Not everyone has what it takes to be great teacher, we are not talking solely about the profession here either, there are many areas of life where you are called to be a teacher and it is important that you improve your teaching skills if this is something that does not come naturally to you. As a parent, a friend, a sibling or a co-worker you will be required to teach people new things and it is important that when doing so, you are able to engage and command those who you are teaching in order to impart your knowledge.
Many people also seek out a career in teaching and in order to become a strong teacher or even rise the ranks in teaching like Peter Benedict St Andrews’ inspirational headmaster then you will need to ensure that you possess all of the necessary skills that a great teacher has. Let’s take a look at what characteristics you will need.
Command Respect
Many think that commanding respect is about being a firm disciplinarian and whilst this is slightly true, respect is about far more than shouting and balling. The first stage of gaining respect is offering it, whoever you are teaching should know that they are respected by you. Gaining respect also comes from being knowledgeable about what you are teaching, you cannot expect to command respect if you don’t appear to know what you are doing.
Making it Relative
Everyone learns at a different pace, some things will come naturally to some and be difficult for others and your role as teacher is highlighting this and teaching people in a way in which they can relate. Let’s take a subject such as math for example, many students find it boring and impractical and very often they may switch off during lessons. If you were to relate algebra to the world of WWE for example then you will find that a great many students will suddenly become far more interested because you are making it relative to their interests.
Inspiring
Your job as a teacher is to inspire others, light a fire in their hearts and give them the courage and influence that they need along with the belief that they can truly achieve. In order to do this you need to tap into their psyche and wok out how best you can give them the power of belief. This is true whether you are teaching a child or an adult, everyone needs a little belief instilled and you can do this though your words and your method of teaching.
Flexibility
Your teaching style should be flexible so that you can meet the needs of any type of person whom you happen to be teaching. As we mentioned before, everyone is different and if you cannot adapt your style to different types of learners then you will have a far lower percentage of success than if you are able to mould your style to different people.