Teaching is a practice that involves passing of knowledge to people considered ignorant in the field of study that is being taught. A teacher can be a person of any age provided that the person is well versed in a particular sphere. Nevertheless, the possession of knowledge does not always mean that a person can be considered a good teacher. In this paper we will clearly display the qualities of a competent teacher.
It is generally believed that teachers are easily found but getting a good teacher can be very rare and difficult. Most of the school management knows what a difficult task it is to hire a skillful teacher. Proficient teachers can be identified by the set of qualities that they possess. Firstly, a teacher has to be knowledgeable in the area that he/she is teaching. This does not mean that a person has to be an expert, but the most essential skills will be apt in getting the point across to be perceived by the audience. This comes from the principle that people cannot teach what they do not know. Additionally, a teacher requires the characteristic of being patient. The students that are to be taught have different levels of knowledge and if a teacher is not patient, a lot of misunderstandings may arise, thus portraying the teacher’s flaws.
Moreover, teachers must show a good command of confidence. This does not mean that they should not admit when they are wrong. Confidence enables the student to learn in a more comfortable environment. Besides, qualified teachers are able to portray mentorship. They should be able to develop positive attributes in their students. For mentorship to flourish, maturity has to be shown. Good teachers need to show responsibility however young they are. This will enable them to perceive emotional fluctuations among students, thus becoming able to know what teaching methods to use to achieve the set goals. A good sense of humor of teachers helps relieve the tension between them and students. This would in turn facilitate a free flow of information. Furthermore, teachers are required to have good presentation skills. Teacher’s skills will help students to perceive information visually and auditorily, hence making sure that their knowledge remains in the long-term memory for a longer period of time.
Teachers are supposed to be respectful. Respect has been termed as a two-way traffic. If a teacher shows a high degree of maturity and respect, then the students are able to emulate this, thus fostering understanding of each other’s limits. This respect comes along with empathy that enables teachers to react to student’s feelings. This would create a closely-knit community, therefore fostering learning process. A teacher must be a good planner. The arrangement of schedules and keeping to them allows teachers to give students extra time to conceptualize ideas if it is needed. Following the syllabus is not the planning that is required. It goes beyond this with the teacher keeping in mind the requirements of the programme. Good teachers are always enthusiastic. Despite the administrative drawbacks that might work against them, teachers have the interest of students at heart; consequently they should never lose the enthusiasm of teaching. Recently, the world has seen growth of technology. In today’s age of computers, a good teacher will be required to possess obligatory computer skills. This is because PowerPoint presentations and some word processing documents would be needed in teaching to make it easier.
In conclusion, a good teacher should have all the above-mentioned qualities. These are not only qualities of an excellent teacher, but the basic indicators that a person is an expert.