The best Characteristics of Great Teachers
The teaching profession is filled with wonderful educators who are taxed with the responsibility of reaching each and every child and inspiring them to reach their full potential. Being a teacher can often be a thankless, tiresome, and difficult job to do. The key to being a great teacher is to hone your craft on a daily basis, constantly upgrading your skills and knowledge, and sticking to the tried and true principles necessary to be effective.
The characteristics of great teachers are vast; many great teachers have combined a plethora of different traits and attributes into a successful blend that allows them to begreat educators.
- Fairness
Fairnessis a remarkable characteristic befitting a great teacher. The classroom should be a leveller for all students; a place where they can come, regardless of ethnicity, talent, skills, intelligence, gender, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation. A fair teacher conducts the class in a manner that allows each student to feel safe and secure. The classroom needs a teacher that will treat each student in an honourable fashion.
- Motivational
Another characteristic of a great teacher is that they are highlymotivational. A motivational teacher is inspirational to students. The motivated teacher arrives for each class eager and willing to do whatever necessary to reach each child. The motivated teacher goes above and beyond normal expectations and seeks out alternative ways of helping students achieve a state of higher learning.
- Communication Skills
Teachers must be excellent communicators if they wish to be great. This is a characteristic found in mostleaders, and especially in teachers. Teachers must change on a regular basis, so that they fluctuate with the trends of today’s society. Teachers need to communicate with students and parents to ensure that everybody is looking out for the best interests of the student.
- Creativity
Great teachers tend to becreative. They make their lesson plans in unique manners so that students are more engaged and alert. Teachers need to use creative methods in or to sustain the attention of their charges. Creativity allows teachers and students to transcend boundaries and utilize imagination to its maximum potential.
- Respect
A characteristic to bear in mind to become a great teacher isrespect. Respect is typically considered as something deserved, but rarely given. A teacher must give respect to the student body before assuming any respect on their own behalf. Respect needs to be reciprocal. Without respect, the teacher and student may find themselves on separate pages, and the desire to learn will be temporarily or permanently lost.
- Organized
An organized teacher is more efficient, as they rarely waste any time. A class needs to be run smoothly, like a finely tuned engine. Great teachers know how to arrange their class so that there is always plenty of time left after the lesson for seatwork and active discussions.
- Calmness
The ability to remain calm can greatly enhance a teacher’s ability to remain in control of the classroom. Calm teachers use this demeanour in their favour, creating a sense of serenity in the classroom environment.
- Enthusiasm
Great teachers have enthusiasm as an endearing characteristic in their arsenal. An enthusiastic teacher is better able to motivate his or her students, since their energy level will be addictive. Enthusiastic teachers appear to be more believable, and they are seen as great teachers.
- Confidence
A great teacher needs to have an abundance of confidence. This characteristic serves teachers well. It can be tough to stand up in front of a classroom and motivate students, but standing tall and confident can help to garner a vote of confidence from the student body. Confidence allows a teacher tospeak clearlyand with conviction, certain of their knowledge and ability.
- Consistency
A classroom needs to be run with consistency. This includes notions ofdisciplineand fairness. The consequences should be the same for each student for a similar infraction. A great teacher is one that has a sturdy resolve when it comes to teaching. A consistent teacher conducts his or her class in the same fashion from day to day and semester to semester. This allows the students to feel a level of stability that is comforting.
- Flexibility
Great teachers must beflexible. The daily lesson plan that was diligently prepared may not be working, or the day may be filled with numerable absences or interruptions. A lesson plan should be a skeletal blueprint, and not much else. Great teachers can improvise on the spot, adapting to whatever changes are deemed necessary by circumstances beyond their control. They also incorporateauditory,visual, andkinestheticlesson plans so that each child has the same advantages as their fellow classmates.
- Integrity
The characteristic of integrity is crucial to the success of a great teacher. Having integrity means that you say what you mean, and you follow through at all times. Great teachers have integrity, and they stand behind their convictions in the face of adversity. A great teacher has principles that remain uncompromised.
- Sense of Humour
A teacher needs to be able to keep the atmosphere in the classroom light. A sense of humour can help the teacher restore a sense of order, can help to quell tense situations, and can show a sense of humility. A great teacher can make light of their flaws and mistakes, rather than point out the negative aspects of their students.
The characteristics of a great teacher will vary from generation to generation, and across cultures. For the most part, however, great teachers will have many of the aforementioned characteristics and attributes.
