There are numerous qualities which a teacher needs to posses but I am going to focus on 5 which I feel are really important.
- Patience
- Empathy
- Respect
- Kindness
- Self-Control
Patience is a vital quality which a Teacher should possess. As a Teacher it is very important that you are willing to listen to children and take time to understand them. Children might have had problems at home and therefore have not been able to do their homework and instead of a Teacher just getting them into trouble, they should ask the children if they were finding it hard or if they needed more help. A child will most likely approach a teacher if they know that the teacher will be willing to listen and be keen to help them. Furthermore, a Teacher might face behaviour problems in on the class, but instead of just getting the child into trouble the teacher should acknowledge the child as a whole and practice different teaching and learning method as they might show frustration because they are unable to understand the work the teacher gas given them.
Another important virtue is Empathy. Everyday a Teacher comes across children who have different issues at home and are affected by it. A Teacher should be understanding towards the child and encourage them to stay positive. A Teacher should keep any personal issues confidential and share it with a line manager if any further action needs to be taken.
Respect is a key virtue which a Teacher needs to role model. Children will look upto the teacher, listen to the way she speaks to them and effectively to other teachers. They will catch words and phrases as they hear them and learn how to speak politely to one another. They will watch to see how the teacher respects their resources, book and pens and them follow such actions. For example, if a teacher uses pens then puts the back to the pencil case without throwing them, then the children will learn how to treat the pens and keep them safe.
In addition, children will learn their manners and how to act by people around them. In a classroom setting children will have their teachers as a role model and see how they behave. Teachers will teach them daily how to be kind to one another and how you can effectively communicate to one another without causing an argument. Children catch the smallest of actions and will learn through what they see and hear.
Lastly, Self-Control is very important for a Teacher as there are lots of things which always change and the teacher needs to know how to effectively adapt to it. For instance, a Teacher might have planned her class lessons weeks in advance but last minute something changes and that means that the lessons will need to change. As a teacher you need to maintain your self control and not show your emotions such as worry on your face as the children are all under your supervision and if you start to panic then it will be natural for the children to get panic. Therefore teacher needs to maintain their self control, sometimes by even taking a step back and a moment to think.
I enjoyed reading your post and I agreed with your comments on all of these important attributes. When you wrote this did you have any of your old teachers in mind? Did you see them as good role models as you mention in your blog?
Hannah
When I was writing my post, I didn’t have one teacher in my mind but I was reflecting back on placement and even before when I was in school. When I look back it makes me aware of issues which I had not tackled at first and further develop my knowledge. I always looked up to my teachers as good role models due to their supportive and encouraging nature which has helped me achieve so much more that I had ever thought. As a young child I remember trying to catch and imitate things the teacher said and look up to the way she did the simplest task like writing and really admire that.
The idea that you imitated your teachers etc. is something which I also did. This makes it all the more important for us to be good role models as discussed within Carries input wc 2nd Nov.
Thank you for responding to me, your thoughts are very interesting.