By Jie Lao Shi
I have always wondered: What really makes a good teacher.
Should he be well educated? Does he really need to have finished a College Degree? A Master’s Degree? Or even a Doctoral Degree? Should he be the one who has attained the highest education? Do I need a Doctor’s Degree in Physics to teach Phonics to a six year old kid? Is a High School Diploma good enough to teach High School juveniles?
To be a good teacher, one should be able to impart knowledge. In order for me to teach Algebra, I should have read, finished and understood Algebra. Being able to prepare a Lesson is one key in effective teaching. To cram and teach impromptu is not an option for a good teacher. The purpose of teaching is to be able to convey what one has learned to one who has not learned yet. This purpose should be the nucleus of teaching. As long as one attained this purpose, the making of a good teacher succeeds.
So, what makes a good teacher?
Is it the most complete set of highly technical gadgets such as a computer, an overhead projector and laser pointer? Can these modern tools create a good teacher? Does a PowerPoint Presentation make a good teacher? Do these modern equipments matter in a teacher-student relationship? Will these create the impression that, indeed, one is an effective teacher?
Good teachers should be able to adapt to change to meet student needs. Teachers must be creative users of technology in order to convey the knowledge they have to transfer. A computer is a very useful tool to hammer a message. Mass media is a powerful instrument that should be used to stimulate the student’s brain. This medium enhances the imagination of a learner thus attaining the purpose of learning for a student and the making a good teacher.
What then is a good teacher?
Is it the commitment to transfer knowledge to students by having the patience of a martyr? Is it the joy of being able to convey knowledge and accept the sacrifices that go with it? Does it mean a teacher should care for a student’s welfare to make a good teacher? Is it being a role model to a student? Is it the expectations of success for all students?
To transfer knowledge is not an easy task. It will need dedication, patience and utmost endurance. Dedication which is enough to push through with the task of attaining the objective. A commitment that is unwavering thru highs and lows. An adherence to teaching that certain sacrifices have to be done to attain the goal of educating another human being. A teacher is not out to “teach” a dog, which could be trained to go through certain motions. A teacher is out to evolve a human brain and make it think, ponder and weigh course of actions. To care for another person entails a lot. To be role modelling costs even more. These will tend to undermine the nature of being human. A misconception of teachers being infallible will be placed to the ultimate test. A slightest mistake will greatly affect the result. The end result is always important to a good teacher. It is the culmination of the making of a good teacher.
This brings us back to the question: What makes a good teacher?
I have consumed several minutes of your time trying to answer this long lasting question. Yet, we are nowhere near the answer. An essay is not enough to answer the question of “What makes a good teacher?” A book or several volumes of books will even be inadequate to answer such question. Basing from the ideas that I have presented though, there is one common denominator for all of the plaguing questions and vague answers: transfer knowledge. To be particular, it is the effective transfer of knowledge that makes a good teacher. Combining the educational attainment, technological gadgetry, and internal attitude of a teacher leads to one point: Successful Conveyance of Information is what makes a good teacher.
I have always wondered: What really makes a good teacher.
Should he be well educated? Does he really need to have finished a College Degree? A Master’s Degree? Or even a Doctoral Degree? Should he be the one who has attained the highest education? Do I need a Doctor’s Degree in Physics to teach Phonics to a six year old kid? Is a High School Diploma good enough to teach High School juveniles?
To be a good teacher, one should be able to impart knowledge. In order for me to teach Algebra, I should have read, finished and understood Algebra. Being able to prepare a Lesson is one key in effective teaching. To cram and teach impromptu is not an option for a good teacher. The purpose of teaching is to be able to convey what one has learned to one who has not learned yet. This purpose should be the nucleus of teaching. As long as one attained this purpose, the making of a good teacher succeeds.
So, what makes a good teacher?
Is it the most complete set of highly technical gadgets such as a computer, an overhead projector and laser pointer? Can these modern tools create a good teacher? Does a PowerPoint Presentation make a good teacher? Do these modern equipments matter in a teacher-student relationship? Will these create the impression that, indeed, one is an effective teacher?
Good teachers should be able to adapt to change to meet student needs. Teachers must be creative users of technology in order to convey the knowledge they have to transfer. A computer is a very useful tool to hammer a message. Mass media is a powerful instrument that should be used to stimulate the student’s brain. This medium enhances the imagination of a learner thus attaining the purpose of learning for a student and the making a good teacher.
What then is a good teacher?
Is it the commitment to transfer knowledge to students by having the patience of a martyr? Is it the joy of being able to convey knowledge and accept the sacrifices that go with it? Does it mean a teacher should care for a student’s welfare to make a good teacher? Is it being a role model to a student? Is it the expectations of success for all students?
To transfer knowledge is not an easy task. It will need dedication, patience and utmost endurance. Dedication which is enough to push through with the task of attaining the objective. A commitment that is unwavering thru highs and lows. An adherence to teaching that certain sacrifices have to be done to attain the goal of educating another human being. A teacher is not out to “teach” a dog, which could be trained to go through certain motions. A teacher is out to evolve a human brain and make it think, ponder and weigh course of actions. To care for another person entails a lot. To be role modelling costs even more. These will tend to undermine the nature of being human. A misconception of teachers being infallible will be placed to the ultimate test. A slightest mistake will greatly affect the result. The end result is always important to a good teacher. It is the culmination of the making of a good teacher.
This brings us back to the question: What makes a good teacher?
I have consumed several minutes of your time trying to answer this long lasting question. Yet, we are nowhere near the answer. An essay is not enough to answer the question of “What makes a good teacher?” A book or several volumes of books will even be inadequate to answer such question. Basing from the ideas that I have presented though, there is one common denominator for all of the plaguing questions and vague answers: transfer knowledge. To be particular, it is the effective transfer of knowledge that makes a good teacher. Combining the educational attainment, technological gadgetry, and internal attitude of a teacher leads to one point: Successful Conveyance of Information is what makes a good teacher.
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