What makes a worthy teacher?

Last week's class discussion was on ‘worthy teaching’ and what makes one comfortable or uncomfortable in a classroom. As a teacher, being positive and creating a positive learning environment for your students is important because it can help control or prevent frustration and turn it into productivity. Furthermore, creating a positive atmosphere can encourage students to raise questions and voice their opinions and ideas. A teacher who can make learning fun and enjoyable is, in my opinion, a very worthy one.

                I also believe maintaining professionalism as a teacher is one of the most important qualities a “worthy” teacher should have. Sometimes the profession of teaching is not treated as exactly that – a profession. It takes great skill to maintain a professional attitude and handle challenging situations professionally; thus, someone who can constantly do this on the job should be considered a worthy teacher. Having experience working with children of diverse backgrounds, I can relate to the challenges of “unruly children.” As a human, it can be difficult to maintain your professionalism when testing situations with children and parents arise, so I admire a teacher who is able to deal with the situations very professionally, regardless of their personal feelings. This is not to say teachers should not express their personal feelings or act on them, but rather, professional teachers should be to discern when the situation would benefit from it.

                Another important quality is recognition. It is crucial that every student in the class feels recognized and represented. Although it is true that most teachers care for their student’s success, it is difficult to ensure students who come from all different backgrounds feel that, for example, the books they read and the history they learn, represent their backgrounds and the issues that affect them or their families.

                All of these traits, but many more such as respect, empathy and patience to name a few, make for a very worthy teacher. Fortunately, most people who become teachers do so because they have a passion for what they do, they care about young people, and they want to help them be successful and achieve all they can in their lives. When a teacher possesses all the above traits and makes a learning environment positive and encouraging for everyone in the class, it makes for a comfortable classroom for all students. 

- Rita Shahi