Personally, and from observing other educators, I believe
that the single most important characteristic of an effective teacher is the
relationship/ attitude the teacher has not only with her students but with
other faculty and staff as well.
My most effective teachers in high school were those that
had a great relationship with their students where it was perfectly ok for a
student to go ask the teacher for help with issues both inside and outside the
classroom. Due to the fact that I grew
up in a small town with the entire district population being just a bit over
700 students, we were able to get to know our teachers and have close
relationships with them because our classroom size was only about 10 students
per class period. I remember being able to go to my Spanish teacher who was
also my cheerleading coach, and talk to her about girl problems because her and
I had a close relationship. To me, that is the kind of teacher that left an
important mark on my life.
Another teacher of mine, my algebra teacher, was also a very
nice man. He was the type to sit down and take time to explain all he needed to
in order to successfully teach the objective of the week. Not only did all his
students love him, but all the other staff members were very appreciative of
him because of all he did and always helped others.
In conclusion, I believe an effective teacher must have a
good relationship with both their students and co- workers.
Great story, good relationships are great and I can see them working in a small community. I wonder how it would work in a larger community, difficult but not impossible.
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