Today, I would like to comment on my top four
qualities that I believe to be necessary for all teachers to acquire in order
to be effective educators in today’s world. An educator should be flexible,
personable, passionate, and engaging. These characteristics are must haves for
educators because they allow for the educator to be more well-rounded. In the
following, I will elaborate on each of these aforementioned characteristics.
Personable and flexible are terms that can be
labled to an effective educator because, after all, educators should be people friendly
and understanding of their students. The students of a personable educator
understand that educator is a mentor to them that they can talk to about any
topic. Personable educators are also educators that provide a safe learning
environment so that students feel free to ask their questions and risk sharing their
answers. Sometimes we forget that answering a question exposes one’s ego, and
that can be uncomfortable for learners. This should be a consideration of
educators. In some situations, an educator may need to show their flexibility
and make an accommodation for a student. For example, a student who does not
like to share aloud will probably benefit from “chalk talks” and other silent
activities. Also, a teacher may be doing a unit on ecology and the majority of
the students may be fascinated by tartigrades or polar bears. A flexible
educator will be able to weave these amazing organisms into the lessons, if not
make them the focal points, to reach the students and further engage them.
In addition to being personable and flexible, an
educator must also be passionate and engaging. In middle and high schools,
teachers will often hear students say, “I can’t believe I slept through Mr.
First-Period-Of-The-Day’s class!” Even more upsetting than this is they can
sometimes even sound proud of this. Thus, it is the job of the educator
to extend themselves to make their students engaged. Less direct instruction
and more discovery lessons can help students stay involved. Also, students that
know a little about their educator can feel more interested in the lessons out
of respect and understanding. As a science teacher candidate, I look at the
most famous science teacher, Bill Nye the Science Guy, as a role model for an
engaging educator. Students want to be surprised and kept on their toes. That
means some lessons may start with an exothermic reaction of sorts, or even dry
ice if I’m feeling adventurous! The bottom line is that students need to see
your passion for your content as you continue to engage their passion for it.
Educators today are
expected to be many different things for their students. A present day Mr. Fini
from “Boy Meets World” is becoming a rarer and rarer gem, but there is still
hope. An educator that is personable, engaging, flexible, and passionate about
learning can supply students with all they need to succeed.
