Pete Malishchak

My Favorite Teaching Moment

I love to see students faces when they suddenly understand the information or concept, when they get the big Aha, when the light bulb comes on in their head. I like having practical tools to use with students and the knowledge that I had a hand in helping a student learn and make progress. I have always loved children, from babies that I can make laugh, to my senior high field hockey, soccer and basketball players that I can motivate and listen to when they share their problems. My own two children have made me very proud by their accomplishments and by understanding the importance of getting and continuing to get a good education to be successful in life.

I have told many stories in my classes about the students that I have had great experiences with in both teaching and coaching over the last 35 years. My favorite stories are the ones where either the student or his/her parents tell me that what I said or taught to the student made them so very proud or touched emotionally. Using their manners, taking responsibility, learning how to use dance etiquette, striving to do one’s best, setting and reaching goals, and many other teachable moments are just some memories that reward me each time I call them back into my mind. While teaching PLS courses, I especially remember a particular Art teacher who shared with me at the end of the course she was taking that she had had a very bad couple of years teaching at her school. She was loosing confidence in her teaching ability and discipline measures. Her final comments she sent to me with her homework said the following,” When I took this class I was considering getting out of teaching because of some bad experiences I have had recently in school. Your class has given me so many great new ideas to take back to my students. Your encouragement has renewed my confidence as I prepare for the coming year. I just wanted you to know that there are only three people who I feel have really made a great impact on my life… and you are number three.” Wow! Sometimes we never realize the Ripple Effect we have on our students. This experience always reminds me of why I chose to become a teacher.

Why I Love Teaching PLS Courses

I enjoy teaching other teachers practical skills and activities that they can use in their classrooms. My participants often tell me that they should have had these skills taught to them when they were getting their undergrad degrees. I love seeing the high quality of work they submit as they find exciting ways to connect to the PLS courses. I also find that both the teachers as well as my self enjoy talking about our classes and teaching situations, sharing many ideas that may have been successful or unsuccessful, and especially making new friends. I am a people person. I love to talk and hear what others have to say. My students say I am a good listener and have a knack for empathizing with other’s feelings. My mother once told me that I should have been a priest, but my love of children steered me to teaching. Telling stories is a component of many PLS courses and I am a great story teller. I am rewarded when I get a folder comment that says that the way I read a story either moved the writer to tears or made them laugh or smile. The atmosphere in my classes is laid back, informal, and comfortable. Qualities that reflect my personality and the way that I like to learn. I like teaching PLS courses because they allow me to set goals and the flexibility to reach them effectively. They give me a feeling of pride in knowing that I have helped other teachers to become more effective communicators while we all have a positive learning experience.

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