Top 10 Qualities of a Teacher

8/8/2019 Top 10 Qualities of a Teacher

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TOP 10 QUALITIES OF A TEACHER

One of my biggest goals is to become a teacher. In fact, its part of my personal

mission statement: My mission is to experience life throughteaching others. I

dont want to be a run-of-the-mill boring teacher, though. Not like the substitute

teachers of my school days. But what makes a good teacher?

We all know good teachers when we see them, and bad teachers too. I thought back

over the teachers Id loved and why I loved them. There were only a few, but they allhad the following qualities in common.

1. Confidence.Belief in ourselves despite setbacks. Teachers encounter situations

all the time that could be considered setbacks. Kids can be cruel, to each other and to

teachers. They can have attitudes, especially teenager s. Ive had teachers to were

obviously nervous when they taught. Others were shy and only half committed totheir subject. But the best teachers laughed off their mistakes: chalk breaking, books

dropped, TVs not working. Where some teachers were flustered, the good teachers

shrugged and went on about the lesson, sometimes even joking about the mess up.

These teachers knew they were human and knew mistakes happen. They didnt take

things personally and let problems get them upset.

2. Patience. Some of my best teachers could have helped students through a mental

breakdown. Not that they had to, but that they were so patient, they could have gone

the distance. Many a time I, or classmate, would just not be getting a particular

concept. My best teachers were those who were willing to keep explaining, knowing

that eventually it would make sense. They were willing to wait until a distractioncalmed students down, or abandon a lesson entirely if it was clear material needed to

be revisited. The best teachers just stuck with it, willing to do what it took, no matter

how long it took.

3. True compassion for their students. Im sure weve all encountered a badteacher who didnt care what our excuse was. Certainly, some excuses werent valid,

but many were. The best teachers cared about their students as individuals and

wanted to help them. They had a sixth sense when a student needed extra attention

and gave it gladly. They didnt expect students to leave thoughts of the outside world

at the door to the classroom. They took the time to discuss subjects outside their

teaching, knowing that sometimes lessons can still be taught without following thetextbook. Good teachers were willing to speak up for us to other teachers, if need be.

They cared about us beyond the walls of their classroom.

4. Understanding. Good teachers had understanding not only the sixth sense

mentioned above, but true understanding of how to teach. They didnt have arigid technique that they insisted on using even if it didnt help us learn. They were

flexible in their teaching style, adapting daily if need be. They understood the

little things that affected our ability to learn; the weather, the temperature in the

classroom, the time of day. They had an understanding of human nature and the

maturity (or lack thereof) of teenagers. Good teachers knew that we hated to be

called young and therefore pre-judged. They treated us as real people, not just

students.


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5. Th

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y. There are many different learning stylesNot everyone gets a s

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as taught by every teacher. Ive taken subjects(chemistry for instance)many times"

at many different levels " by many different teachers. I took College Organic

Chemistry three times from three different teachers. I can tell you from experiencethat it wasmore the skill of the third teacher than the third time taking the class thatallowed me to pass. B

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y. Theyteach based on how they learn. This works for some people, but fails for others. Thegood teachers are ones that are able to teach to different learning styles. Ifstudentsdont understand a subject, they teach it a different way. Instead of looking at

abstract formulas, they

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what the formulas represent. Thisrequires a through understand of their subject, as well as the ability to consider that

subject in different ways, which not all teachers are able to do.

6. D

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. Good teachers want the best from their students andthemselves. They dont settle for poor grades, knowing it reflects upon their ability to

teach just asmuch upon a students ability to excel. The best teachers encourage thesharing of ideas and offer incentives (like not having to do homework for a day) toget students to think outside the box. They dont tolerate students badmouthingother teachers, doing their best to point out that other teachers are human too. They

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, not just good memorizers of text. Theywant students to learn and be able to apply what they learned, not just be able to

pass tests.

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. The best teachers know that everyone is able to do well ifthey have the right teacher. They dont accept that a student is a lost cause. They


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encourage if you are frustrated and provide true belief that you can get the material.

They stand up for individuals against other students, not allowing for in class

taunting. Sometimes, they even extend this outside the classroom, although taunts in

the hallways are very hard for teachers to combat. The best teachers are there if you

need extra help and even encourage it.

8. Willingness to help student achie&

e. The best teachers are those that dont

stop teaching when the bell rings. They hold extra sessions for SAT prep, they reach

out to students after class. They know that some need extra attention or assistance,and they dont act like its not their job. They take that job seriously and know they

arent just employed to get students to be able to do higher math, but do well in life.

They realize that achie&

ement isnt'

ust a good grade on a test, but a feeling of

accomplishment with mastering a subject; they are willing to work with a student for

that feeling.

9. Pride in students accomplishments. The best teachers let you know they are

glad you got a good grade or made the honors society. They smile and tell you that

you did a good job. They tell other teachers about how you did as well. Outside you

may feel embarrassed, but inside you are glowing. The best teachers dont single out

the best students either. They celebrate the accomplishments of everyone, knowingthat everyone is capable to doing well. They are upbeat and positive, focusing on how

a student did well, not how well they taught. They may know that it was the strength

of their teaching that helped a student to achieve, but they act as if the student is

completely responsible.

10. Passion for life. The best teachers arent just interested in their subject, they

are passionate about it. They are also passionate ab out many other things. They

praise good weather and smile when they take a few minutes to discuss last nights

episode of a popular TV show. They have a energy that almost makes them glow and

that you want to emulate as much as possible. They approach tasks with a sense of

challenge rather than routine. They take the universes curve balls and turn them intofun (if possible). They are human, certainly, but they make you feel that there is

always a reason to keep going. Things will get better no matter how much they

appear to suck at that moment.

As may be clear from the above, the best teacher I ever had was a math teacher. She

was all the more exceptional because math is the one subject I hate the most. She

told us to call her Aunt Jackie, but I had way too much respect to call her anything

but Mrs. Lamp. She is now a principal of a different High School than she taught at

when I was her student, and I suspect she is as good a principal as she was a math

teacher.

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Top 10 Qualities of a Teacher