When our criticism lecturer asked us casually about the qualities of a good teacher all 16 of us stared at her with a blank expression..it was not because we didn't know what made a good teacher...behind those 16 pairs of eyeballs that stared at her there was some thing more... each students attempt to capture and enumerate the essential qualities of an ideal teacher after around 17 years of being a student...
It isn't an easy task to pin point exactly what makes an ideal teacher. In fact the term 'Ideal' itself is ambiguous. I don't believe there is a perfect teacher who can be portrayed as ideal....every teacher has her strengths and weaknesses..Yet i remember there are some who stand out in my memory when i reflect upon teachers who have inspired me...I looked into them to find the answer for the question thrown at us so casually by Ms.Tessy - "What are the qualities of a good teacher?"
When you are in a profession that requires you to mould and direct young minds to aspire knowledge then it ceases to become a mere profession and has to turn into a passion. Only a teacher who enjoys teaching will succeed in making an impact on her students. As a student it made a huge impact on me when i was taught by teachers who genuinely enjoyed their subjects. They taught with an indelible mark of passion. It naturally led me to aspire to have the same passion for the subject. Simply put, it aroused my curiosity to find out what was it that made the teacher in front of me enjoy the subject she was teaching... I remember how i was inspired by some of my teachers fiery classes to go into the library and try to figure out what excited these teacher into such sheer passion.I believe that initial inspiration which a teacher instills in a student to try to understand the subject without any external force is undeniably an achievement...
Talking about passionate teachers i am also reminded of their major flaws...often they are so carried away in their lectures that they deviate from the subject matter and tend to flood us students with too much information.Ultimately we end up confused... I believe even if it is a tiny portion that a teacher deals with, if she succeeds in conveying the ideas with clarity and precision ,before the students loose their interest, the job is half done. The other half that a teacher needs to concentrate on is in presenting the subject matter in such a fashion that it makes an impact on the students so that they can recollect it with ease. Easier said than done i suppose....
Yet another quality that i have always admired in some teachers are their ability to gain the trust and confidence of their students so that they feel free to approach them not only for clearing their academic queries but also to seek guidance when faced with a personal crisis. But i feel these intimate student-teacher relationships are few and far between nowadays.Majority of the teachers i have come across don't encourage such intimate relationships anymore. I don't deny that the students themselves maintain a safe distance from the teachers ... Either they are too much in awe of the teachers or because they absolutely abhor their classes! But there is some thing special when a teacher shares a personal bond with the students.I guess it gives the students a sense of freedom and they can open up without fear of retribution or judgement.
Intellect, integrity and an aura of self composed confidence are also a true mark of an impressive teacher.Over and above everything else a good teacher should be able to TEACH! Even if the teacher cannot inspire the students at least they shouldn't drag their subject and make the students hate it eternally!!
I guess this adage captures the true essence of a good teacher...
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
It isn't an easy task to pin point exactly what makes an ideal teacher. In fact the term 'Ideal' itself is ambiguous. I don't believe there is a perfect teacher who can be portrayed as ideal....every teacher has her strengths and weaknesses..Yet i remember there are some who stand out in my memory when i reflect upon teachers who have inspired me...I looked into them to find the answer for the question thrown at us so casually by Ms.Tessy - "What are the qualities of a good teacher?"
When you are in a profession that requires you to mould and direct young minds to aspire knowledge then it ceases to become a mere profession and has to turn into a passion. Only a teacher who enjoys teaching will succeed in making an impact on her students. As a student it made a huge impact on me when i was taught by teachers who genuinely enjoyed their subjects. They taught with an indelible mark of passion. It naturally led me to aspire to have the same passion for the subject. Simply put, it aroused my curiosity to find out what was it that made the teacher in front of me enjoy the subject she was teaching... I remember how i was inspired by some of my teachers fiery classes to go into the library and try to figure out what excited these teacher into such sheer passion.I believe that initial inspiration which a teacher instills in a student to try to understand the subject without any external force is undeniably an achievement...
Talking about passionate teachers i am also reminded of their major flaws...often they are so carried away in their lectures that they deviate from the subject matter and tend to flood us students with too much information.Ultimately we end up confused... I believe even if it is a tiny portion that a teacher deals with, if she succeeds in conveying the ideas with clarity and precision ,before the students loose their interest, the job is half done. The other half that a teacher needs to concentrate on is in presenting the subject matter in such a fashion that it makes an impact on the students so that they can recollect it with ease. Easier said than done i suppose....
Yet another quality that i have always admired in some teachers are their ability to gain the trust and confidence of their students so that they feel free to approach them not only for clearing their academic queries but also to seek guidance when faced with a personal crisis. But i feel these intimate student-teacher relationships are few and far between nowadays.Majority of the teachers i have come across don't encourage such intimate relationships anymore. I don't deny that the students themselves maintain a safe distance from the teachers ... Either they are too much in awe of the teachers or because they absolutely abhor their classes! But there is some thing special when a teacher shares a personal bond with the students.I guess it gives the students a sense of freedom and they can open up without fear of retribution or judgement.
Intellect, integrity and an aura of self composed confidence are also a true mark of an impressive teacher.Over and above everything else a good teacher should be able to TEACH! Even if the teacher cannot inspire the students at least they shouldn't drag their subject and make the students hate it eternally!!
I guess this adage captures the true essence of a good teacher...
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
1 comment:
and i personally feel that one teacher with all those qualities you mentioned is Beena ma'am!how we love her..we were blessed to get her as our class teacher this year..n we are also blessed to get the finest of the faculty!..the cream of the cake!
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