Teacher

Teacher

  • Submitted By: yasir14229
  • Date Submitted: 10/03/2013 1:29 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1103
  • Page: 5
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What is a Good Teacher?
By Catherine Taylor, Lagos
What is a good teacher? Depending on one’s perspective, this question has many valid answers. A child might say that a good teacher makes learning fun, is fair, and assigns no homework. A parent might say that a good teacher is organized, has good control of the class, and challenges students. Administrators might say that a good teacher follows district guidelines, presents district curriculum effectively, and contributes to the school community. The school building manager might say a good teacher is tidy, has students clean up after themselves, and makes reasonable demands on his/her time. In short, it would be difficult to describe a good teacher without acknowledging all the people a teacher touches in the course of doing her* job as well as the varied needs and expectations these people hold. (* I use the feminine pronouns “she” and “her” to simplify. This in no way dismisses or diminishes the many men who are good teachers.) Good teachers come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, genders, and backgrounds. Some are old, some young, some serious, some funny. Despite this broad range of individuals, there are some characteristics common, some might say essential, for all “good” teachers. A good teacher, first and foremost, sees each student as an individual with hopes, dreams, strengths, and vulnerabilities. In her classroom, each student is treated as an invaluable, essential member of the class, a person capable of success, a person with something important to contribute. A good teacher works to create a classroom atmosphere in which every student sees every other student in this light – an atmosphere in which respect for each other is the guiding principle, an atmosphere in which every student feels safe enough to share their thoughts and feelings, an atmosphere in which making a mistake is seen as an opportunity to learn rather than an opportunity to feel like a failure. A good teacher knows her...

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