Though it is difficult to define the word teacher because of the many roles a teacher dons, there are certain qualities that teachers possess that make him or her a good teacher.
A teacher is not only the person you see in school every morning. A teacher is anyone who imparts any type of lesson in your life. It need not be a lesson out of your history book, but a lesson for life.
So, what are the traits of a good teacher? A teacher does not become great because her students have performed well in an exam. A teacher is good when they can emotionally connect to a student.
15 Amazing Characteristics of A Good Teacher
Let’s look at some of the qualities of a good teacher and the different ways of how to become a good teacher.
A good teacher not only has great teaching skills but also possesses unique qualities that make him or her a great teacher.
1. Creativity
One of the characteristics of a good teacher is being creative. Creativity is the ability to develop something new and valuable.
A good teacher must be able to adopt creativity into the lesson by adding value to the knowledge transfer.
From the point of view of the student, a lesson may seem boring or difficult. In such cases, it is up to the teacher to make it interesting by adopting creative and engaging methods to teach the lesson.
On the other hand, as a teacher, you may take the same class every year. Each student progresses to the next academic year but as a qualified teacher, you tend to take the same class and the same subject every year.
This also may prove to be monotonous and boring to do. In such cases, you can bring in some different and imaginative ways of teaching, making it interesting for you and the students.
2. Communication Skills
Good teacher characteristics are defined by great communication skills. A teacher needs to be able to convey the concept to the students, in a manner that is understood by them.
Communication necessarily involves the divulgence of information by one party and the comprehension of this information by the other party.
As is the case of a student-teacher relationship, communication is the single most important quality of a good teacher. Without communication, students will not be able to comprehend and the education will be of no avail.
3. Patience
We all know this quality a bit too well. Patience is one of the greatest qualities of a good teacher. It is the quality to tolerate problems without getting angry or annoyed.
Facing adverse issues is a daily occurrence for any teacher. However, being able to handle those issues in a cool and composed manner is one of the greatest traits of a good teacher.
4. Empathy
The quality of empathy should not be confused with the term sympathy. Empathy is the ability to show compassion, whereas sympathy is showing pity.
Empathy is a good teacher characteristic. When a teacher shows empathy towards a student it means that the teacher feels for the students and understands the student.
5. Witty
Believe it or not, being witty is also a trait of a good teacher. Students love a humorous teacher. It makes students interested in the class. Who does not love a joke or two in a day?
6. Able to Improvise
When it comes to answering the question – what are the qualities of a good teacher? Being able to improvise is an important trait.
A teacher may face difficult situations that they may not have anticipated. When a teacher can overcome those situations with a quick wit and thinking, the teacher is good.
7. Critical Self-Reflection
One of the ways how to become a good teacher is to self-reflect on your day’s work. Self-reflection allows you to think of what you have done right and what you can do better the next day for your students.
A study conducted in 2010 by Hibajene M Shandomo, Buffalo State College, concluded that Critical reflection enables teacher candidates to benefit in the following areas: first, deeply understanding the ways in which their teaching styles enhance their ability to challenge the traditional mode of practice; second, defining how they will grow toward greater effectiveness as teachers.
As a result of their engagement in reflecting on their practice or prior experiences, teacher candidates examined everything they routinely observed and performed in their classrooms.
Another important observation is that through continual reflection on what and whom they teach, their ability to relate to their primarily African American students significantly improved. At an individual level, critical reflection does bring about an awareness of the need for change.
8. Adaptability
With change being constant, teachers must also be able to adapt to the changing times. Today, education is at a juncture that is difficult to define.
There is more than a single method to teach like traditional classroom mode, online mode, hybrid mode, and other methods.
Teachers must be able to adapt to any style of teaching. They must try to be as effective through any of the methods. Being able to adapt to the changing times is one of the best qualities of a good teacher.
9. Passion for Teaching, Love for Children
The passion for teaching and the love for children are two attributes that go hand in hand. Without one, the other will not work.
Teachers must want to love to teach. If you do not have passion, you will give up. As the saying goes “If you follow your passion, you will not have to work a day in your life.” It is a beautiful thing when passion and career come together.
Teaching cannot be done well without loving the students you teach. A teacher is the only person in the world who can fit all kids in one heart. When you love students, you will automatically do a great job as a teacher.
A teacher’s job is to teach the students you have. Not the ones you would like to have or not the ones you used to have. You have to love and teach the students you have now.
Passion for teaching and love for children are qualities of a good teacher.
10. Preparation
Though not a quality, being well prepared is an important habit that a teacher must adopt. A teacher must always pre-plan and prepare well before the lesson.
A prepared teacher can teach beautifully and confidently, unlike an unprepared teacher who may be unconfident.
11. Consistency
One of the characteristics of a good teacher is being consistent in performance. A teacher who teaches well one day must remain a good teacher throughout.
Being consistent throughout your career can win the trust and affection of students and parents alike.
12. Encouraging and Appreciating
Teachers must be able to appreciate even the smallest of accomplishments by students. A small gesture of appreciation can make a big difference in the life of a student.
Remember, for you, the student may be one among a million, but for the student, you are one in a million. Being able to encourage and appreciate your students are good teacher character traits.
Motivate and inspire your students every day. It is one of the best ways how to become a good teacher.
13. Listen
Though the art of communication includes listening, teachers must possess a special quality to be able to listen more than any other profession.
Listening enables a teacher to hear students, their problems and anxieties and help to solve the issues.
14. Support and Nurture
One of the characteristics of a good teacher is to be able to support and nurture students. When we say nurture, we mean care and foster a student while in school.
A teacher should adorn the role of a mother while the student is in school. A mother nurtures the child and the same is expected out of teachers at school.
Being able to nurture and raise the child like you are the mother of the child while in school, is a wonderful trait of a good teacher.
15. Show No Favouritism
As a teacher, you must show students that they are equal in your eyes. No teacher should make a child feel that he or she is less or more liked than other students in the class.
Teachers must never be partial towards students and must never show preference or favor any particular student or group of students.
Remember, every child is unique and all students have their talents. Every child in your class is someone’s whole world.
Conclusion
Being a teacher is not an easy job. Every job comes with its difficulties, but being a teacher is the most difficult, as a teacher is responsible for the future of all the students.
Therefore, being a good teacher is paramount. Trying to imbibe the above qualities can ensure that you are a good teacher.
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