ALT-12 The Characteristics of a Good Teacher
As in any profession, teaching has its good and it not-so-good members. As a teacher myself, I think most teachers who have endured for five or more years in the classroom are probably good teachers. If not, they would most likely already have been "weeded out" or decided on another career choice on their own during that time span.
While teachers are certainly individuals, with each having her strong points, effective teachers do share several qualities.The best instructors are motivating, patient, knowledgeable, and interesting. Also, they share what I call the T-factor, a hard-to-define nebulous ability to transfer information and a desire for knowledge from their minds into the brains of their students.
In order to be a quality teacher, one has to be able to motivate students to learn by being an active participant in the learning process. This is not always easy to do. Sure, it's easy to force a chhild to sit in his desk, be quiet, and look as if he's listening, but to actually get the students to want to learn the material sometimes takes almost Hurculean efforts. Good teachers have an arsenal of motivational strategies.
Teachers also have to have patience, sometimes at a level comparable to Job. Unless the teacher is a college instructor, kids are involved, and we all know that kids will be kids.Teachers have to be able to handle myriad outbursts, tears, class clowns, slow learners, and all sorts of misbehaviors from time to time without losing her temper.
Good teachers must be knowledgeable. How will they teach their subject to others if they themselves don't have a deep understanding of the material? In addition to being knowledgeable about their own area, they also need to have a working knowledge of psychology in order to handle a group of thirty or so children without the class turning into a chaotic frenzy.
One of the most important qualities a good teacher possesses is the ability to interest her students. Kids quickly become bored, and a bored student will ultimately "tune out" the teacher and daydream about a plethora of pleasures more enjoyable than being trapped in a school desk. Effective teachers use a variety of visual, audio, and kinesthetic modes to keep students interested, sprinkled with a great sense of humor.
The T-factor is, without a doubt, THE most important element in a great teacher. This is the ability to actually teach, to impart wisdom into young minds. A teacher can know her subject inside and out, but if she can't share that knowledge with others, she's virtually useless. Case in point: I once had a math teacher who had an IQ of 170, but he could not teach. He couldn't share his brilliance with his classes. This quality is difficult to attain. It can't be taught by a special formula. But good teachers somehow have it.
Good teachers love teaching, and it's evident to her students. Kids are smart and hard to fool. A teacher can't just tell them she loves her job and expect them to believe it. She proves it to them by her actions - the way she teaches and the way she treats her students. Most of all, a good teacher will tell you she doesn't teach her subject; she teaches children.
