The decision to become a Teacher is not easy. We must have a deep desire to help others improve, and we need to have a lot of patience with ourselves as we develop the necesary attributes to be a good educator.
Being a Teacher requires countless hours of preparation, good planning, appropriate teaching methods and the ability of get the students' attention for as long as we can. We also have to adapt our teaching to what our students need, incorporate new tecnologies to our lessons and make them both fun and interactive. Not everyone can be a Teacher, especially in another language!
I think that the "great American Teacher" is not dead. With dedication, love for our profession and towards others every Teacher can become great with time and practice. In his paper "Is the great American Teacher dead?", John J. Ivers mentions some of the qualities that every great Teacher must have. For me, the most important are:
- Abstraction in speech and thought.
- A good delivery.
- Empathy.
- Generosity.
- It is important to tell stories and give examples.
- Jokes.
- Symbolic speech.
Something that I would add to that list is having a good relationship with your students. Every student is unique and learns at a different pace, and it is our responsibility as Teachers to get to know them well enough to teach them what they need in a way that is easy for them to understand.
I love being a Teacher, and I strongly believe that anyone that loves to teach and help others to learn has the potential to become a great Teacher.
For you, what qualities are important in a Teacher? Let me know in the comments!
