How to Be a Good Teacher
I have been an English teacher in middle schools for several years, and I know that it is not easy to be a good teacher, because a good teacher is required to have many qualities as follows. Firstly, a good teacher must have a good personal quality such as being patient to tolerate the students who have made some mistakes, showing enthusiasm in class, being humorous, having a quick response to the immediate emergency, being open-minded, etc. Probably, the teachers with these personal qualities will attract students and be liked by them. Secondly, a good teacher should have the teaching faculty. In order to have this capability, a teacher should acquire enough knowledge. On the one hand, he should acquire the wide knowledge of philosophy, psychology, education (how to teach), culture, history, geography, etc. On the other hand, he must master much deeper theories in his research field. Apart from this knowledge, an English teacher should possess the necessary skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating, among which speaking is of paramount importance. In addition, a good English teacher may have the means to activate his class and give students the opportunities to practice English. Only in this way students can use English and improve their communicative competence. Thirdly, a good teacher should have the awareness of learning. We are in an information age, and the knowledge is changing quickly. If a teacher doesn’t charge himself from time to time, his theory may be out of date, and he may not keep the pace with development of our society. At present, a teacher is required not only to know how to teach, but also to do research in his field. So, he should update his theory and know the newest one in the world. Finally, a good teacher should have moral quality, that is to say, a good teacher should be a model and set a good example to his students and others. A good teacher will be a good citizen, for example, complying with the laws of our country and the rules of the school, offering seats on the bus, helping others, and so on. For a good teacher the most important moral is to love students and to love the course of teaching. As long as he has the innate love for his profession, he may has enormous zest for his students, and become an excellent teacher. With reference to the above aspects, manifestly, I am not a good teacher. But fortunately, I am trying my best to reach the goal.