The Memorable Teachers; What made them different?
A teacher should be more than a didactic; an interactive figure, a guide, a mentor and a in some cases an assistant to the student to help them pave their own way and the future of their own learning journey. According to the philosophy of Sugata Mitra, a teacher's role is to guide the innate curiosity and wonder of the children and direct to them to the right resources and let them explore, with an occasional pat on the back and/or premeditated general queries to excite them and motivate them to learn and find the answers themselves.
In my own personal experience, the teachers who stood out from the rest and made a lasting experience were the ones who knew that the their role as teachers is about more than just teaching, more than just delivering a lecture and cramming as much as possible in a limited time to finish the assigned curriculum. These teachers were the ones who'd take an initiative to stop, take a step back and learn about the unique learning styles of the students and then take their lead and design and personalize their lessons accordingly. These teachers were the ones who were perceptive to the cue that if the students aren't learning they way they are teaching, they need to change the way they are teaching. Simply put, they brought learning to life. The teachers who left their mark on my learning, were the ones who took on the role of a pedagogue, a carer and incorporated learning as daily part of our lives. In short, they were passionate about teaching, their students and education, and it was a sentiment that was shared by most of their students.
One of the common characteristic that I found in these teachers was how they connected to my parents and my family. They knew my sisters who studied in the same school. They knew my parents and were always cordial and accommodating towards them and would never shut try to shut them out, instead tried to connect with them, and extend my learning beyond the classroom. I believe that during the early years, it makes a big impact on how the children view their teachers based upon how well their parents like them, or approve of them. This helped my teachers as well; as they knew me better, they could better understand my reactions and behavior in classroom setting.
Teachers can enrich the learning expriences by reaching out to the parents, and extending the learning beyond the borders and walls of the school. Parent-Teacher collaborations and workshops, one-on-one detailed PTMs, and student progress updates through out the week, month and the year are some of the idiosyncratic traits that can set apart a good teacher from a mediocre one.
In my opinion, and my limited observations over the past 6 years as a parent to school going children, teachers often lose sight of the key stakeholder; the students. Their job is NOT about finishing the curriculum and reaching the finish line first; their job is "Educating'' a set of students, a set of humans. Education is more than just teaching and learning new skills/concepts. Teachers need to plan their lessons according to the capabilities and the temperament of their assigned students, and keep reflecting on their practice; keep challenging the assumptions and keep changing their methodology in order to develop interest and keep the students excited about learning. They need to keep abreast of the latest progress and researches and techniques and use them effectively in their classrooms. We need more 'Reflexive Teachers'.
Above all, we need teachers who are passionate about their subjects. Passion directs one's interests and the motivation to learn more. If a teacher is passionate about the area of their expertise, they will be more inclined to build on their competencies, be better crafts-persons, and be better at teaching. Yet, they need to know exactly how to direct the students learning, and step away when needed instead of relying on a one-way transfer of information treating students as knowledge banks. This kind of role, requires that the teachers are perceptive and connected to each student at an individual level and understand when and how much help they need and when it is better to let the students explore and research on their own and author their own learning. They are the kind of teachers who bring learning to life.
Teachers as Pedagogues
In my own personal experience, the teachers who stood out from the rest and made a lasting experience were the ones who knew that the their role as teachers is about more than just teaching, more than just delivering a lecture and cramming as much as possible in a limited time to finish the assigned curriculum. These teachers were the ones who'd take an initiative to stop, take a step back and learn about the unique learning styles of the students and then take their lead and design and personalize their lessons accordingly. These teachers were the ones who were perceptive to the cue that if the students aren't learning they way they are teaching, they need to change the way they are teaching. Simply put, they brought learning to life. The teachers who left their mark on my learning, were the ones who took on the role of a pedagogue, a carer and incorporated learning as daily part of our lives. In short, they were passionate about teaching, their students and education, and it was a sentiment that was shared by most of their students.
Family Engagements
One of the common characteristic that I found in these teachers was how they connected to my parents and my family. They knew my sisters who studied in the same school. They knew my parents and were always cordial and accommodating towards them and would never shut try to shut them out, instead tried to connect with them, and extend my learning beyond the classroom. I believe that during the early years, it makes a big impact on how the children view their teachers based upon how well their parents like them, or approve of them. This helped my teachers as well; as they knew me better, they could better understand my reactions and behavior in classroom setting.
Teachers can enrich the learning expriences by reaching out to the parents, and extending the learning beyond the borders and walls of the school. Parent-Teacher collaborations and workshops, one-on-one detailed PTMs, and student progress updates through out the week, month and the year are some of the idiosyncratic traits that can set apart a good teacher from a mediocre one.
Challenging the Meaning Schemes
In my opinion, and my limited observations over the past 6 years as a parent to school going children, teachers often lose sight of the key stakeholder; the students. Their job is NOT about finishing the curriculum and reaching the finish line first; their job is "Educating'' a set of students, a set of humans. Education is more than just teaching and learning new skills/concepts. Teachers need to plan their lessons according to the capabilities and the temperament of their assigned students, and keep reflecting on their practice; keep challenging the assumptions and keep changing their methodology in order to develop interest and keep the students excited about learning. They need to keep abreast of the latest progress and researches and techniques and use them effectively in their classrooms. We need more 'Reflexive Teachers'.
Passionate Life-Long Learners
Above all, we need teachers who are passionate about their subjects. Passion directs one's interests and the motivation to learn more. If a teacher is passionate about the area of their expertise, they will be more inclined to build on their competencies, be better crafts-persons, and be better at teaching. Yet, they need to know exactly how to direct the students learning, and step away when needed instead of relying on a one-way transfer of information treating students as knowledge banks. This kind of role, requires that the teachers are perceptive and connected to each student at an individual level and understand when and how much help they need and when it is better to let the students explore and research on their own and author their own learning. They are the kind of teachers who bring learning to life.
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