Attributes of a Good Teacher

Contents:
1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..3
2. My best discussion……………………………………………….....4
3. Why this is my best discussion…………………………………….5
4. My best assignment………………………………………………....6
5. Why this was my best assignment………………………………..10
6. My Philosophy of Education…………………………………….....11
7. Reflection Part 1: Activity 1.3.1…………………………………….12
8. The significance of teachers roles…………………………………13
9. Reflection Part 2: What I have learnt in BPT1501……………….14
10. Reflection Part 2: Suggestions for improving BPT1501…………14

Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.- Joyce Meyer

Introduction:
What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
There are so many aspects of professionalism with regard to teaching

There is professionalism in terms of being prepared in terms of the knowledge needed to teach in a given content area. A professional teacher has the knowledge that is required for any given lesson. If a teacher does not have that knowledge, he or she makes sure to obtain it before trying to teach the lesson.

There is professionalism in terms of being prepared from a pedagogical point of view. A professional teacher does not simply come into class hoping to "wing it." He or she must always plan lessons carefully and with some thought as to what to do in various situations that might arise within the lesson.

Finally, there is professionalism in terms of personal conduct. A professional teacher comes to work looking like a professional. Such a teacher also conducts him or herself in a manner that will communicate to the students that the teacher is serious about the job of educating them.

We need to not only teach the children in our classrooms; we hope to instill in them, their families, and everyone with whom we have contact the importance and benefit of being open to continually adding to our base of knowledge, experience, and skills. In this position, we are not just teachers in the school building, but educators by example for the whole of society.

1. My best discussion:

1.1. Topic of discussion: Attributes of a good teacher

a) How can the qualities of a good teacher be acquired?
After reading many articles about how a teacher can acquire good qualities, I seem to understand and believe that a good teacher is someone who loves what they are doing. They have a passion for giving children the opportunity to be successful. I believe that teachers can acquire certain skills over the years THUS EXPERIENCE. No teachers know everything at the start of their career. Teachers also learn by teaching. They learn how to work with certain situations, children and parents. I also believe that to become a good teacher you need certain skills and qualities to start off with. For instance:
You need to be:
Adaptable
Dedicated
Kind
Strong
Organised
Good role model

To acquire good qualities you need a proper tertiary education, time and patience. Good things come to those who wait and good things come with time.

b) How can teachers sustain these qualities?

If you have a passion with working with children you will find that every day has something new to offer. I believe that children also inspire teachers that keep teachers doing what they do. Not every day will be as inspiring or as good as the previous but I believe that even the smallest moment will want you to be better for the children. Certain situations will make you want to run away but then I believe that if you have a burning desire and truly love teaching it will make you to learn more be more and teach more.

1.2. Why is this my best discussion:

Before I discussed this topic with my fellow students, I had no idea how to be professional or what professionalism entails.

As u can see from my discussion I mentioned charateristics on how a good teacher should be. But that was then. This was my first discussion, and I still had no idea what it meant to be a professional. I chose this discussion to show you how much I have grown in being a professional teacher. I have have a different point of view of what a “good teacher” should be like now:

It is the teacher who makes the difference in the classroom.
By far the most important factor in school learning is the ability of the teacher.
There is an extensive body of knowledge about teaching that must be known by the teacher.
The teacher must be a decision maker able to translate the body of knowledge about teaching into increased student learning.
As you are dressed, so shall you be perceived; and as you are perceived,so shall you be treated.

And how I intend to sustain these?.Teachers are not in private practice. We are in the helping and caring profession, a service profession to help people enhance the quality of their lives, so I will make it a personal target in my life that every day I should at least make a difference in one childs life.

As Carelton in "What a teacher is" once puts it: The teacher must have the energy of a harnessed volcano, the efficiency of an adding machine, the memory of an elephant, the understanding of a psychiatrist, the wisdom of Solomon, the tenacity of a spider, the patience of a turtle trying to cross the highway inrush-hour traffic, the decisiveness of a general, the diplomacy of an ambassador, the financial acumen of a stocks and bonds wizard, and finally to always remember that teachers teach not by words but mostly by precept and example

So, in addition to being all of the above, teachers must always remember that they are the eyes and ears of society and that whatever they do, the difference between official hours and off hours is relative. They have to demonstrate not only professional competencies and skills, but also social responsibilities as mirrors of society.

2. My best assignment

2.1 Report

2.2 Why this is my best assignment

Apart from that I scored the highest on this assignment I have learnt a great deal by “shadowing” a teacher. Dale tought me that a professional teaching qualification does not make you a professional, in the true sense of the word. Belonging to a particular profession does not automatically guarantee that the service you provide is a professional one. Hence, teaching as a professional is a hard thing to do because it encompasses many roles to be done well.

What I learnt by doing my assignment 2:
Inspire the trust of your clients - the students and parents.
Dress like a professional.
Always be on time for work.
Be prepared.
Follow procedures and the protocol expected at the school.
Take charge of your classroom.
Take pride in the process and product.
Keep up to date with your marking and grading of students' tasks.
Treat your colleagues and supervisors with respect.
Be passionate, positive, and enthusiastic about your work.
Take an interest in every child.
Treat your students with respect.
Be a mentor not a friend.
Maintain confidentiality.
Consult parents.
Put safety first.
Support your colleagues and school management.
Take responsibility for your students' results.
Behave professionally in public.
Keep abreast of education policy and legislation.
Constantly seek new subject knowledge and share this with your students.
Simplify your lessons.
Keep your students attention.

3. My Philosophy of Education:

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demostrates. The great teacher inspires.”
― William Arthur Ward

Why do I want to teach? I borrowed something a poet once said which reflects exactly what I believe: “Teaching is my chosen calling, a calling I strive to undertake with love and imagination, and from my location as a relatively new teacher, I see no end to improvement, no arrival, no completion: I want to be that teacher who, even after decades in the classroom, still leaves each session asking how the next might be better, how to better engage and inspire this unique set of students.”

Teachers come in all assorted sizes, shapes, weight and colors. However, they share one common belief: To help each child reach the highest possible personal development stage. I personally believe that teachers are the fusion between the child and the developmental stage they are at.

I love teaching and could think of no better way to improve society as a whole than being a teacher. My philosophical beliefs about teaching and learning include being a Nurturer Provider, Knowledge Broker, Skill Performer and Reflective Professional. But I also love learning, I would like to expand my knowledge so that it can be carried out to the students.

. I don’t want my students to leave class with their heads spinning from overstimulation. I want them to engage the material at hand, and to leave each class with some concrete understanding. As a soon to be teacher I would strive to engage, challenge, and inspire growth in my students.

“Kids don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
― Jim Henson

4. Reflection: Part 1
Activity 1.3.1(learning unit 1):

1. The significance of teachers roles:

Help applying concepts, prepare lessons, manage classroom activities, meet with parents etc is only a few of the things teachers are responsible for.Being a teacher is so much more, they also carry the role of a surrogate parent, disciplinarian, mentor, counselor, book keeper, role model, planner and many more. In today's world a teacher's role is a multifaceted profession. Teachers in foundation phase play an important role of the development of children. What students learn in their formative years can shape how they are in the future.

“There are three things to remember when teaching: know your stuff; know whom you are stuffing; and then stuff them elegantly.” ~ Lola May

4. Reflection: Part 2
Reflection on what I have learnt about this module:

“Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” ~ Author Unknown

Even though I am still at my germination phase of becoming a a great teacher, I have learnt a great deal from this module. I have learnt that education is not to reform students or amuse them. It is to open their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.

I also learnt that teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.
This module tought me to know the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher. I look forward to the blooming stage of my career where I can use my full potential to ignite the developmental stage in childrens education. But I still have a lot of learning to do.

This module is a great start point to being a complete professional teacher. But I think being a professional teacher entails much more than what this module states. I personally think it would be a great course module that is taken every semester to build the professionalism up as you obtain your skills and knowledge from the other subjects. I would suggest either to break this module up, after reviewing its contents that has been added etc, that it can be distributed throughout the 4 years of study or it can be divided and be added to the other subjects to ber part of that modules because most of our subjects already has some “being professional” tips.

Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.- unknown