QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEACHER

Empathy
You have the ability to bond with your students, to understand and resonate with their feelings
and emotions. To communicate on their level. To be compassionate with them when they are
down and to celebrate with them when they are up.

Positive Mental Attitude

You are able to think more on the positive and a little less on the negative. To keep a smile on
your face when things get tough. To see the bright side of things. To seek to find the positives in
every negative situation. To be philosophical.

Open to Change
You are able to acknowledge that the only real constant in life is change. You know there is a
place for tradition but there is also a place for new ways, new ideas, new systems, and new
approaches. You don't put obstacles in your way by being blinkered and are always open and
willing to listen to others' ideas.

Role Model
You are the window through which many young people will see their future. Be a fine role
model.

Creative
You are able to motivate your students by using creative and inspirational methods of teaching.
You are different in your approach and that makes you stand out from the crowd. Hence the
reason why students enjoy your classes and seek you out for new ideas.

Sense of Humour
You know that a great sense of humour reduces barriers and lightens the atmosphere especially
during heavy periods. An ability to make your students laugh will carry you far and gain you
more respect. It also increases your popularity.

Presentation Skills
You know that your students are visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners. You are adept at
creating presentation styles for all three. Your body language is your main communicator and
you keep it positive at all times. Like a great orator you are passionate when you speak. But at
the same time you know that discussion and not lecturing stimulates greater feedback.

Calmness
You know that the aggression, negative attitudes and behaviours that you see in some of your
students have a root cause. You know that they are really scared young people who have come
through some bad experiences in life. This keeps you calm and in control of you, of them and the
situation. You are good at helping your students de-stress.

Student Teacher Survival Guide and Course

Respectful
You know that no one is more important in the world than anyone else. You know that everyone
has a place in the world. You respect your peers and your students. Having that respect for others
gets you the respect back from others.

Inspirational
You know that you can change a young person's life by helping them to realise their potential,
helping them to grow, helping them to find their talents, skills and abilities.

Passion
You are passionate about what you do. Teaching young people is your true vocation in life. Your
purpose in life is to make a difference.

Willing to Learn
You are willing to learn from other teachers AND your students. Although knowledgeable in
your subject you know that you never stop learning.

Qualities for a good teacher:

A good teacher should know their subject and make the lesson interesting
A good teacher should be a good listener too
A good teacher should give boundaries and be firm and fair
A good teacher should be able to install confidence in their class
A good teacher will be able to make their class feel at ease
A good teacher will remain calm

One of my biggest goals is to become a teacher. In fact, it’s part of my personal mission
statement: “My mission is to experience life through…teaching others.” I don’t 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 I’d loved and why I loved them. There were only a few, but they all had 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 teenagers. I’ve had teachers to were obviously nervous when they
taught. Others were shy and only half committed to their 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 didn’t 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 distraction calmed 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. I’m sure we’ve all encountered a bad teacher who
didn’t care what our excuse was. Certainly, some excuses weren’t 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 didn’t 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 the textbook. 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.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

4. Understanding. Good teachers had understanding – not only the sixth sense mentioned above,
but true understanding of how to teach. They didn’t have a rigid technique that they insisted on
using even if it didn’t 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.”

5. The ability to look at life in a different way and to explain a topic in a different way.
There are many different learning styles. Not everyone gets a subject as taught by every teacher.
I’ve 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 experience that it was more the skill of the third teacher than the third time
taking the class that allowed me to pass. Bad teachers only look a subject matter one way. They
teach based on how they learn. This works for some people, but fails for others. The good
teachers are ones that are able to teach to different learning styles. If students don’t understand a
subject, they teach it a different way. Instead of looking at abstract formulas, they explain with
images what the formulas represent. This requires 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. Dedication to excellence. Good teachers want the best from their students and themselves.
They don’t settle for poor grades, knowing it reflects upon their ability to teach just as much
upon a student’s ability to excel. The best teachers encourage the sharing of ideas and offer
incentives (like not having to do homework for a day) to get students to think outside the box.
They don’t tolerate students’ badmouthing other teachers, doing their best to point out that other
teachers are human too. They encourage students to be good people, not just good memorizers of
text. They want students to learn and be able to apply what they learned, not just be able to pass
tests.

7. Unwavering support. The best teachers know that everyone is able to do well if they have the
right teacher. They don’t accept that a student is a lost cause. They 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 achieve. The best teachers are those that don’t 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 don’t act like it’s not their job.
They take that job seriously and know they aren’t just employed to get students to be able to do
higher math, but do well in life. They realize that achievement isn’t just 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 student’s accomplishments. The best teachers let you know they are glad you got a
good grade or made the honor’s 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 don’t single out the best students either. They celebrate the
accomplishments of everyone, knowing that 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 aren’t just interested in their subject, they are passionate
about it. They are also passionate about many other things. They praise good weather and smile
when they take a few minutes to discuss last night’s episode of a popular TV show. They have an
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 universe’s curve balls
and turn them into fun (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.

Qualities of a good teacher

(What makes an ideal teacher)
Source: http://language123.blogspot.com
Teachers play an important part in training children, teenagers and even people in their early maturiy.
Some qualities that are crucial for determining a teacher as good are the teacher’s sound knowledge in
his/her major and its related fields, certain devotion to and great love for his/her students and his/her
ability to inspire the students’ passion for studying either in or out of class.

There is no doubt that knowledge is a must for a good teacher. In addition to his/her professional
knowledge, the teacher need enlarge his/her general knowledge on culture, society, humanity,
psychology, methodology, politics, history, etc. to provide his/her students with what they need to
know, satisfy their curiosity and meet their requirements in any case.

Another quality that a good teacher should have is his/her devotion to and great love for those who call
him ‘sir’ or her ‘madam’ in class. Generally speaking, the students are not mature enough to behave
properly. They are sometimes really stubborn. Consequently, the teacher has to learn how to handle the
students’ troubles in a gentle and affectionate manner. He/she should pay adequate attention to the
students and know how to keep calm in any situation so that he/she can give the students some advice
when they are in need or help them distinguish the right from the wrong.

Last but not least, a good teacher always succeeds in inspiring his/her students’ passion for studying
both under his/her guidance in class and out of class by themselves. I highly appreciate this third quality
because of its undeniable value. It is not always easy to provide his/her students with all the required
knowledge in class; therefore, a good teacher can manage to make the students motivated enough to
carry on their active and successful self-study at home. Obviously, teaching his/her students how to
study independently, creatively and effectively is what a good teacher must do in any academic setting.

In conclusion, to be a good teacher, anyone who devotes himself/herself to the “coinage” of a

succession of young generations must keep on working really hard to enlarge his/her skill and general as
well as professional knowledge, to accumulate experience in how to deal with his/her students properly
and to be able to inspire in the students the true love, the increasing hope and the ever-lasting
enthusiasm to reach higher and higher levels of education in their life.