What teachers say about being a great teacher?

By Randy Tudy

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Excellence is value that all teachers witness and teach in their lives.  I’ve seen this value in my teachers from elementary all the way to my doctorate.  As part of faculty development, teachers are sent for training and seminars in order to raise the bar of excellence both for the profession and the education program.

Being a teacher myself I also try my best to live up to the expectation and the essence of being a teacher. 

In a simple survey, I asked my co-educators on their take on being a great teacher.  Read their comments:

 “It's very simple - if you know your subject and you genuinely want to teach it, then you find the way to do it, though it may require some time (the less experience and knowledge you have the more time you spend). If you don't care about your subject or about students learning something, then you never succeed.  Best teachers are not well-programmed robots but people who care. That's what matters.”

 “Great teachers inspire creativity and offer the support that encourages a courageous approach to study.”

“Learning has its roots in relationships. We can build those relationships at arms’ length through the printed word, digital mediums and screens yet, as human beings, the strongest relationships are physical.”

“As teachers when we connect cognitively and emotionally with students we offer them an opportunity to see how positive relationships fuel the learning process. This is internal and external - learners need to trust themselves as much as they trust those they call their teacher.”

“Teachers are to be made better within the teaching process. Teachers must teach with all passion targeting the development of children. Let every student be efficient enough.”

“Teachers are to be made better within the teaching process. Teachers must teach with all passion targeting the development of children.”

What about you?  What is your opinion of becoming a great teacher?  Write your comments below.