What does it mean to be a great teacher?
Of course credentials, knowledge, critical thinking, and all
other faculties of intelligence are important.
However, a great teacher should be much more
than credentials, experience and intelligence.
What lies in the heart of a great teacher?
You are kind:
a great teacher shows kindness to
students, colleagues, parents and those around
her/him. My favourite saying is “kindness makes
the world go around”. It truly changes the
environment in the classroom and school.
Being a
kind teacher helps students feel welcomed, cared
for and loved.
You are compassionate:
Teaching is a very
humanistic profession, and compassion is the
utmost feeling of understanding, and showing
others you are concerned about them. A
compassionate teacher models that characteristic
to the students with her/his actions, and as a
result students will be more open to
understanding the world around them.
You are empathetic:
Empathy is such an
important trait to have and to try to develop in
ourselves and our students. Being able to put
yourself in someone’s shoes and see things from
their perspective can have such a powerful impact
on our decisions and actions.
You are positive:
Being a positive person, is not
an easy task. Being a positive teacher is even
harder when we’re always met with problems with
very limited solutions. However, staying positive
when it’s tough can have such a tremendous
positive impact on the students and everyone
around us. Looking on the bright side always
seems to help make things better.
You are a builder:
A great teacher bridges gaps
and builds relationships, friendships, and a
community. Teachers always look to make things
better and improve things in and outside of the
classroom. Building a community is something a
great teacher seeks to do in the classroom and
extends that to the entire school and its
community.
You inspire:
Everyone looks at a great teacher and
they want to be a better teacher, they want to be
a better student, even better, they want to be a
better person. A great teacher uncovers hidden
treasures, possibilities and magic right before
everyone’s eyes.
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