We can all recall those teachers in our school days who changed our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine. That’s the impact a teacher can have on his student’s life.
So, it’s wrong to assume that teaching is an easy, hassle-free career that anyone can pursue. Becoming a teacher requires you to have many skills, which we will highlight in this blog:
- Communication skills: To teach effectively, you must speak in a way that makes it easy for students to understand a complex subject. A good teacher must be a strong communicator who puts students at ease and helps them out every step of the way. He has to make an impression on his students and come across as approachable so that students don’t hesitate to ask for help.
- Listening skills: To be a good teacher, you have to be willing to listen. When you listen with care, you can pick up things that may not be visible to everyone but may affect a student’s performance. For instance, a student’s anxiety can be the reason for his inability to understand a topic.
- Multitasking: Teaching goes beyond discussing what textbooks contain. It involves diverse tasks, from explaining things, evaluating exam papers, monitoring student behavior, and keeping them engaged.
- Ability to work as a team: As a teacher, you must work independently and as a team member. You must make your students feel that you are part of their team and you will work together to get results. You must also network with fellow teachers in solving problems and making plans for the betterment of students.
- Eagerness to learn: As a teacher, you must be ready to learn from others. You must have an open mind and imbibe the positive qualities of others around you.
- Adaptability: A good teacher is flexible and can adjust to different teaching environments. He should be able to change and tweak his methods as and when needed to help his students. This adjustment is necessary because the curriculum, resources, and requirements keep changing.
- Ability to engage students: To teach effectively, you must have the power to hold your audience’s attention. A good teacher can engage students with personality, humor, and creative classroom sessions. Simply delivering lectures isn’t enough to engage students. A teacher must influence and encourage students to participate actively in the classroom.
- Empathy: Students approach and respect teachers who are empathetic towards their needs. If a student cannot perform up to the mark, you should find out why instead of accosting him. As a teacher, you must look at things outside the clasroom that could affect a child’s grades. A good teacher must be attentive, observant, and empathetic. He must remember that not all students are equally abled.
- Patience: A teacher must have patience in handling students. Whether it’s disciplining unruly students or uncooperative colleagues, you have to exercise patience.
- Willingness to learn: To be a good teacher, you must be a good learner. Teaching is a lifetime skill, and you must keep the spirit of learning alive. You must dedicate your life to learning and sharing knowledge. Do you have an undying passion for a subject? If so, you can become a good teacher.
Ask yourself if you have these qualities before jumping headlong into this career path. Teaching is a noble profession that demands noble values. Don’t take it up if you cannot imbibe these values.
