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One day, he woke up, dreading the morning once again. Having breakfast slowly, he kept thinking about the amazing things he wants to do in life, only to once again come back to the reality that it's much harder than it seems to succeed. He feels lost, uninspired... demotivated. He quickly grabs his bag, running outside of his house to catch the bus. Same old routine, like a tape on repeat. He arrives at school at 8 sharp, only to count down on the 6 hours left to spend there. This is not my story, but the story of many children that feel uninspired by school or their studies. Have you ever wondered why even after 12 years of studies, many children still have no idea which career or further studies to pursue? Why are they lacking self awareness and direction in life? While it's true that family education and self development plays a big role as well, the huge potential of teachers to inspire young students is often left unfulfilled. This leads me to my first point when talking about what qualities should all teachers have, especially English or foreign language ones. Teachers have the potential and opportunity to shape children's thinking from a very young age, however they mostly focus on following the curricula and teaching "by the book". In my opinion, a teacher should first and foremost be inspirational and help students discover their qualities and strong points. Are you teaching Math and half your class is barely understanding the subject? Inspire them to also follow other pursuits in the search of their qualities, don't always punish them by giving low grades hoping they'll study harder. Offer feedback and don't be afraid to find out the "why?" behind their low understanding. Going further, inspiration is given by interaction, so as a teacher you should be interactive with your class. Not only they will develop the communication skills of the whole class, but they will also empower the children. A teacher shouldn't be afraid to create a safe space of debate in the class or opportunities for students to interact with one another. Moving forward, let's think a little of what is needed to create quality interaction withing a class. Would any teacher want chaotic discussions or a dialogue that would lead to a specific productive outcome? I believe that class management techniques is a vital knowledge any good teacher should have. If teachers cannot manage their students successfully, very little learning will occur in the classroom. For young teachers, classroom management is usually a struggle. New teachers need to be willing to seek out seasoned teachers to mentor them on how to handle the classroom properly and to try different classroom management strategies. All in all, such a quality is often developed through experience and eagerness to try new teaching methods. When taking into consideration soft, personal skills, patience is what comes to mind firstly. Ideally, teaching should be done at a pace in which most students are comfortable with. They should avoid rushing through the coursework as this can discourage students from learning. Adaptability comes second, especially in the case of an international English teacher. The approach used by professionals depends on the individual needs of students. Similarly, teachers should never forget about the culture of their students. Lastly, the energy a teacher has in class is also a key factor. Pupils who are attentive can absorb almost everything that is being taught. Professionals should be enthusiastic and energetic. Being interactive and making the coursework more interesting is the key to inspiring active interest in your student. It can also motivate them to do better. Coming to a conclusion, in reality in can be challenging to check all the boxes of a "great English teacher". We're all human in fact, having better days than others and sometimes we might just not be at our best. However, nothing should stop a teacher to be a great human being, an excellent listener with students' best interests in mind. As English teachers (especially as international ones), we have to keep in mind that we really leave a mark on many students memories, so let's make sure they'll think fondly of us!
