Top 11 Traits of a Good Teacher

Top 11 traits of a good teacher | Some say that my teaching is nonsense. Others call it lofty but impractical. But to those who have looked inside themselves, this nonsense makes perfect sense. And to those who put it into practice, this loftiness has roots that go deep."-- Lao-Tzu,First, there is no hard and fast list that tells you who is a good teacher or who is not a good teacher. However, there are traits that excellent teachers have in common. These are not the usual qualities such as being a good friend or having a nice personality. These are what researchers from around the world have found when they watched those teachers whose students excelled once they left that teacher's classroom. Of course, not every teacher is going to be a skillful teacher for every child and a child spends only about 8 percent of the year in school, which means that regardless of the quality of teacher, a supportive home environment is essential to excellent learning.1. Be unsatisfiedThe first trait of a high-quality teacher is that he or she is a good learner. They are always eager to learn new things, expand their knowledge base, experiment with better ways to achieve success. They are lifelong learners and they produce lifelong learners. So, the first trait is to be unsatisfied with what is. In other words, the best teacher is always a student.2. High expectationsHigh expectations are the second trait of outstanding teachers. I once had a principal who said having high expectations created failure. In other words, the principal did not want to set high goals for fear of parent complaints. In reality, setting high standards brings out the best in students and creates in them a feeling of accomplishment. They become self-reliant, learn to delay gratification, and fit more readily into adulthood where competition is inevitable. High standards are not impossible standards. Setting high expectations may require making the student uncomfortable, much like taking the training wheels off a bicycle. In other words, good teachers encourage risk taking and accept errors.3. Create independenceThirdly, highly effective educators are adept at monitoring student problems and progress. They remediate when necessary and differentiate as needed. To do this they use their time well. They are not the center of the classroom. The students are encouraged to look for help and answers on their own. They are passionate about not teaching, but facilitating learning. As such, they are promoting their own obsolescence. Just as a fine manager has a team in place that can operate well without him or her, a good teacher creates in a student a sense of self that lasts a lifetime. They promote a deeper understanding of concepts and work habits than just learning the curriculum suggests. In other words, they create independence.4. KnowledgeableFourth, they possess a deep knowledge of the subject matter and are able to manipulate, simplify, and individualize this data more easily because they are a master of it. To gain this they are not just hard workers, but have a passion for the subject. They are able to empathize with students who might not like that subject and turn that lack of enthusiasm around by presenting the facts from a different angle. In other words, their bumper sticker reads, "This teacher stops for new ideas."5. HumorFifth, first-class teachers have a good sense of humor. They make jokes and accept jokes. They are not comedians, but they are entertaining. They tell stories, point out silly things, bring joy to difficult situations, and are not afraid of laughter. They use humor to connect to their students. In other words, excellent teachers keep the students' attention without fear. 6. InsightfulThe sixth trait is to provide quick and accurate assessment of student work. Tests and other projects are evaluated in a timely manner. The student work may not be filled with red marks or gold stars, but it is returned with the understanding of what was right and what could be improved. Without constant evaluation a learning child cannot make the progress of a student who is guided. A helpful teacher does not discourage original thinking, but it must be proven. At all times, the best educator is looking for the student's reasoning, rather than the answer. In other words, for the insightful teacher, student assessment assesses the teacher's performance and provides ideas of what changes both need to make to improve.7. FlexibleSeventh, the best teachers use the community as their resource. They see education as more than what is done in the classroom. They belong to civic groups, participate in organizations, and use their contacts to enhance student learning. For example, they bring in guest speakers, seek donations from the community as needs arise, and allow their students to display their work for the citizenry to critique and enjoy. They use technology as an extension of the community and find new resources to make their lessons more attractive. They use a newspaper and current events to open a child's mind to what is happening in the world and at all times they search for a teachable moment (any instance where a child expresses an interest in something that could be used to stimulate their learning). This includes both negative and positive items and is the main reason lesson plans are never mentioned as a trait of good teaching. Superior teachers abandon them to follow more encouraging leads. This is why educators and education is so misunderstood by those who feel children are cans of soup, all alike and open, ready for knowledge to be poured in and sealed. Excellent teachers encourage student input and use the community to make for more invigorating teaching. In other words, a quality instructor is a master of flexibility.8. DiverseEighth, a first-rate teacher provides an array of methods to learn. They integrate the lessons among several subjects; they use research papers, artwork, poetry and even physical education as part of the learning process. For example, when a child is studying an explorer the teacher shows them how many miles per hour they walk, how to create a graph of the calories they would need, make a map of the trip with legend, write a journal of what they saw, draw pictures of the flora and fauna, and make a presentation of what the student felt was the best and worst part of the discovery. In other words, the proficient educator offers children a diverse array of avenues to pursue excellence.9. UnacceptingNinth, a quality teacher is unaccepting. They do not accept pat answers. They do not accept first drafts. They do not accept false excuses. They are not the easiest teachers because of this trait. Education is, in essence, the disciplining of the mind. A student who knows the rules knows what to expect and knows what is right. The best teachers are those that have appropriate standards and that build good habits. In other words, a superior teacher understands what a child needs now and in the future.10. UnconformingThe tenth, and perhaps most interesting trait, is that a quality teacher keeps children off balance. The student is not bored, but challenged. When a child who has a skillful teacher comes home, they talk about what they did in class. They are riled up, they are motivated, and they know they need to be ready for the unexpected. A high-quality teacher can be dressed up in an outfit, show a video, take them to the library, have them work on a project, create lessons for one another, work on a computer, proofread a classmate's work, and invent a game to play at recess, all before noon. One day is seldom like the next. There is continuity, but diversity is everywhere. 11. A communicatorOf note is that not one research paper said a trait of good quality teachers were their bulletin boards, tidy rooms, easy grades, ability to write neatly or dress well. All the traits dealt with the ability to trigger learning, and thus the most important trait of all is the ability to communicate. Below are traits of good teachers as expressed by young people around the world.From Indonesia:A great teacher smiles to his/her pupils even when they screw him up. A good teacher shows the whole wide world to the students.From India: One who help his students in all respects. He makes his students able to live better life. He teaches students to take decisions in all the conditions. From Croatia: A really good teacher should be child in his soul . . .From Ireland: It is fundamental that a teacher cares about humanity in general. From Chile: A good teacher is someone who can learn from his students, who can learn with them, and for them. From Egypt:To win their confidence should be the teacher's first aim - though strictness has to be in its place. From Germany:A good teacher, of course, has to be humorous. A teacher has to enjoy what she does!
Has to remember how it was when he/she was a child From Pakistan: A guide. A real friend is someone who knows all about you and still he loves you. A good teacher is a good friend. Good teaching is keeping yourself in the shoes of your students.From Malaysia: One who doesn't 'teach' but instead is willing to 'learn' with the child and from the child. From Mexico: The teacher is to the students what the rain is to the field. From Chad: A good teacher should answer all questions, even if they are stupid. From Jamaica: To become a good teacher, you not only teach the children, but you also have to learn from them. From Nigeria: A good teacher must be prepared to be foolish if that will help his pupil attain wisdom. |

Personality of an Ideal Teacher
People have different views about teachers. The question arises when we look for an ideal teacher. According to me a teacher is someone who teaches and guides students with inspiration. Wikipedia’s definition of a teacher is:
“In education, a teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. A teacher who facilitates education for an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other place of formal education“.
This is a direct and to the point definition. While for me a teacher is a role model. She/he sets a course for his /her student that is remember-able. An ideal teacher is the one who never disappears from your mind, always stuck somewhere up there. Whenever you discuss a topic of any sort that teacher comes to your mind. You think, “What would Mr/Mrs.______ have said at this moment? How would he/she have answered this?”.
Now, here’s what I’ve found and have agreed with and have concluded.
An ideal teacher is the one we respect from our heart. He/she acts as a guide to the students. Punishments are a part of teaching but he/she never use it unnecessarily. She/he look for other ways to bring students on the track. A perfect teacher motivates them and boosts their morale. He/she tries to encourage the students and refrains from criticizing them. The perfect teacher prefers to give positive motivation to his/her students. His/her comments are always constructive in nature. He/she serves as our friend, guide, educator, confidante, and a blend of all the good qualities one can posses. Such a teacher molds the entire life of the students. Not everyone is lucky to have an ideal teacher. If someone does they should be grateful for that chance and fate for having one.
Problem Solver
Students have a tendency to assume that their teacher will come up with a solution for all their problems. This is the toughest test of a teacher-student relationship. Teachers are largely responsible to solve the problems of their pupils, without expecting anything in return. It is the main yardstick of being an ideal teacher.
Understands Student Psychology
It is very important for a teacher to understand the psychology of his/her pupils. Every student is different from the other and will react differently to situations. All students cannot be equated and therefore, need individual attention. An ideal teacher knows where the students lack and what their requirements are. He/she never fails to comprehend the needs of students and tries his/her level best to fulfill them.
An Idol For Students
An ideal teacher leaves a life-long impression on his/her students and impacts their mind in a positive way. She is a much valued asset, without whom one can’t imagine a life. In fact, perfect teachers are as important as our parents. Not even a single day of our life will seem to be complete without them. They are the ones, whom the students can idolize and look up to.
A Good Guide
Children of a certain age trust their teachers, even more than their parents. Therefore, it is the responsibility of an ideal teacher to guide the pupil like his/her own child. Such a teacher shows students the right path under all circumstances and never shies away from his/her duties. In fact, he/she is always there by the student’s side, at the time of need.
A Motivator
An ideal teacher never lets the limitations of his/her students restrict their vision. He/she constantly motivates them to reach ahead and broaden their horizon. A teacher should encourage and inspire his/her pupils to think beyond their confines and help them realize their talents as well as the need to pursue them with diligence.
Knowledgeable
He/she possess vast knowledge on his/her subjects. This doesn’t mean they have a photographic memory but they do have more than enough knowledge to elaborate to the students. He/she inspires students with his/hers intelligent answers. The curiosity to learn and pass on resides inside him/her. The students use such a teacher as an example to tell others about.
Broad Minded A teacher that is eager to teach, first learns himself/herself and is fully aware about the subject he/she are teaching. He/she are inquisitive about new methods of teaching. They are open minded about what others have to share with them. He/she doesn’t mind if they add something extra in the way they teach if they learn it from others.
An ideal teacher has eyes everywhere. He/she is not a dumb personality. They know about their culture and civilization. He/she has a taste in everything that life has given them. They have an interest in everything like nature, beauty, art, goodness, etc.
Russel J. Fronwalt says, ” From a good teaching personality (of a teacher) a child absorbs more than the knowledge of books and materials of course study. With a teacher of good personality a child lines productively and happily-the teacher must be a fountain of inspiration. Ability to motivate or inspire is the chief element of a teacher’s personality”. This means that a student might not remember what his books had written in them but will never forget his/hers teacher’s motivation and inspiration.
Never forget the loving and caring nature of an actual teacher. He/she think of a student’s problem as their own and feel it and never differentiate him/her from their students.
An ideal teacher reflects his thoughts and ideas. He/she are apart and different from the rest of the cult. They are noticeable and are known for their uniqueness.

I also believe our personality as teachers’ influences students. If you show tolerance they begin to make noise and don’t listen to you. If you shout at them, they join the lesson only because they are afraid of you. This is not a good thing. I want to enjoy the lesson while I am teaching. I don’t want to threaten my students but sometimes they force me to.
Concerning the teacher’s personality, it is very important in controlling the lessons and the learning process. I have noticed if the teacher isn’t controlling the class in a commanding way, he will lose control of it and the discipline of the class. As a result, the attention of the students would lessen and the benefits from the teaching process would be limited. Therefore, a strong personality is recommended for the language teacher, besides his competence and knowledge of the language and teaching methods. That also results from my observation and my ten-year’ teaching experience.
I would like to contribute concerning a teacher’s personality and how it affects the student or the pupil.
I read somewhere that a teacher is the one who gives just a piece of himself or herself to the student. To do this, he must have at his fingertips a good grasp of his subject matter and realize that the first day, the very first day, in class is crucial. The impression made that day is what constitutes a large chunk of what the teacher would impact on the student or pupil.
I would like to write something about a teacher’s personality. I agree that a teacher should have a nice personality that will make the learning processes interesting and enjoyable. A teacher should always learn to speak in a more attractive way, manipulating his own voice (articulation, intonation, volume, speed, etc.), his own eye-contact, his own body movements and postures. A teacher should appear nicely, dressed in simple but suitable garments, and wear suitable ornamental accessories. A teacher should plan and build interesting activities, and conduct those activities using clear instructions. A teacher should also build students’ confidence by positive encouragement – avoiding criticism and blame. When students like the teacher, they will learn better and more readily.