Being an excellent teacher is a quality that everyone who is in the profession should crave for. Teaching is a career that calls for a heart involvement. Success in teaching does not come by teaching alone but a deep devotion to ensure that the students have learned.
The under listed are some of the qualities that I have seen from experience as both a teacher and a parent that make a good teacher:
*A good teacher provides personal help – A good teacher will takes time to explain concepts and give individual attention. The issue is not that he has taught, the critical matter is that the students have learned. A good teacher provides an atmosphere that makes it easy for students to ask questions to clarify grey areas in the subject matter.
*Does not play favorites – Even though he gives personal attention, a good teacher does not play favourites either implicitly or explicitly. It might be a difficult task not to be more disposed to some well behaved and brilliant students. A good teacher will however ensure that everyone is carried along.
*Accepts individual differences – not all fingers are equal. God has endowed every one with unique gifts and emotional mix. A good teacher must therefore skillfully recognized the mix in his class and relate with them accordingly.
*Employs an effective delivery – No matter how rich and detailed a lesson plan is, if the delivery mode is clumsy, the lesson plan will be useless. A good teacher clarifies for understanding, creates a sense of fun with the learning task, and eliminates bad, irritating, and/or distracting habits.
*Does not make students lose face – in as much as taking students to task in brainstorming sessions is a very good teaching method, a good teacher does not delight in putting his student down. An effective teacher must learn to avoid criticizing students.
*Has high expectations of class members – as a teacher we must learn how to creatively challenge our students without over-tasking them. We must raise the standard at every point in time and not allow them to rest on their oars.
*Is humble – meekness is in knowing our strength and applying them correctly. A teacher has the authority to teach and discipline but also has the grace to condescend to the level of the little ones in his class no matter the age difference between them.
*Is fair – fairness is about everyone not getting the same treatment whether reward or punishment. A good teacher has an accurate sense of judgment. He is able to discern what each student in his class deserves.Effective teaching needs a professional and hearty approach. A good teacher must therefore be passionate about this godly profession.
Oluwasegun