One of the most important professions in our society is teaching as it touches every aspect of every community in some fashion. Famous author John Steinbeck once said, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” As an educator, you are in a position to shape the lives of those who will one day be in charge of our society. The work you do will create generational change for your students.
With that said, the question remains: what makes someone a “great” teacher? Of course, there are teachers who are good and do their job well, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, then there are those teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty and do that little extra to push their students to the next level. So, let’s take a look at the things that great teachers do differently.
Encourage Their Students to Achieve Greatness
Often times, a common word used by students to describe the experience they had with a great teacher is “inspiring.” It is one thing to teach your students the daily lesson plan and call it a day. But, what sets the good teachers apart from the great teachers are the life lessons you can impart to your pupils. Helping them set aspirational targets for themselves with the belief and confidence that they are capable of achieving it. You must help your students find a clear vision of where they want to be in life and give them the tools that will allow them to get there. The opportunity to inspire your students is something that all teachers should be seeking.
Embrace Challenges
When adversity comes about, the best teachers are prepared to face them head-on. They are capable of planning ahead to anticipate, address, and learn from any challenges they come across, even the most difficult ones. Doing so allows them to overcome any obstacle set in front of them, learn from it, and determine best practices to prevent it from happening again. Great teachers also use this method to overcome negativity in their classroom. This is so important because there will be times with students have negative thoughts and feel defeated whether it is due to school work or outside factors. Part of the job of being a teacher, but more importantly, an educator, is to be able to effectively listen and understand the contributing factors to these thoughts and work with the student to find positive solutions to those problems.
Love Of Learning
While you may be the one teaching the class, that does not mean you are free from learning yourself. The greatest teachers have always displayed a relentless pursuit of continuous learning because they know that is how you continue to grow, not just as an educator, but as a human being as well. Learning can come from engaging in new ideas or simply building on previous knowledge but through the different and broader perspectives of others and both an academic and social level. The most important thing is having the confidence to recognize and admit that you will never know it all which is why you constantly seek new opportunities to learn.