Teach English in Hanliu Zhen - Yangzhou Shi

Being able to teach is not restricted to only one personality type, but good teachers will often share a lot of similar personal qualities. What exactly makes a good teacher? We will explore some of these qualities, such as patience, flexibility, and fairness. A teacher should be able to empathize with the struggles of learning a foreign language, and also have the patience to explain language points clearly. Teachers should avoid thinking that the information presented is obvious and then belittling students who fail to understand. Although a teacher can’t force students to learn, a good teacher can make lessons more engaging and clear to help motivate students. A lesson can be made boring or captivating depending on the teacher’s attitude, so an energetic and passionate teacher is best. It's also important for teachers to be adaptable and organized. It’s always good to have a lesson plan and a wide variety of activities prepared to make good use of class time, however it’s also important to be able to adapt to unforeseen events. A good teacher should be able to make quick changes in the classroom, and also take note of activities that resonate with students. A teacher should be able to adapt to their students and change roles depending on what is needed at any given time, from managing the classroom to monitoring and organizing activities. Teaching is essentially a job comprised of many other jobs, and balance is key. Being adaptable also means being able to evolve as a teacher; curiosity and a desire to learn are therefore also great personal qualities to have. Throughout their careers teachers will be faced with things they don’t know and will have to work on their weaknesses. A good teacher should first and foremost be a learner, a perpetual student, and actively work to increase their knowledge. Sometimes this entails learning about local customs in a foreign country, and trying to predict grammatical difficulties students are going to encounter in English due to the structure of their native language. Although learning the local language can be helpful, sometimes a teacher will have to refrain from using it in front of their students, even if doing so would make explanations easier on the spot. Sometimes a teacher will have to simplify their language, depending on the level of their students, to not only be better understood but also to motivate the class. A good teacher should be consistent: consistent with the way they handle issues and consistent with their use of English in the classroom to show students that they should do the same. Fairness is really important to keep student engagement high and behavioral problems low; students will wonder why they must use English if their own teacher resorts to using another language when things get difficult. Being fair also means being an impartial assessor, and treating all students equally. Finally, building good rapport with the class is a top priority, so it’s best for teachers to have some people skills. As this course has underlined, teaching is about putting the interests of students first and a teacher should therefore care about the learning of their students above all. In conclusion, many different kinds of people can be teachers but certain qualities help make teaching more effective. Teachers should be prepared, while still being flexible. They should be professional, while still being personable. They should be helpful, while still giving students challenges to work through and learn from. A good teacher needs to be able to think on their feet and be like a chameleon. As someone who loves languages, I want to be the kind of teacher who takes their own learning experiences and turns them into tools to help other students learn. I look forward to telling my students about the tips and tricks I have learned throughout the years, and instill in them the confidence necessary to learn English.