Teachers are the pivot of any educational system of a country. They measure the achievements and aspirations of a nation. They are the nation builders. Success or failure of any system depends largely on the teachers.
“The true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student, transfer his soul to the student’s soul and see through and understand through his mind. Such a teacher can really teach and none else” says Swami Vivekananda. Now the choice is ‘are the true teachers born or made?’ –it is both.
There are many personal qualities and skills that make a person a good teacher. A few of the qualities are discussed below.
Commitment, dedication and passion for teaching
Dedicated teacher teach not just because it is their job but because teaching is their passion. A true teacher with experience for many numbers of year shows eagerness and excitement when they impart their knowledge with the same fervour. A true teacher is enthusiastic about his work and about teaching. A true teacher should not only teach the subject but also motivate his students to love the subject.
As a role model
A true teacher sets good examples by the words he speaks and by the actions he takes. He is easing-going and is able to develop an enthusiastic, friendly relationship with the students and be able to develop a good rapport with learners. He is approachable and committed to the growth of his students. A true teacher serves as a role model in the sense of commitment and dedication to work. On the whole, he is always conscious of his status as role model.
Patience
Children do mistakes in behaviour and school work. A true teacher treats the children with understanding and courtesy. He is willing to repeat or present the content, ideas and issues in a lucid, clear manner, time after time with patience. He handles any difficult situations like ethical and moral issues with patience. Even criticisms are mildly worded or sandwiched between praise. Every child is different and makes the job more challenging. A true teacher is an emotionally balanced person and he meets it out with patience.
Flexibility
A true teacher is always flexible towards his students. He makes himself available to students for help as much as possible. If the teacher is strict, they hate the teacher which ultimately leads the students to hate the subject too. True teachers are warm, accessible enthusiastic and caring. He is patient enough to understand the students and flexible enough to meet the needs and expectations of students that tend to change from time to time.
Treats the students with respects
A true teacher fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect. Teachers who get the most respect are the one who gives the most respect to their students. He treats the students with dignity and respect.
Learning is a life-long experience
“A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame.” Tagore. A true teacher never stops with what he teaches but keeps on improving himself. A true teacher has a great passion for the subject he teaches and it is this passion that impels him to constantly strive towards improvement and excellence. He spends time to gain new knowledge and expertise in the subject which is very important to meet new challenges in their field. A teacher needs to be respected as a scholar both by students and colleagues for which he should have up-to- date knowledge.
Treats equally
A true teacher never exhibits prejudice against any students based on their social grounds or learning capacity which in turn will alienate the students from learning. He is a fair minded person and has a positive attitude towards each and every student. A true teacher understands, encourages, respects pupil of diverse backgrounds and shows a caring attitude towards anyone. Thus, the teacher has the responsibility for the emotional development as much as intellectual development of children.
Encourages free and open learning environment
A true teacher encourages students to learn from mistakes and it helps the students to understand that failure as a learning experience. Thomas Alva Edison once said of his many failed attempts that, “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward”. Experiences provide more memorable lessons than the lecture could give.
Fosters creativity
A true teacher does not lecture or throw facts at their pupils but engage their students in every activity inside the classroom. A teacher teaches how to think and not what to think. He must explore student’s knowledge with probing question; and also by discussing on key issues in an organised way. He motivates the students to create new ideas and also develops critical thinking skills and problem solving in students.
When students ask questions like why, what, how etc, it shows that they are eager to know more about the subject. A true teacher neither threatens nor gets threatened by the questions of the students. Real learning occurs when students throw questions and make the subject their own. Creativity helps the students to think and provide solutions to problems in a novel and innovative way.
Engages students
A true teacher interacts and communicates effectively and freely with students. He uses facts as a starting point and encourages students to participate in discussions. He asks questions frequently to make sure that the students are following the class. He engages the entire class and keeps the students motivated with various approaches at a particular issue. This instils a hunger in students to learn on their own with enthusiasm. A true teacher never spoon feds and make it a passive process. Even complex materials are made easy by discussion.
Creates congenial classroom climate
A true teacher provides variety of activities and strategies to engage his students. He uses the entire classroom like movement throughout the room, use of blackboard etc. It should be a student- centred classroom rather than teacher-centred classroom. He teaches concept, facts etc. clearly and effectively in more than one way such as visuals. He uses real life examples to make the points clear and students are taught how to apply what they learn to the everyday world. The teacher monitors the progress of students and provides constructive feedbacks. He fosters students to organize, analyse, evaluates concepts and come to the conclusion of their own. He takes note of every behavioural change in students and never belittles the students.
Encourages and appreciates diversity
A true teacher presents facts and concepts from related fields. He must unlock the door to learning of learning every child. As children grow, they explore and try on identities. Sometimes best teaching happens when related ideas, facts are discussed in the classroom. A true teacher encourages and nurtures diversity and see that it is not a stereo-typed on.
Right method of teaching
“Every teacher and educationists of experience knows that even the best curriculum and most perfect syllabus remain dead unless quickened into life by the right method of teaching and the right kind of teachers.” Secondary Education Commission. A true teacher sparks a fervent interest for the subject among the students. He uses examples, details, analogies, metaphors and varieties of modes of explanation to make the lesson understandable and memorable. Lessons are taught clearly, distinctly and emphatically. He tries new methods of teaching and if anything goes wrong because of what he did, he admits it instead of putting the burden on students. Every individual is born with certain innate talents and teacher recognizes the inherent potentialities and tendencies of children and improves them through proper materials and methods of instruction. By this the teacher pays heed to the importance of child in education.
Clear written out objective
A true teacher plans his lessons in advance before going to the class. He is clear about what he expects his students to have learnt by the end of the class; and selects materials, new ways of presenting the materials etc. accordingly. He is clear about the important ideas, information the students should learn and, remember and skills (laboratory skills, problem solving skills, writing skills, creative skills that students have to develop.
Conclusion
Thus, teaching is a challenging career that provides a chance to encourage others to achieve their goals; at the same time it is a complicated job too. A true teacher is one a student remembers and cherishes forever. Teacher has a long lasting impact on the lives of their students.
“The teacher’s place in society is of vital importance. He acts a pivot for the transmission of intellectual traditions and technical skills from generation to generation and helps to keep the lamp of civilization burning”, S.Radhakrishnan. He is not only a dynamic force of the school but also of the society at large. Thus, a true teacher is a guide, friend, philosopher and a facilitator.