Should Students Have the Same Teachers Year After Year?

Dr. Grant’s argument in this article is that it is more beneficial for students, especially from younger ages, to have the same teacher teaching them throughout their years in school. I agree with Dr. Grant’s argument and also believe that students should have the same teacher teaching them for multiple years in a row. As a student, I believe that the benefit of having the same teacher for multiple years is that the teacher has time to get to know the students personally as well as the student’s preferred learning styles, so when a new year comes, the teacher is already familiar with all the students and can provide the best education for them possible. The only downfall I think of having a repeat teacher, especially if it is in elementary school, is that when the students finally graduate and move to a different school, they are automatically forced to have a new teacher. They naturally will not be used to it and may have a hard time adjusting because of spending many years learning from the same teacher in their previous school.

As a high school student, I had the rare opportunity to have a repeat teacher. Somehow I spent my sophomore and junior years with the same English teacher. Personally, I liked having the same teacher two years in a row. The experience was very good and it was nice walking into my English class in my junior year and realizing it’s the same teacher that I already had the year prior. The teacher already knew all our names, personalities, and how well we did as students. It was very nice not being awkward with a new teacher and having to do the whole process of waiting for them to learn your name and remember your face. I think it also affected my learning more positively because being familiar with a teacher, you are not as scared of doing something wrong and already know all the criteria of the class. It is also much easier to joke around with them. Having the same teacher for two years in a row, when I became a senior, even though I did not have that teacher anymore, every time we saw each other in the hallways, we would always greet each other like friends.

Dr. Grant writes in this article, “Great education systems create cultures of opportunity for all.” In my opinion, the U.S. fits that statement because the U.S. tries to make education available for everyone. The statement, “opportunity for all” is accurate but it is a matter of how much the students want those opportunities and whether they are following the correct path for themselves. Of course, some schools in the U.S. may still have a bias towards some people that may cause some students to not get all the educational opportunities they could get, but overall, I believe the U.S. is doing a good enough job in providing education and opportunities for those who want them.