Be An Extraordinary Teacher!

“Good teachers are those who know how little they know. Bad teachers are those who think they know more than they don't know."
R. Verdi

Teaching profession is not so simple as people think. Not all teachers enjoy the profession. Only a few enjoy every minute of it. Because teaching involves motivation, adapting oneself, tolerance, perseverance and maintaining positive attitude. We remember some of our teachers with gratitude even after so many years because they have left a profound impact on our lives. If you just contemplate over this, you will be able to recognize the secrets of success. Your experience alone will not make you a great teacher. A young teacher can amaze the students whereas a veteran can still struggle to win the hearts of students. The difference is the approach and attitude.

We used to wait for some teachers’ arrival and hated so many teachers. Being teachers, every one of us should introspect our own performance. The students love to express their love and affection for you.

I hate to think of those who were so arrogant and insensitive towards me. What does a teacher need to impress the students and enjoy their profession?

"What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches."

Karl Menninger

1. Look pleasant
The first impression is the lasting impression. You will never get a second chance to create the first impression. Students create a picture of your personality looking at your appearance. They are very much sensitive in this matter. I still remember some of my teachers who didn’t bother to dress up well. The grungy look made me sick.

Many students adore their teachers. They want you to look good. Some try to dress up like Hollywood stars which actually fail to create a good impression. Formal dresses are sufficient. Your dress should reflect your personality.

2. Smile

‘It is easier to smile than to frown. It takes only 14 muscles to smile but 52 to frown’

Your smile is a precious gift. Smile is curve that sets everything straight. Many teachers fear that if they smile, the students will not respect. When you fail to smile at them, no one will feel comfortable with you. Smile is a bridge that connects the space between you and your students. Smile is not gesture of weakness but pleasantness. Take a look at your photos – your smiling face always glistens. Your smile attracts your students.

3. Keep your knowledge sharp
"Your best teacher is your last mistake."
Ralph Nader

When you label yourself a teacher, you must be knowledgeable in your subject. If the students know that you are not confident, the respect for you will diminish. It is quite common. I have felt pity for some of my colleagues because they couldn’t win the hearts of the students due to lack of knowledge. If a teacher finds out that he/she lacks of knowledge, hard efforts are to be taken to enhance the knowledge.

One of my colleagues in the college had difficulty with his English grammar and the students started complaining about it. This complaint spread to all the other departments. People started talking about it. I asked him to spend extra time to prepare the lessons and improve his knowledge but he least bothered about it. As a result, he lost his respect among the colleagues and students.

‘ The man who can think and does not know how to express what he thinks is at the level of him who cannot think’

It is not the amount of knowledge a teacher possesses but how he is able to transfer his knowledge to the students.

4. Be Patient

‘Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances’ – Thomas Jefferson

Losing temper is the bitter enemy of a teacher. If you fail to control your temper, you fail to control your students. All teachers have to face some bad experiences but you can’t lose your temper. Whenever I lost my temper, I got a very poor feedback from the students and they remembered that particular instance for a long period of time.

You can always convey your displeasure by uttering some strong but careful words. Too many slipshod words will depreciate your personality.

‘Anger is an instinctive emotional response to frustration. Temper is the measure of how quickly you respond to your anger’.

Get angry but control your temper.

5. Be Creative
The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. - Proust, Marcel

Creativity is a product of genius. ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration’.

Creativity is the result of hard work and the determination to prove oneself. Observe the successful teachers and learn the art of creativity. Any person can be creative. All you need is the enthusiasm to grow. Change your teaching methodology according to the needs of your customers (students). Any organization that does not identify the requirements and respond to it aptly will lose its reputation. It is the same with your profession.

6. Listen

“Being listened to is great feeling
Being understood is even greater
There is a powerful message in listening – ‘you are worth listening to’.

-W.W. Johnston

Listen to your students. Don’t judge by what you see. A teacher should never feel that he knows everything and the students are all dumb. Their suggestions will enhance your performance. A teacher, who neglects the suggestions of the students, seldom shines.

7. Appreciate

Appreciation is the everlasting gift that one can give to another. You can never see any improvement in the performance of your students, if you never appreciate. Whether young or old, appreciation is an elixir of life. It helps the students improve their performance.
Words like,

‘Great’, ‘terrific’, ‘congratulations’, ‘keep it up’ work wonders in classrooms especially in front of everybody.

8.Never be biased

Once a teacher is considered ‘biased’, he/ she loses the precious opportunity to become an extraordinary one. Treat all the same way. Don’t concentrate only the intelligent ones. The weaker ones need your support. Don’t be pulled by the brilliant lot all the time. The patients need the doctor. Spend more time with the weaker ones.

9.Be a model

Actions speak louder than words. So take care every action in front of your students who really expect you to behave better. When students come and tell you that they have learnt to art of living from you, there is nothing equal to it. Be very watchful about following what you teach and preach. Once they come to know that your actions have nothing to do with your words, you remain an ordinary teacher.

10.Accept your mistakes

A teacher is not immaculate. We all make mistakes in teaching. Sometimes the students point them out. There is nothing wrong in accepting your mistakes. Some are afraid that if they accept, the students will not respect them. Actually the students respect those who humbly accept their faults. And don’t fail to appreciate those who identified the mistake.

A good teacher teaches
A better teacher explains
The best teacher inspires