Kelly, Ruth.

"Education: Teaching Awards 2005: Achieving the Impossible: Ruth Kelly on what
Makes an Outstanding Teacher. The Guardian: 4. Oct 18 2005. ProQuest. Web. 25 Mar.
2015 .
Ruth Kelly is an award-nominated British journalist, who has a number of Sunday Times
bestsellers. Ruth has had over ten years experience in print journalism and television. She has a
background in newspapers, having trained as a news reporter. Ruth then went on to freelance for
the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror and The Sun. Throughout all of her experiences as a
journalist, reporter, and print writer her work is both credible and descriptive. In her article on
what makes an outstanding teacher Kelly breaks it down into the bits and pieces that develop the
overall picture. Kelly seems to focus her article on the idea of belief, stating that Sometimes,
the teacher who makes a difference is someone who simply believes in you. The article tends to
follow in the purpose that whatever course we study, whatever career we choose, that sense of
belief is something that many of us carry throughout our lives and something we can never put a
price tag on.
This article stood out to me because it touched on the base that teaching is now
recognized as a profession that is not only challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. Yes,
teaching is rewarding however teachers tend to have one of the lowest grossing annual
paychecks. This was until I stumbled upon an article which took a different direction, Kelly
focuses on schools in the United Kingdom and how these programs are not only rewarding
students with great teachers, but rewarding teachers with great benefits. This is why teaching in
the UK, increasingly, recruits some of the best and brightest graduates. Through schemes like
Teach First, which uses education and business leaders to identify promising graduates,
diversifying the ways in which they get talent into the classroom. I found this to be most helpful

to my final product as it allowed me to build off of the idea that great teachers deserve greater
opportunities. After all, it is not only the student who should be rewarded with a great teacher,
but the teacher who should be rewarded for being the best he or she can be.
This source is mainly credible through the source that it is printed in. The source is in The
Guardian, The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper. Founded in 1821, it was known as
The Manchester Guardian until 1959. Through researching the source I found that it is also
available in the United States making it a worldwide news publication. This source is also
credible through the author herself. As I stated before Ruth Kelly is an award-nominated British
journalist, who has a number of Sunday Times bestsellers making her a novice when it comes to
journalism.
Pearson, Beth. "It just takes the Human Touch to Put a Life Right Back on Track - and by
providing a Positive Role Model, Teachers can Change their Pupils' Lives. By Beth
Pearson." The Herald: 6. Sep 13 2006. ProQuest. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
When researching the author I found that Beth Pearson is a PhD candidate in Politics at
the University of Glasgow as well as a freelance journalist. Beth typically has a focus of civil
society and advances in democracy. Beth Pearson is generally published in The Herald. Her
article focuses on the idea that all it takes is the human touch to put a life right back on track. The
overall purpose is to explain the emotional and psychological approach of bettering the life of
another. Who better to enlighten the life of a peer than, a teacher? The article centers on
remembrance stating Marj Adams, a teacher at Forres Academy in Morayshire. I look back
to my own school days, the teachers I remember having the biggest impact on me were those
who definitely formed attachments with their pupils, quite strong emotional attachments. The
article goes on to explain that these attachments provided you with role models you could respect

and who could raise your self-esteem because you felt some worth. The idea is an adult treating
you like a human being and not just a pupil.
I particularly walked away from this article with the understanding that when you take a
disillusioned, angry and misbehaving child and turn them into an enthusiastic physicist or an
avid reader of history books, it is the challenge that prompts many to join the teaching
profession. The overall experience and idea of teacher forming a relationship with a child is what
originally encouraged me to choose my topic which led me in the direction of this article. I know
for a fact that within this article, are many quotes I can use to build an emotionally impactful
final product. This article led me in the right direction and will serve as both a focal point and
inspiration.
I know this article is a credible source because it is published in The Herald. The
Herald is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783.This also makes it the longest
running national newspaper in the world and the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. It is
currently printed at Cambuslang, just outside Glasgow. Since the article is both printed and
published in the longest running national newspaper in the world this leads me to believe that it
is most definitely a reputable source.
Wilder, Mike. "What Makes a Great Teacher? High Expectations, Creativity and
Passion." McClatchy - Tribune Business News: Oct 17 2011. ProQuest. Web. 6 Mar.
2015
Mike Wilder was a respected local newspaper journalist who worked as a longtime
reporter for the Burlington Times-News, most notably covering the Alamance-Burlington School
System and serving as a faith and features reporter. During his career in the news industry, he

also served as the managing editor of The Sanford Herald and The Reidsville Review. Mikes
experience in covering the Burlington School system qualifies him as an experienced writer on
the topic of what makes a teacher great. His articles purpose is clearly an informative piece that
follows the experiences of five teachers within the county school system. The article is very
objective as the main focus is working to find the countys teacher of the year. While
examining eligible nominations Wilder describes that the teacher must have gone farther in the
process than most, may have different approaches, while holding a common general passion for
teaching and for their subject and students.
This article particularly has helped me in gathering information on what exactly it takes
for a teacher to be great. Coming into my topic I knew that there would be set guidelines and
testimonies that required an everyday teacher to be not only great but exceptional. This article
clearly pointed out to me that teachers and parents help students the most by not helping, at least
right away. As quoted in the source "the most growth occurs when we have had to spend time to
overcome an obstacle." Now this is important and this is what will enhance the quality of my
overall presentation, going above and beyond the everyday call to duty.
I was able to tell that this source is credible when I read through Mike Wilders obituary,
unfortunately, Mike passed away in 2013. It was through Wilders obituary that I saw he had both
a passion for his writing as well as for his local school system. Taking the time to examine
individual sources to produce tell-all informative pieces. Similar writing by Mike Wilder also
aired on radio stations and made news reports setting the standard bar for county education. I
also found that the teachers who individually contributed to the article are still teachers in the
Burlington School system signifying to me that yes, this source is credible.