Dedication in the Field of Teaching

By: Meagan Pimm and Jennifer Geerlings

Jobs in every field require knowledge of professional writing but don’t require a degree in writing. Scientists write research papers based on their experiments and findings. Historians analyze events and people, incorporating the content of their findings into history books. Zoo keepers document charts and reports of animal behavior and diet. Business professionals make proposals and show their companies’ progress through PowerPoint presentations. There are professionals all around us who use writing every day, and no matter what a person hopes to do with his or her life, writing can probably be expected from time to time. But oftentimes the real appeal lies not in the writing, but in the more deeply fulfilling parts of a career – a lesson that we learned from a teacher with a dedication unlike many others’.

First Impression:

When we entered his classroom, Roger Harbonson was standing by his desk finishing up a phone call. He walked our way with a friendly smile and a hearty greeting. A wise man with a great deal of experience under his belt, Mr. Harbonson is a man so devoted to his teaching career that his students often seek him out to ask questions, talk to him, or just so say hello. In fact, during our short interview with him, which was conducted in the hallway of his high school, at least four students stopped by to give him a high five, a smile, or just a ‘hello’. He commands a great deal of respect, even from colleagues, some of whom are former students of his.

Background Information:

Mr. Harbonson has spent his last thirty-six years teaching and currently teaches at a school in west Michigan. His decision to become a teacher was largely influenced by his father, who was also a high school teacher. But while his father was his influence and role model, he also got a little push from the politics of the 1960s. Deciding on a career in the height of the Vietnam War was made easier by the fact that a teaching degree kept young men from being drafted. So, Mr. Harbonson followed in his father’s footsteps and obtained his teaching certificate, graduating from Aquinas College in 1966.

How He Uses Writing:

While Mr. Harbonson does not have a degree in writing, he does write on a daily basis. His technical writing skills are used in class every day, where he accompanies many lessons with a PowerPoint presentation. He even attends conferences occasionally to make sure he is up to date with the latest technological developments and software for the classroom, along with new information in the field of biology.

Don’t be fooled by the title, “biology teacher.” Even biology requires a lot of writing, and it is tremendously important in the field. He stresses that there is a big difference between scientific writing and other forms of writing. The scientific writing that he does – often in the form of lab reports – has its own set of guidelines. Quality writing is important in any field; you must always be aware of how to effectively get your point across by including the right material.

When teaching his students what and how to write, he instructs them to get their ideas down - mostly the main points - and to be as accurate as possible. A great deal of scientific writing involved in biology has to do with data and charts. In lab reports, the data and analyses must be as clear and succinct as possible. The best method to hone in on this skill is to just keep doing it until you're comfortable with it. Another important form of writing is taking notes. Even Mr. Harbonson has to do this at the conferences he attends and when reading material. This is another skill that requires a great deal of practice, as many college students will know. Good note taking, as taught in his class, means being able to understand key concepts (not facts) and rewriting them in one's own words. He stresses that it is important to organize notes effectively so that the information is well-explained for others, or even for the writer himself. On top of the notes and lab reports, Mr. Harbonson also writes:

• lesson plans
• assignments
• tests
• speeches
• letters
• teacher recommendations.

His Teaching Ethics:

Having spent many years teaching for the local area schools, Mr. Harbonson has gained seniority and doesn’t have to answer to many people. But he still says that it is important to be accountable to yourself and your students, and to do everything with the best of intentions. “If kids don’t leave better people for having been here, then I’ve failed them,” he says. By law he must teach within his area of expertise – in his case, science – but many, if not most, of his lessons are accompanied by educating his students in areas unrelated to the classroom. As he told us, education is extremely important, but a lot of education comes from life and happens outside of the classroom.

Life Outside the Classroom:

Mr. Harbonson himself is no stranger to life outside of the classroom – according to him, the best way to impact students and to enjoy your career is to get involved in the community. Aside from teaching biology, he also participates in:

• teaching driver’s training to teenagers
• coaches girls’ basketball (but has also taught an array of other sports)
• attending school and community functions.

Likes and Dislikes:

When asked what he likes and dislikes about his profession, Mr. Harbonson says, “I like everything and dislike nothing.” It’s easy to see why; he has clearly had an influence on many of his students, a fact made obvious by the esteem that they have for him. In fact, he says that helping people is the most rewarding part of his career. He loves that he has established strong relationships with his students and is able to help them.

Advice

The most important piece of advice that Mr. Harbonson had for anyone looking to become a teacher (or to go into any field, for that matter), stems from a quote that was coined during the war in the 60s: Love it or leave it. If you don’t love what it is you are doing, then you shouldn’t be doing it, or you may end up inadvertently impacting your students in a negative way. It should be about the passion and nothing else. As he put it, “Nobody goes into teaching for the money.”

In the schools Mr. Harbonson teaches at, it is a well-known fact that the senior class routinely asks him to be the main speaker for graduation. And it’s no small wonder, with all of the passion he expresses for his profession. There are challenges along the way, he says, but that’s inevitable, and it’s all worth it. As he so eloquently put it, “Love it or leave it.”