual teachers’ preferences.
While Mrs Kinnard and Mrs Witherspoon vary greatly in their teaching, testing and grading styles, they have certain elements in common. The main similarity is that both teachers actively try to help their students as individuals. While some teachers address the whole class and judge their own success on the overall trend of results, both Mrs Kinnard and Mrs Witherspoon appear to value each student and wish for them to achieve as highly as they can on an individual basis. Both are happy to spend time with a student who is struggling, and both are careful to praise all students who work hard to achieve well, even those who are consistently strong in their subjects. The English teacher and the Maths teacher are also both passionate about their subjects. Furthermore, they manage to inject enthusiasm into their students, even those who are not naturally gifted in the area.
There are many differences between Mrs Kinnard and Mrs Witherspoon. As well as their areas of expertise, they also differ widely in terms of teaching, testing and grading styles. However, they have in common their appreciation of all students as individuals, and seem to genuinely care for everyone in the classroom. Additionally, both have real energy for their subjects and are naturally skilled at passing on this energy to their students. Teachers can and do vary in many ways, as do Mrs Kinnard and Mrs Witherspoon. However, the differences do not make one better than the other.
