Everyday Things That Make a Teacher

What makes a teacher? What are MY criteria for a good teacher? What kind of teacher would I like to be?

These are the questions every (trainee) teacher should answer. 

In my opinion the most important thing is to care about the students as people, respect them and believe in them (especially the ones who need it the most!). I will most likely teach youngsters from 15 to 18 years old, and I strongly feel that one of my greatest tasks is to help them to become young adults in those three years they stay with us. So being a teacher is not just teaching the subject but also guiding and helping the students.

Obviously knowing your subject well is essential, too. I think a good teacher shows enthusiasm and interest in the subject. If you are not interested in the subject you are teaching, how can you expect your students to find the love of learning? As a teacher you have to be the role model and show the students how they can find more information and become a better learner.

I find these two criteria the most important! After that comes the different teaching methods you use to make the lessons interactive and interesting as well as the knowledge in curriculum and evaluation. A good teacher also works closely with other teachers, student councilors and school staff.

I know two teachers who meet my criteria. I am sure there are more but these two I know well in person. I have been lucky to learn about being a teacher from my mother. She has always worked hard for her students and for the subject she is teaching. I can tell you that being a Swedish teacher in Finland is not always easy due to the resistance to the second official language among the Finnish speaking population, but my mother has managed it really well. She always gets good feedback from her students. 

The other role model I have is a colleague of mine. She works really hard for her students and makes sure they do not drop out from the system. She really cares about her students and the subject she is teaching. We also have a common interest - internationalism. She is not just a colleague but also a great friend and a godmother to my son.

There is also a downside of being a teacher described above; there is a high risk of finding yourself working hard almost 24/7. So I think it is important for a teacher to find a way to relax and forget your work even though you take teaching as mission.

In the end I would like to share a story of a music teacher, who taught my husband in the 80's. My husband still talks about him and his love of music. This teacher made the music lessons fun by buying interesting instruments for the class room and letting the kids play them not just during the lessons but also during the breaks. He understood that some students needed music to find friends and have a good time at school. Today, almost after 30 years, he sends nice posts to his former students' walls on Facebook. 

So what kind of teacher would I like to be? If someone talks about me as a great teacher (who hopefully has helped to plant the seeds of lifetime love for learning) and a person after 30 years, I can say I have succeeded.