Good teacher vs Bad teacher

“Good Teacher and Bad Teacher.”

All students have had hundreds of teachers in their lifetimes. We as students may have at least one inspirational teacher who opened our minds to learning and is remembered as being exceptionally good. On the other hand, there are other teachers who made our learning experience an ordeal, one forever associated with memories we’d rather forget. These teachers are known for their dull and uninspiring teachings and lessons. Their lecture would drone on and on, and before long, it’s a struggle just to stay awake in their classes. In respect to this, what makes a teacher good or bad ? What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable teacher or the vice versa? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times harder than they normally would, while others inspire students to skip class? Also, why do students learn more from some teachers than others? Nevertheless, it is every student’s hope that all their teachers strive to be excellent, effective teachers. However, education is just like any other profession. There are those who work extremely hard at their craft getting better on a daily basis while there are those that are just simply there never striving to improve. Although this type of teacher is in the minority, these bad teachers contribute significantly to making all teachers look ineffective. It is a disappointing yet frustrating reality in education that bad teachers exist. 

I have an inspirational teacher too. He is the best History teacher ever. As far as I’m concerned, many of the people who don't like history and think it is boring have been subjected to horrible teachers and boring books. I remember hating history in school, until I had one great teacher. He made history fun and interesting. Suddenly, I realized how much I loved history, because a good teacher turned it from a boring, dusty book subject to a living story of the past that resonates today. His best feature was his sense of humor. He always did silly things in class that helped us store important information in perspective. I enjoyed his teaching style by which he normally picks a concept then nicely shapes a lesson that will be unique and engaging. Even though he was always funny, silly and fooling around, he never failed to deliver his lessons and complete the objective of the day accurately as he was able to recognize the appropriate times to have a good laugh and help shift the atmosphere of the classroom to a more cheerful one when he finds us losing concentration or feeling drained out. Making an “A” in his class was easy.

Besides, I also had an English lecturer once who so inspired me that I spent time in the library expanding my knowledge of the literature we were discussing. Unlike the school teachers, my lecturer rarely spoon fed us with answers and expected us to look out for the solutions ourselves. But, this did not mean she lacked content of knowledge, in fact she is a certified holder of a Master’s degree in English Literature and is also compassionate about teaching Literature to her students. However, she provided us with limited yet efficient notes and only taught us the necessary techniques needed to understand the matter of subject. There is a saying, "Give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me how to fish and I eat for a lifetime." Consequently, I realize that I became more independent and soon discovered a new learning style self-directed learning. Honestly, it was indeed challenging to cope in her class as she set high expectations for her students greatly which eventually affected our achievement. However, she knew that students generally give to teachers as much or as little as is expected of them. Nevertheless, my lecturer constantly motivated us by saying “We’ll all do this together,”to help us build confidence and interest to master difficult materials. Thus, she spends maximum amount of time necessary to do her job arriving early or staying late to clarify our mistakes and doubts. She was indeed an expert in her field.

Well, on the other hand, we can’t just simply get rid of bad teachers though. It is a norm to blame the teachers if we had poor grades. So is in my case. My Physic lessons during my senior year back at high school was a tragic.I was a poor in calculation and I needed a great teacher to reach me, to go that extra mile and say to me “You are great. Everything you do is wonderful.” But he did not do that. He merely taught. The question is, how did he teach me? He definitely lacked professionalism. Everything was just improper - from personal appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Little did he put an effort to dress well, to deliver lessons to the students in an appropriate manner or to even come on time. Undeniably, teaching is a gift and should be conducted professionally. But sadly, he did not respect his profession nor the students in the class. Half the time, I saw no point in learning because he seldom worked hard to make his materials relevant. In my opinion, knowledge is worthless unless it is delivered to the students in a form they can understand. Now tell me, if he was such a great teacher, how come I failed?

Not only that, I encountered another practical teacher who taught me Mathematics for short period of time during my primary school days. Her lessons were dreadful. Not just my classmates and I feared for her but the entire school did. Her fearful and arrogant look scared us to death thus, ‘Monster’ was what we called her. I suppose she was a newbie that realized she did not want to be a teacher until it was too late. In any case, this type of teacher is not doing herself, her students, or the profession any favors by hanging on just to draw a pay check. I realized, she had poor people skills. She seldom dealt with people including the parents, students and even the staff members in an inappropriate manner. I believe good communication skill is essential to maintain a good teacher-student or teacher-parent relationship. Unfortunately, she lacked this skill and would constantly be rude and impolite to everyone. Besides, another reason why we feared her was because she had no self -control. Screaming away and behaving like the macaque in class sure did keep her students stay within the boundaries but this definitely was not the right way to attain golden silence. Even till the end, my teacher failed to recognize the reality. She probably goes home thinking that she had managed well by her screams and act of terrorism that at times made one or two of my classmates cry while the other students were quietly listening away, but the truth is while she screams all her energies away, we hide in our little dream world and space out in class. 

For many students especially the young learners assume that a great teacher was someone who provided classroom entertainment and gave very little homework. However, that’s not it. There’s more to becoming a great teacher. Firstly, a good teacher should obtain certification within a specific subject area that they’re teaching. The materials, methods and techniques used to conduct lessons should be appropriate and fit each child as everyone has a different style of learning. Secondly, good teaching also requires the teacher to have the necessary skills to convey the knowledge. It is about doing your best to keep on top of your field, reading sources, inside and outside of your areas of expertise, bridging the gap between theory and practice and being at the leading edge as often as possible to help your students understand the matter of subject. Next on the list, is to have the ability to make the material you are teaching interesting and relevant. Therefore, sense of humor and creativity play an important role to bring joy and understanding into the class. Lastly, good teachers should have a deep-seated respect for the students in the classroom. Teachers who have good time management, well organized schedule, portray a healthy self image, monitor students’progress and recognize their weakness show that they are concern for the children’s education. With all these four qualities, good teachers and good teaching will exist.