Signs of a Good Teacher
What are the signs of a good
teacher?
All teachers outwardly can stand
in front of the class and deliver their lessons. Whether they are doing justice
to their job or not is a different matter. A mediocre teacher will try to
finish his syllabus in time. A good teacher would love to put across as much as
he can in the stipulated time. A best teacher along with doing what a good
teacher does will also keep in mind that he is building the nation and
preparing a seed that would be leaving an impact in life that would have global
significance.
It is not very difficult to find
out good teachers in a school. There are few clear cut signs that can reveal
the presence of good teacher. Most of the good teachers carry a beautiful and comforting
smile. Their bodies are not stiff. They wish back to students promptly
irrespective of the fact whether they teach directly or not. They are often
seen being followed by couple of students after the period gets over. These
children follow them upto some point for getting their doubts cleared and then
rush back to their classes when they see next period teacher approaching.
Basically, I believe, a good
teacher should have the following three qualities:-
(1)
Good
subject knowledge.
(2)
Good
communication skill and
(3)
A
good character.
Normally it’s not difficult to
come across teachers who possess the first quality. Most of them, I would love
to believe, have good subject knowledge. Second and third qualities are
becoming rare.
A shallow river makes more noise
specially while it is flowing across the rocks. Similarly a teacher with less
knowledge is often seen losing his temperament while handling students who are
either too weak or who are brilliant. Weak students irritate them and they
dread the brilliant ones.
A river that flows in abundance
never makes noise. It flows atop the rocks effortlessly and in doing so
smoothens their sharp edges. With their
buoyant energy and strength they help the boats, submarines and ships to sail
well and reach their destinations. Similarly a teacher with his brilliant
subject knowledge is able to help both weak and brilliant students to attain
their goals.
A mother and a child communicate
with each other through not just a language or two but also through signs and gestures.
It is because they know each other well and love each other. Similarly students
are able to comprehend the signs and gestures of their favorite teachers.
First and fore most duty of a teacher
should be to ensure that he is the best in his field. And for this he needs to
devote his time towards sharpening his tools.
For developing ones communication
skills the only way that a person can adopt is to read and, if possible, one
should attempt to write. Importance of listening and spoken skills can’t be
rated less. In the present age of cell phones I would advise teachers to listen
to the BBC News podcast everyday on their cells. This would help them to remain
updated and at the same time develop their listening skills. As they will be
exposed to good English they themselves will feel comfortable in using better
and new words while speaking. Very soon people around them will also note the
difference and will appreciate them.
The word ‘character’ should not
be limited to the physical aspects of life like how many affairs one has or
whether one takes bribes or not. Unfortunately we have reduced this word to
these things only which is wrong. Besides these aspects the word ‘character’
encompasses in it traits of a person which include punctuality, commitment
towards a given task, love for the job, integrity, proactiveness, planning,
adhering to good principles in life, inclination towards spiritualism, human
understanding and so on. A good teacher is capable of delivering lessons as per
“students” level and not ‘his’. A good teacher doesn’t act as a “know all”. A
good teacher uplifts weak students by
asking them simple questions inside the class and not difficult ones in order
to belittle him. A good teacher doesn’t
pretend to be a “sage” on the “stage” but loves to remain as a “guide”
by the “side”. A good teacher doesn’t feel shy to say, “I don’t know, I will
let you know in my next class.” A good teacher loves spending time with his
students. A good teacher, like a parent, can never think bad or harm his
students. A good teacher will always wish for his students upliftment, progress
and success. A good teacher’s main assets
are his students. A good teacher feels
elated to see his students doing better than him in their lives.
A good teacher is the one who
would get hurt if he comes to ever know that the class he has to go and cover
is waiting for him in dread and with frowning faces instead of waiting for him
with full enthusiasm.
It’s time if we as teacher may
sit and introspect and see where do we stand as a teacher. Being teachers that
we are we have the skill of dropping the worst that we have in us and pick up
the things and habits that we consider will help us to become best teachers.
Sukhwant
Singh Thaper
Principal
DPS
Nigahi
18.04.2015