Good teaching?

When I first started teaching, I really wanted to do the best I could, just like everything else, just like everyone else.  Through the years, I asked myself what it takes to be a good teacher. I’ve been through some steps until I reached the point of view I have now. Maybe this impression will change. Hopefully it will.

At the beginning, I was pretty much thrown to the wolves. Sorry, to the students, I mean. Boy, was it hard. It was a group of 6-year-olds. I’m pretty sure I was more scared than they were. Then I was given some adults, and some teens, and whatever age there could possibly be.

I guessed that I made most students like me, and that was enough for me. With this impression that I was building good rapport with my students, I instantly thought I was a pretty good teacher. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this conclusion was based on one single fact: ignorance.

When I started studying more about teaching, taking courses, paying extra attention to my classes, reading methodology books, I realised that the ‘straightforward’ job I had been doing was full of information, theory, ideas and opinions that supported every single thing teachers do in class.

One thing that really got to me was that having a good time, entertaining students, and making students were having their share of fun was not enough. I dropped from a ‘king of the universe’ status to ‘I have absolutely no idea of what I’m doing’ stage.

I started paying attention to every detail in my lessons, trying to build a repertoire of methodologies, techniques and activities. I even had a special part on my notebook reserved for good ideas in teaching.

After this phase, I started feeling more confident in my teaching again, and suddenly realised that after every semester of classes, I had a very clear notion that I improved as a teacher. It’s quite a good feeling to be certain that in 6 months from now, I’ll be in a much better place as a professional. The idea of being a good teacher became having good days and bad days, and that by minimising the latter was my goal.

I still think that there are good lessons and bad lessons, as opposed to good teachers and bad teachers. The balance between success and failure in the classroom is what counts for me.

But I am still convinced that a good teacher is 101% people oriented. To me, that’s the main thing. Someone who’s sensitive enough to read body language, facial expressions, tone of voice. Someone who clearly knows who likes him and who doesn’t. Someone who makes an effort to build a good relationship with those students who didn’t ‘buy your fish’ from day one. Someone who knows when it’s time to focus, and when it’s time to have fun. When students can be pushed, and when they need a break. Of course all this can be learnt, but for me it goes through behaviour rather than information.

Training as a means of information exchange can make you better, of course. You can become a better good teacher or a better bad teacher.

As for me, I can’t say on which side of the coin I am. What I do know is that I try really hard to be on the good one. I also know that there are plenty of excellent bad teachers out there.