How to Build a Successful Teaching Career
Education is one of the most crucial parts of our life. The kind of education we all receive predominantly depends upon the kind of teacher we have. A constructive approach to teaching could change the entire life of a student for the better and vice versa. The future of nations is dependent upon teachers, and the society that we live in has all types of teachers. Furthermore, today's students will be the responsible citizens of tomorrow; therefore all teachers should strive to build an effective and productive career. It is undeniable that every teachers' vision and dream is to be an excellent teacher.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Fritz Mai C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
How to become an excellent teacher?
However, how every teacher chooses to perceive excellence is up to them, as everyone has their own opinions and thoughts. There is pure satisfaction that can only be achieved by seeing your students being happy and more successful than you are. To become an excellent teacher, there are some strategies though not all, to be explained in this essay. Teachers can use the following key points to push their career up the ladder: being passionate and compassionate in the field teaching, being able to make learning fun and stimulating, being able to take risk, having a good knowledge of the subject, be creative and provide relevant study materials, be able to listen to and create an environment of empathy with their students etc.
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1. Love
To begin with, a teacher should love what they are doing and freely accept the rewarding feelings that come with it. A person with passion will work hardest and strive for the best to see their students achieve success. It is easy to spot a teacher who loves their work, as they seem to emanate contagious energy. An excellent teacher always needs to let this passion be known and let it shine not only through every lesson they teach, but also in no matter whatever they are doing. Being a teacher is not only to teach but actually to learn something at the same time. The idea of becoming an excellent teacher is more likely to be easier said than done. It takes time, skill and dedication to do it right and high determination to make it real. Teaching is a humanistic profession that contains the utmost feeling of understanding.
2. Compassion
A teacher needs to be compassionate so that the students will be more open to the teacher and they can be more comfortable with him/her as their teacher. It is always a good beginning in becoming an excellent teacher to have the students who can share their stories and even their problems with you. Just like there is saying that goes like this, “sharing is caring.” It is an opportunity that a teacher should grab to comfort their students, calm them down and trying the best to motivate them. It is all because teachers can also be a trusted source of advice for students.
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3. Smile
Putting aside the quality of being passionate and compassionate as in the former, an excellent teacher can make the lesson fun and stimulate alongside being energetic. Smiling each time you converse with your students, crack a joke or two and so on. This helps to ease any tension or fear that the students may be feeling when approaching you for help which in return eases the learning process as it builds confidence in your students to be around you. Humor makes a lasting impression. It reduces stress and frustration and gives people a chance to look at their circumstances from another point of view. If you interviewed 1000 students about their favorite teacher, I’ll bet 95% of them were humorous.
4. Environment
The teacher should be able to make the classroom an exciting environment for learning so that it helps to hold the students’ fascination. Furthermore, the students will also learn in a better way when they are interested and enjoy the classroom environment. Besides, it is human nature that we are easily attracted to interesting things. So, as a teacher, we should be more creative in creating an interesting environment among students to learn. A great teacher uncovers hidden treasures, possibilities, and magic right before everyone’s eyes. However, it only takes a real teacher to do that.
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5. Risk
Furthermore, an excellent teacher takes the risk. It is beyond doubt that every profession has its own risk, so does the teacher. There is a wise saying that reads, “Those who go just a little bit too far are the ones who know just how far one can go.” Risk-taking is a part of the successful formula. Your students need to see you try new things in the classroom and they will watch closely how you handle failure in your risk-taking. This is as important as what you are teaching. Being a teacher is about taking all kinds of possible risks in our lives. The first thing that a teacher needs is a sacrifice, which requires of our time. Most of our time will be spent by accomplishing all the tasks. For example, preparing the lesson plans to teach the students and also finding a suitable way of learning or any activities for the students. The best teachers make sacrifices to improve the lives of their students to build the best quality of future generations.
6. Choice of materials
In addition to the above, Successful teachers are masters of their subject and never stop learning to be able to provide their students with relevant and up to date materials. Teachers need to master their subject area. Learn, learn, and never stop learning. Successful educators stay curious. Not only does it help bolster your knowledge in a certain subject matter, but it also puts you in the position of student. This gives you a perspective about the learning process that you can easily forget when you’re always in teaching mode. Being very knowledgeable in your field of study is also a crucial stepping stone towards a successful teaching career. Indeed, even the most successful teachers don't know everything. But, the more you know, the easier it will be to teach your students and to offer them prompt answers to their questions. Remember that students always prefer consulting teachers who are known to possess in-depth knowledge about a specific field. Knowledge indicates authenticity.
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7. Attention
Finally, a teacher who never listens to his/her students will ultimately fail. It is no simple endeavor to know when to listen and adapt. Students need someone to believe in them. They need a wiser and older person to put stock in their abilities. Set the bar high and then create an environment where it’s okay to fail. This will motivate your students to keep trying until they reach the expectation you’ve set for them. There are days when your students will need your emotional support more than a piece of information. Connecting to your students on an emotional level makes it more likely that they will listen to your counsel and take your advice to heart.
Students need mentors as much as they need teachers. The best teachers make sacrifices to improve the lives of their students and pride themselves on doing whatever it takes to help the kids to build the best quality of future generations. Most people would define a good teacher as someone who makes their students excel academically and perform well in their studies. I believe that’s almost right, but little did I know that a good teacher doesn’t have only one dimension but two. It is not an exaggeration to say that a great teacher can change a student’s life, they don’t only make the students succeed, but also inspire the students. Therefore, a great teacher commits to their students’ well-being both inside and outside the classroom creates empathy.
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In conclusion, Teachers need to put in their best to become a better educator as the future of the young generation is highly dependent upon them and their approach to passing on information to the world. The community, parents, schools and the government also have a large role to play in the motivations of teachers for them to be able to want to excel in their field. This is by providing them with a wide range of support facilities to suits the learning environment and to speed up the learning process of the students hence creating a better generation. So being an excellent teacher is necessary as such a field is highly regarded to be crucial in the lives of the people.
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