quqlities of a teacher
Top 5 professional qualities
As the school year comes to a close, I’d like to reverse roles a bit and offer some advice to teachers. This year, I had one of my best teachers ever (no offense to any former teachers reading this) as my math teacher. This was an incredibly challenging course, yet he was able to make it very fun, engaging, andpassable. The area where he excelled the most was in making math interesting and connected to the rest of the world. Seriously, some nights I would look forward to doing my math homework as I struggled through ridiculous grammar exercises. Without further ado, here’s (part of) what I think makes a great teacher:
#1 Passion
Without this, it is impossible to become a great teacher. If you don’t love your subject, how can you expect your students to? I don’t think this is an issue for most teachers. Still, it is always important to emphasize. Sure, your students will think you’re crazy when you talk about fractions with a look usually reserved for spectator sports, but in the end your enthusiasm rubs off. Never be afraid to love something and show it.
#2 Creativity
With the onslaught of standardized testing and curriculum this might be getting harder, but it is still very important. Regardless of discipline, creativity is paramount. Sure, you can be a good teacher by taking prepackaged material and efficiently transmitting it. But you can’t be a great one. To be a great teacher, you have to be ready to develop custom, creative lesson plans and projects. You have to have an arsenal of techniques. You need to be a problem-solver. You get the idea. If you don’t, pop into your average commencement address and you’ll hear plenty about this.
#3 Flexibility
Students have complex lives, as do you. If everything is set in stone, you’ll eventually crack. When an A student fails a test, you have to be ready to be flexible. Likewise, you should make yourself available to students for help as much as possible and publicize that fact. If
As the school year comes to a close, I’d like to reverse roles a bit and offer some advice to teachers. This year, I had one of my best teachers ever (no offense to any former teachers reading this) as my math teacher. This was an incredibly challenging course, yet he was able to make it very fun, engaging, andpassable. The area where he excelled the most was in making math interesting and connected to the rest of the world. Seriously, some nights I would look forward to doing my math homework as I struggled through ridiculous grammar exercises. Without further ado, here’s (part of) what I think makes a great teacher:
#1 Passion
Without this, it is impossible to become a great teacher. If you don’t love your subject, how can you expect your students to? I don’t think this is an issue for most teachers. Still, it is always important to emphasize. Sure, your students will think you’re crazy when you talk about fractions with a look usually reserved for spectator sports, but in the end your enthusiasm rubs off. Never be afraid to love something and show it.
#2 Creativity
With the onslaught of standardized testing and curriculum this might be getting harder, but it is still very important. Regardless of discipline, creativity is paramount. Sure, you can be a good teacher by taking prepackaged material and efficiently transmitting it. But you can’t be a great one. To be a great teacher, you have to be ready to develop custom, creative lesson plans and projects. You have to have an arsenal of techniques. You need to be a problem-solver. You get the idea. If you don’t, pop into your average commencement address and you’ll hear plenty about this.
#3 Flexibility
Students have complex lives, as do you. If everything is set in stone, you’ll eventually crack. When an A student fails a test, you have to be ready to be flexible. Likewise, you should make yourself available to students for help as much as possible and publicize that fact. If