I've posted all the qualities that everyone in this class thought were characteristics of an effective teacher on the right hand side of our blog....take a look at the list, thinking about the value of each characteristic. After you've reviewed the list carefully, please post your response to the following question.....
Congratulations! You've just landed the teaching position of your dreams. You begin packing your things to fly to the new school district and realize, due to the increased costs of gasoline, you can bring with you only three suitcases. Each suitcase can hold only ONE quality of an effective teacher...which three would you take with you and why?
Don't forget to also post a response to one of your peers. Happy Writing!
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65 comments:
I would take organized, good listener, and patient. An effective teacher needs these three qualities because they must be willing to listen to all of their students problems and in order to do that, they must have patience and be a good listener as well. I think that it is important for a teacher to be organized because if they aren't then their desk would be full of papers and they wouldn't be on top of things. An effective teacher has to be one day ahead of the rest.
I would choose to take the suitcases that hold respectful, flexible and organized because each of these qualities are key to becoming an effective teacher.
Students want respect and have no interest in learning from a teacher who displays the wrong attitude towards them. Also a teacher must be flexible if they ever want to truly get through to their students. Teachers must never live by the old saying "My way or the high way." With flexibility the teacher can show that they care for them with the students' best interest in mind. As for being organized, that is plain and simple. Without organization everything turns to chaos and nothing would ever get done.
Nicole Whitaker
P.S. Chelsea Bauer also has a very good point about being a good listener and being patient. If a student is struggling they should never avoid asking the teacher for help. Being impatient or not listening to your students could have this effect on them and sooner or later they will be far more behind than originally before.
I would take the three qualities being, energetic, patient and not afraid of mistakes. Patience is a quality which can be directed not only with the students but with co workers and oneself. I think being energetic is so important because it entices energy in the students and it helps you to stay positive. When someone is not afraid of mistakes this shows that they have confidence. Confidence is extremely important when having to be in front of others constantly. Also if you are not afraid of mistakes this shows the kids you are teaching that they don't have to be afraid of mistakes either.
I agree with nicole when she says that a teacher cannot teach by the saying "My way or the highway". This will most likely bring out stubborness in the srudents and even strife. Students seem to have a lot harder time wanting to learn or even learning when a teacher is not willing to be a little flexible
consistent, interactive, and sacrificial. this is the luggage that i would carry with me. A consistent teacher is someone whom a student can count on, an interactive one involves the student and makes them feel like they have self worth, a sacrificial one devotes himself entirely to his trade and thrives on students success. these qualities seem to me to be the qualities of a great teacher.
-Devin Lowe
I also agree with Nicole. A teacher must be respectful because all students want to be respected by their teachers. If they are respected by their teachers, maybe they will want to learn what the teacher is teaching. A teacher also should be flexible because they have to do what the kids want not what they want, so I think Nicole has some good reasons as well.
My three suitcases would contain interaction, patient, and organized. I believe those three collectively would be the most effective. It is important to interact with your students because it allows you to better understand them and the ways they learn. As a teacher you will see that each student may have individual needs and you'll need to be patient with them all. Lastly, if you are not organized you'll lose them no matter how patient you are.
I think Jenifer makes a good point. She packed "not being afraid to make mistakes" everybody makes mistakes and effective teachers should not be afraid to stand up to them and set an example for their students to learn from them. Discouragement is often an unnecassary downfall in education.
I would take the suitcases containing not afraid of mistakes, spontaneous and interaction. As a teacher, if you prove to your students that you too are human and make mistakes, the students may become more likely to try new things which then allows for the students to have a bit of spontaneity. Katy stated, "each student may have individual needs" and I couldn't agree with her more. Students do learn differently and because of that, I packed spontaneous. If i am spontaneous and willing to try new things, my students may individually learn in the way that is best for them. I also packed interaction. Interaction to me is the key to success in the classroom. If a teacher is not interacting with his or her students, he or she is not understanding what more they can do to help the students reach their highest potential.
I support Jennifer's statement that "Patience is a quality which can be directed not only with the students but with co workers and oneself." As students, we feel that when we become teachers, our focus should be directed toward the students which is correct. However, like Jennifer said, we must also remember that patience within ourselves and with our co-workers is what will make our job more prosperous and fulfilling.
I would pack not afraid to make mistakes, patient, flexible. Even as a teacher you are human, nobody is perfect your going to make mistakes and if you just roll with the punches, i think class would be a lot easier and enjoyable not just for you, but the students as well. Patience and being flexable roll hand in hand i believe. Not everything is going to happen on your time, maybe in a perfect world. But since this is not a perfect world, if you bend the way things get done every now and then, class just might roll a bit smoother.
I would have to agree with Nicole that teachers should have respect for there students. I had a teacher m junior and senior year who i had no respect for and he had no respect for me. He had yelled at me numerous times, tried to embarrass me in front of the entire class. He treated us like four year olds just cause he didn't respect us. It didn't motivate me to do any work at all for him.
My three suitcases would be filled with energy, orgainzation, and patient. These three qualties can make a learning enviroment fun, relaxing and interesting. If the teacher has energy then the students have energy. They are a product of their enviroment. If the teacher is organized with the material they present then the students will learn quicker and easier. Lastly, being patient with the students can help you solve the learning level of the class room. Some students can learn faster and others slower. These three qualites are qualities that I respect in current teachers and is the type of teacher I would like to be.
i would take creativity, organization, and patience. I think a teacher with effective ways of learning has to be creative to reach out to his/her students. They have to stand out from the others and be creative, yet organized and patient.
Sarah said somthing about a good teacher being respectful of not only others but for one's self as well. I do belive that to be true. if you don't have respect for yourself, no one else will respect you either. that goes for the way you dress and present yourself in frount of an audience. If you dress and act childish, chances are you won't get the respect you secretly hope for.
i agree with what lauren (at the bottom said) all three qualities are what i also believe make an amazing teacher. i also think you cant be afraid to make mistakes, everyone does...even teachers.
If i finally got my dream job as teaching. I would bring patience, creativity, and organization. You need to be patience because when you work with little kids things get very hectic. You need to be creative and make learning not only interesting but fun also. Do different things, dont always do book work, do group and class activities. You also need to be organized, if your confused about where stuff is or what to teach, the kids will also get confused. You need to be on top of your game at all times. Teach the kids, help the kids, be patient to them and listen to them. These are good qualities of an effective teacher.
I would choose to bring the suitcases that held sacrificial, patient, and organized. The best teacher I ever had was willing to sacrifice his free time to help students after school. It really helped me to excel in his class. In addition, I think teachers need to be patient. Not all students will learn at the same rate, and teachers need to always keep this in mind. Lastly, organization is key. Not only will it make it easier to control the class, it will set a good example for kids to be organized as well. If teachers don't keep things organized, they can't expect their students to.
I agree with Bridget Kohler about creativity. It is important for kids to like school, not just tolerate it. When students enjoy what they are learning, they will pay more attention and be more willing to study outside of class.
The three qualities I would choose to take would be energetic, patient, and orgainized. I would take energetic because you have to keep the kids interest in everything you do. If your having a bad thats going to affect your students and you always have to remember that they come first. So showing some energy will get them excited to learn. I picked patient because well we could all use that in this job. I need to realize that every child learns at their own pace, so being patient will help me to give time to the students that need more. Last is orgainzed. This is key because being orgainzed will help you to plan for certain activites and keep track of all the paperwork that you must keep up on.
I agree with devin in choosing sacrifical. This is a very key quality and one that I hope to have when I begin teaching. The students are going to need everything you have to offer and then some to be an effective teacher.
The three qualities I would take with me would be organized, sacrificial, and encourage interest in subjects in that order. I believe teachers should always be organized to set an example for the students. Yes, a teacher might mess up ever now and again thats human! Secondly, I chose sacrificial because many time a teacher needs to put that extra amount of attention on certain individuals to get them to excel. Third an most vital I chose encourage interest in subjects because if kids want to learn and can have fun in your class it makes it much more interesting for the teacher and the student.
I also agree with Jennifer W in how teachers cannot be scared to make mistakes. Teachers are human and mistakes are ok. Not only should the teacher learn from them but the students as well.
I would take humor, consistency, and good listener because as an effective teacher
you need to be able to create a relaxed environment by having a good sense of humor and being able to laugh at yourself you can do that. Second you need to be consistent in the way you teach and address each student individually and as a class. Lastly, you must be a good, attentive, active listener because some of the best teaching methods for set class
come from your students, also pay attention to what they are trying to
tell/teach each other. Some times you need to sit back and just listen.
~ Aaron Robertson
I also like Mr.Lowe's point of a teacher being sacrificial, most of the time you will find yourself going to extraordinary lengths to help a student with home work or in class assignments. Also this ties into what i said in my earlier blog about
being able to laugh at yourself, put your image out on the line to create a relaxed
comfortable learning environment. Which atmosphere would you be most comfortable in relaxed, or serious/tense?
~ Aaron Robertson
If i had to take three suitcases i would take organized good listener and energetic. Students will not be excited about coming to class unless you are energetic and make the class exciting. A teacher should be organized so he or she can be prepared for class and so the teacher does not loose papers and keeps track of grades. Being a good listener is very important so you are following the students needs also.
I agree with Jennifer about not being afraid of making mistakes because every teacher will make mistakes but they should just learn from them and make themselves a better teacher from every mistake made.
I would take patience, good listener, and energetic. I think patience is the most important quality a teacher can have because without it, they wouldn't be able to help students. Also teachers must be good listeners to help understand where the student is coming from and help them. An effective teacher also needs to be energetic to help keep the students attention and help make learning fun.
Olivia also makes a good point about how being organized is very important, because if teachers aren't organized, they will lose stuff and never be ready for class. If a teacher can't even be organized and take care of stuff, how they expect students to do the same?
I would chose to bring sacrificial, spontaneous, and encourage interest in subjects. Being sacrificial is important because you have to be willing to give up your time, energy and focus to help your students when they need you. Spontaneity is vital because while many teachers rely on just their lesson plans to get them through class they have to be ready to drop everything if something changes and they need to make modifications to accommodate the environment in the classroom and the changing input from the students. I believe the encouraging interest in a subject is the most important quality of an effective teacher, this is mostly because if a student is to become successful they have to be interested in what they are learning it has to be relevant to their lives. A teacher needs to give students a reason to WANT to learn, not just the lame "it's what you have to do" excuse that many teachers provide.
I agree with the beginning of Nicole's second paragraph about a student wanting respect, you have to show your students respect for them to return it. If you act like a superior jerk towards your students they are going to act like immature children when you need them to step up and be adults.
Funny, good listener, and respectful. I think it's a very important thing to be funny. If you say funny things kids will wanna make sure they're paying attention so they don't miss the next funny wise crack. At the same time you need to listen and respect what the kids have to say.
Referring to what Ms. Bridges said, organization is more important than I've really ever thought it to be. There was classes where the teacher kind of forced us to be more organized with our classwork and what not and those were the classes that I would tend to do better in.
I would pack my suitcase full of interactive, sacrificial, and focuses on learning. If a teacher isn't interactive with their students, they wont pay any attention. Some teachers focus only on the lesson plan but it's the ones who focus on the kids learning the material that are the best. A great teacher puts students before themselves.
Bridget is right in saying a teacher has to be organized in order to teach. if the teacher cant get their stuff together the students probably wont either
I would take good listener, respectful, and energetic. I believe that a good teacher needs to be a good listener so that they can listen and realize the students needs and abilities. You can tell a lot about someone if you listen. You can find out how much they know. Focuses on Learning would be in the other suitcase because that is why your students are in class, to learn. The last one would be energetic. I believe that a teacher needs to focus on learning and be very energetic about the topic that they are teaching. In my past experiences, the energetic teachers are the ones that I seemed to learn the most about. The energetic teacher keeps most people interested and involoved in what is going on.
I agree with bandman with humor. I believe that it does make a big difference if a teacher has a good sense of humor. It always makes the class more enjoyable. Humor is good as long as the teacher makes time to teach and learn.
I would take pateint, good listener, and organized. An effective teavher needs to have patience because you wont be able to help students with their problems if your not willing to. You need to be a good listener to be able to communicate effectively with your students. You also need to be organized if you want your class to run smoothly otherwise it could be chaotic.
I agree with Sam about needing to be energetic so you can keep the kids interested. If your energetic then it gets eveeryone more involved.
I would choose flexible because when your a teacher so many things could pop up and you need to be able to deal with them. patient because every student works at a different pace and you don't just want to teach the smartest of you students. focus on learning because i am the type of person that could get destracted easily and i wouldnt want that to effect my students.
i agree with katy when she said that you need have interaction with your students i think that if you interact with them it shows that you really care about what your teaching and that gets their attention
I would take patient, energetic, and encourages interest in subjects because those were the best qualities in my favorite teacher! i would also agree with nicole in her organization comment, i would have put that as well but i could only pick three but it is very important!
I would take the suitcases containing patience, spontaneity, and being interactive.
I would take the case with patience because who doesn't need a little more of that? That and everyone learns at different speeds. The reason that I would take spontaneity is that I wouldn't want to be a 'cookie-cutter' teacher and different situations require different actions and sometimes you just have to improvise. I would also take the suitcase with being interactive because there is nothing more boring that would make a student disconnect faster than a teacher who does nothing but lecture all day, every day.
And i also agree with Nicole Whitaker because without respect for your students, you can forget about getting respect back. And without respect you lose control of the classroom and that makes for a terrible learning enviroment.
I believe I would pack organized, energetic, and respectful. As a student I rembemer that you could always tell when a teacher did or did not come to class organized. Even a great teacher can loose precious time w/ the students for teaching or imparting knowledge if their lesson plan is missing, or they forgot to make important copies, or a printout for class is incorrect. I also believe being energetic is essential to being an effective teacher. No student wants to go to class where the teacher is as about excited to be there as a wet noodle. If you want your students to be excited or even a tiny bit enthused about the curriculum- the teacher needs to be excited or show enthusiasm for the curriculum. Lastly, I chose respect as my third quality to pack.
I agree w/ Nicole Whitaker when she said thatno student wants to learn from a 'teacher who displays the wrong attitude towards them'. A teacher needs the respect of their students if they are to make any kind of progress as a teacher in their classroom. Thus, they should respect their students. I think respect for a student includes realizing that you are there for them- not to get the lesson plan done. It means listening when they speak, or share concerns. Respect means that you realize that if the pace you set isnt what is going to be advantageous to the learner that you adjust. I think respect is HUGE.
I admire Devin Lowe because a sacrificial teacher is the most passionate and dedicated teacher you will find. Also, I agree the ability to make a child recognize and improve upon their own self worth is paramount. For me the three suitcases I would take would start with being assertive. I believe this is a good trait to have because the kids can sense confidence. If you go into a room and are confident, you will garner more respect because they will assume that they cannot rattle you as easily. Confidence however will only get you so far, and as no one is perfect, you will make mistakes. everyone does, it is a fact of life. the important thing is taking that experience and learning from it. the final quality is probably the most important for me. it is not on this list, but rather on Wednesday's list. It is "The ability to learn as much as they teach." This speaks volumes about how teaching as well as life in general are a continual learning process. To be able to enter each classroom with the mindset that you are both a teacher and a student is truly monumental and shows an utter dedication to your craft.
I would choose focuses on learning, flexible, and sacrificial. So often teachers focus only on grades rather than helping their students to love learning and strive for their personal best. A great teacher must also be flexible. Sometimes it takes something new or different to help a student learn. A teacher cannot place every student in a box and expect them to live to their full potential. Teachers must also be sacrificial with their time and energy. It is not a typical job where one can go home and forget about work. There's always homework or test to grade or someone to tutor. An effective teacher must have these qualities.
going along with what bridget and danny said, organization is key to effective teaching. without it you could still teach, just not as effectively, flying by the seat of your pants can only get you so far.
I love what Janice Cintron said. If a teacher wants his/her students to be successful they must encourage the students interest in the subject. I also liked when she said that an effective teacher can't rely on their lesson plan. Sometimes they have to try something new to get the result they want.
If I could take three characteristics of a good teacher I would take interactive, patient and organized. Interactive was one of my choices because I like to learn with hands on activities because it keep me focused. I would take patient because I do not want a teacher to get mad or frustrated with me when I do not understand something the first time it is explained. Organized is the third thing I would take with me. Organization is important to me because in freshman year of college my college algebra teacher would loose our homework assignments and sometimes even our exams. It was very discouraging to be accused of not completing an assignment and being asked to redo it if you wanted to recieve credit.
If I could take three characteristics of a good teacher I would take interactive, patient and organized. Interactive was one of my choices because I like to learn with hands on activities because it keep me focused. I would take patient because I do not want a teacher to get mad or frustrated with me when I do not understand something the first time it is explained. Organized is the third thing I would take with me. Organization is important to me because in freshman year of college my college algebra teacher would loose our homework assignments and sometimes even our exams. It was very discouraging to be accused of not completing an assignment and being asked to redo it if you wanted to recieve credit.
I agree with what Ryan said about a teacher having the quality of spontaneity. My favorite teacher was not the "cookie cutter teacher" because he stands out in my mind compared to any other teacher. He would come up with activites that were so out of the ordinary. I would always look forward to Wednesdays when we would do activities and experiments.
I would choose to take suitcases containing patience, good listening skills, and a positive attitude. These three qualities are what I saw in the teachers i learned the most from. I feel that by learning to use such qualities i could become a successful and well liked teacher wherever i end up. Students will always need help that is why I chose the three qualities I did.
I agree with Chelsea because patience is a big part of being a teacher and if you're not, then your students won't respond to your teachings as well.
THE THREE SUITCASES THAT I WOULD BRING WITH ME WOULD BE WOULD BE ORGANIZED, ENERGETIC, AND FLEXIBLE. BEING ORGANIZED IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN TEACHING, YOU CAN'T HAVE ALL OF YOUR STUFF LYING ON YOUR DESK IN A BIG MESS. ENERGETIC IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN BEING A TEACHER BECAUSE WHEN YOUR A BORING TEACHER, KIDS AREN'T GOING TO FEEL MOTIVATED TO LEARN.
Herb-
having patience is a very important quality to have inorder to be an effective teacher. because every teacher always has that bad student and you need patience when your trying to run your class
i think that being able to give 100 percen everyday(energetic), patient, and organized are the best qualities of a great teacher.
i agree with alot of people who put "not being afraid to make mistakes". Jen, sarah, and Katy all put that.
I would pack focuses on learning, energetic, and patient. In my opinion, these three qualities in a classroom would be great. Students want to have a fun, energetic teacher with the bonus of learning something in their class. A teacher who can acomplish being fun and teaching a class well will have successful students. Especially if the teacher has the patience to help those who don't fully understand the topic.
I agree with nicole about respect. No student wants to sit there and listen to someone while being talked down to.
The three qualities I would bring with me would be not afraid of making mistakes, consistency, and being funny. These might not be the most important teacher qualities, but I think they help make a truly influential teacher. Nobody is perfect, so the mistakes trait is good for teachers to have. All students are different, and because of that, a teacher might not always make the correct decision in every situation. As a student, nothing frustrates me more than never knowing what to expect from day to day, so consistency is definitely crucial. This routine helps students to better understand the class and really feel comfortable about the work being done. Funny is my last trait because students need something to relate to their teacher with. By using comedy, it allows the students to take down their walls and let the teacher get to know them better.
lindsay hit home with me about the organization trait. i could definitely relate to her frustration about having an unorganized teacher and having to redo assignments. losing a student's assignments is probably the most inconsiderate thing a teacher could do.
i would take good listener because you cant be a good leader without learning how to listen to others and there ideas. Being able to admit mistakes becuase kids need to know that it is okay to fail or mess up you just have to pick yourself back up. Finally i would take patience becuase it takes a world of patience to teach kids but it is all worth it once they can get it on their own.
I would take with me patience, organization, and passion. Teachers need to have patience, because every once and awhile you get those students that need the extra attention and more explanation. Organization, because i hate it when your teacher is unprepared or doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Lastly passion, because you can't just decide one day that you want to be a math teacher, you have to understand and like what you are teaching!
I would have to agree with Lexi because who doesn't like it when your teacher has a sense of humor? It makes class a lot more fun to go to especially if its a class that you dread.
I would pack humor, orgainzed,and interactive. I love it when my teachers are funny, I stay awake longer just waiting for a punch line. I would want to be organized because i worry about teachers that arn't organized. i'm always afraid they are going to lose my papers. being interactive with students is always a fun way to learn.
I agree with erin about being patient is a good quality. there lots of kids who take just a little bit longer to understand thangs.
In my suitcases I would pack patience, enthusiasm, and
flexibility. Patience is probably the most important
characteristic that all effective teachers. You not only
have to be patient with the students, but also with
administration and parents. Enthusiasm would also be in a
suitcase because of the way that it influences your
students. By being enthusiastic, you engage the students
which allows maximum learning to take place. Nobody wants
to listen to a booring teacher. Also, flexibility is very
important in teaching. Often times things don't work out
just the way that you planned. In those cases, one must
adjust and change the schedule to make things continue as
smoothly as possible.
-Rebecca Peddicord
Chelsea,
Organization and listening well are also very good characteristics. I had a teacher in high school who was constantly losing our papers and giving us zeros on them until we went through her rediculus stack of ungraded papers to find it. Needless to say, she could use a little organization.
-Rebecca Peddicord
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