Football coach Cornelius Rish decided to go back into the classroom again this year. Rish has coached and taught many things throughout the years. After being an Equity Coordinator the sophomore defensive backs coach, he came back to teaching. Now he teaches Global Studies to freshman students.
In this day and age, it is important for students to have fun and engaging teachers. Students with engaging teachers have a higher passing rate than students who do not by up to 34% according to Emerald Insight. A Gallup study found that a 1% point increase in school engagement was associated with a six-point increase in reading and an eight-point increase in math scores.
“I was able to incorporate a lot more creativity and incorporate more interactive and engaging lessons and do some of those other pieces that I normally would do,” Rish said.
In addition, it is important to always have a positive mindset as a teacher and to keep positivity throughout the classroom. Having positive people around boost people’s mood by about 25% according to Framingham Heart Study. Rish spreads positivity by always having a smile on his face and connecting with the people around him to make sure their always doing okay.
“He brings a lot of energy and new perspective that I think is beneficial to any team. Due to his history in the school district, and also him being a coach of a lot of our middle schoolers, he’s a great person to connect with, especially as our ninth graders come into the building,” social studies teacher Abigail Yates said.
Students need teachers that want to be there and learn with them. Teachers who want to create change in student’s lives and help them through not only school work, but also home life is the idle teacher for all students. Rish enjoys when students feel comfortable enough with him that they go to him for help inside and outside of school. He forms bonds with students so that they can feel safe with him.
“He has helped us a lot throughout the year and he is a very understandable teacher” explained freshman Halie Evenson.
Creating strong bonds and building relationships with people in life is important and can get people very far in life. Teachers who are willing to spend their time forming a relationship with students are important to how students feel about school.
Reflecting on effective teaching strategies, Rish shared, “One of my strengths is building relationships. You know, that just something that just come natural to me, and I think that I was able to build and sustain some really strong relationships and then use search relationships in my instruction.”
Teachers with high energy affect how students continue throughout the day and even throughout the school year. When teachers make their classroom a space where students feel safe they want to come to school more and are more engaged in class. Even in the hallways Rish will continuously say hi to everyone who passed even if he does not know them just so that person can have a smile on there face even just for a second.
“Whenever you have a really engaging teacher, or someone that has a big personality, it makes every day kind of fun and surprising, and so I think kids really benefit, especially in the ninth grade, of having that high energy so that they can match that energy when they’re learning,” Yates said.
Rish will continue to teach and affect student’s lives every day. As he continues on, he will work the hardest he can to put smiles on everyone’s face and try his best to teach to the best that he can. He will learn the material and what helps students the best so that he can be a wonderful teacher for all students. With each lesson and interaction, he will grow both as a teacher and as a person, always wanting to create a positive impact on his student’s futures. His passion for teaching will ensure that student’s and staff will look at him as someone of inspiration and guidance for years to come.
