The movies would have us believe that everyone has at least one teacher who stands out from all the rest; one who managed to reach them, resonate with them and get them to do their best. This is fiction. It’s not there is a shortage of good teachers out there but there is a shortage of great teachers.
5 Differences between a good teacher and a great one
1. A good teacher knows her stuff. She can tell you all about her chosen subject, even when up against the wall with a velociraptor staring her in the face.
A great teacher doesn’t just know her stuff, she’s enthusiastic about it. She researches it, stays up to date with developments, can’t wait to share news with her class and isn’t afraid of deviating from the curriculum if it will aid understanding. She lives it and helps students to live it too.
2. A good teacher is patient with students who appear to be battling.
A great teacher isn’t just patient, he tries new teaching methods, researches different techniques, brings props and spends extra time after school helping students overcome their problems.
3. A good teacher is confident in front of her class and always presents her lessons in a clear and authoritative manner.
A great teacher isn’t just confident in her class; she instils her class with confidence. She doesn’t just present lessons authoritatively but is able to take any mishaps or miscommunication in her stride. In this way, she enables her students to trust in her authority while still encouraging them to conduct their own research and make their own discoveries.
4. A good teacher is concerned about the welfare of his students and cares about their welfare.
A great teacher knows what his students are going through at home, what their interests are, and cares about how they are doing emotionally and physically. To achieve this, great teachers have open lines of communication with their students’ parents, but always bear their students’ trust in mind.
5. A good teacher has high expectations of her students and offers support and encouragement to meet these expectations.
A great teach has high expectations of her students but sets them up for success along the way. She’ll break down big goals into smaller challenging but realistic goals to keep her students motivated and inspired. She’ll also allow them to set new goals and plan how to meet them in other aspects of their lives, not just her classroom.
Are these requirements of great teachers too demanding? Tell us what you think a great teacher should be.