How to be a good English teacher
In an attempt to find out what we all think about teachers and teaching I recently asked a variety of people the question “What makes a good teacher?”I was especially interested to see what their instant response would be since that might throw some light upon deeply-held beliefs about this fundamental part of human experience.
Many different people were asked the question,almost always with a tape machine there to record their answers.There were teachers of English in the UK,in Spain and from Finland.some of the respondents were teacher trainers and methodologists.Last-but by no means least-I interviewed students of different nationalities studying at private language schools in Britain,and secondary school students studying at a Cambridge comprehensive school.
The following answers are representative of the many that were given.
They should make their lessons interesting so you don’t fall asleep in them.This was said by an adult student at a private language school in England.
A teacher must love her job.If she really enjoys her job that’ll make the lessons more interesting.This was also said by an adult student in England.Teachers who look fed up or unhappy with what they are doing tend to have a negative effect on their students.When you observe good teachers you will notice that ,even when/if they are feeling terrible (outside the classroom),they put on a good ‘teacher’s face’ when they enter the classroom.
I like the teacher who has his own personality and doesn’t hide itfrom the students so that he is not only a teacher but a person as well-and it comes through the lessons.Students tend to be interested in their teachers-at least at first.The ones who share their personality with their classes often have better results than those who don’t.
I like a teacher who has lots of knowledge,not only of his subject.The preoccupation with the teacher’s personality is reflected here too:teachers should not be afraid to bring their own interests and lives into the classroom(within reason,ofcourse).A good teacher is an entertainer and I mean that in a positive sense,not a negative sense.Students enjoy being entertained and amused.However,a balance has to be struck between entertainment(which often gives teachers enjoyable feedback) and teaching/learning.Sometimes,the former can overwhelm the latter.
Although,as we can see,the character and personality of the teacher is a crucial issue in the classroom,by far the greatest number of responses to the question’What makes a good teacher?’were not so much about teachers themselves,but rather about
the relationship between the teacher and the students.This is borne out in the following responses.
It’s important that you can talk to the teacher when you have problems and you don’t get along with the subject.These are the words of an adult student.Teachers must be approachable.
A good teacher is... somebody who has an affinity with the students that they’re teaching.Successful teachers are those people who can identify with the hopes,aspirations and difficulties of their students while they are teaching them.
