The Characteristics and Qualities of a Great Teacher
The characteristics and qualities of a great teacher are about guidance, direction, counseling leadership in the education set up
By Ustaz Mabior Rioc Manyang, Juba, South Sudan
December 2, 2015 (SSB) — According to Prof. J.C Sekamwa, teacher is like a father who loves all his children equally regardless of their behaviors and manners. However, Prof. J.C. Ssekamwa is a renowned Ugandan professor who has been teaching since 1958 and he has taught me together with my colleagues different education course units at St. Lawrence University in Kampala, Uganda. My academic interaction with him in a numerous occasions has put me in a position to learn more about education and the moral principles of a professional teacher. However, in his teaching, he would always tell us that teaching and learning is the opposite of the same coin and each supplements one another.
Here, the generally accepted definition of a teacher is that, teacher is somebody who teaches in the school, college, or at the university with the purpose of giving knowledge and skills to the learners. In other words, teacher is a person who imparts knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes from one generation to other. The great teachers, however, work tirelessly to create a challenging and conducive environment for their learners. More so, teaching involves moral action and teachers are moral agents and thus, classroom interaction in particular is inevitably moral in nature. The following are some of the noticeable qualities and characteristics which define a professional teacher.
A professional teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring about the learners’ development morally, academically and physically. This person is approachable, not only to students, but to the community at around. This is the teacher to whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or even to share emotional feelings. Respectful teachers possess good listening skills and take time out of their busy schedules to help those who need them. If this teacher is having a bad day, no one ever knows—the teacher leaves personal baggage outside the school doors. A great teacher is like biological father and mother and he/she does not discriminate against students from different backgrounds.
A teacher respects students regardless of race, religion, tribes, gender or political and cultural affiliations. In a great teacher’s classroom, each person’s ideas and opinions are valued and appreciated. Students feel safe to express their feelings and opinions of all sorts and learn to respect and listen to others as well. This teacher creates a welcoming learning environment for all students and even their parents and immediate guardians.
A great teacher creates a sense of community and belonging in the classroom and even in the school environment and the community around. The mutual respect in this teacher’s classroom provides a supportive, collaborative environment where every student feels safe and secured. In this small community, there are rules to follow and jobs to be done and each student is aware that he or she is an important, integral part of the group. A great teacher lets students know that they can depend not only on her or him, but also on the entire class.
A great teacher sets high expectations for all students. This teacher realizes that the expectations she or she has for her or his students greatly affect their achievement; and knows that students generally give to teachers as much or as little as is expected from them. These high expectations are basically about academic achievements, career opportunities and being a responsible and resourceful citizen to the country.
A professional teacher has his own love of learning and inspires students with his passion for education and for the teaching materials. He/she constantly renews himself as a professional on his quest to provide students with the highest quality of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies and always seems to be the one who is willing to share what he or she has learned with his or her colleagues. This kind of a teacher is always ready to upgrade his knowledge and acquire new skills so as to keep him professionally active and participative in the learning environment.
A great teacher is a skilled leader and time conscious personality as far as punctuality is concerned in the school setting. Different from administrative leaders, effective teachers focus on shared decision-making and teamwork, as well as on community building. They are always determined to do the right thing rather than doing all things right. He or she conveys his/her sense of leadership to students by providing opportunities for each of them to assume leadership roles in their nearest future. This is where a teacher is considered to be a role model in the society.
An effective teacher collaborates with colleagues on an ongoing basis rather than thinking of herself as weak because she asks for suggestions or help, this teacher views collaboration and cooperation as a means to learn from his fellow professionals. A great teacher uses constructive criticism and advice as an opportunity to grow as an educator.
A great teacher maintains professionalism in all areas; from personal appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day or year. His or Her communication skills are exemplary and up to date, whether she/he is speaking with an administrator, one of his/her students or a colleague. The respect that the great teachers receive because of their professional manners is obvious to those around them in the community and the outside world. While teaching is a gift that comes quite naturally for some, others have to work overtime to achieve great teacher status. Yet the payoff is enormous for both the teacher and the learners. Nevertheless, learning has no boundary at all, if for some time and this makes students think of a teacher when they remember their great teacher they had in the college!
Teachers are by far the Promoters of learning and teaching in all aspects. They help their students to aim high see students’ work in their courses and programs as preparation for lifelong learning is vitally important through the creation of the finest learning environment. Equally important is students’ shared view that promotes learning and teaching since it goes beyond content acquisition. Education has been viewed by many as personal development and nation building, and teachers have a role in promoting that kind of learning as well.
In the conclusion therefore, teachers are the guidance, counselors, directors, and above all, they are past, present and the future true leaders who can be remembered by every human being who has attended or still attending education. They are the nation builders, non-corrupt, peace makers, eradicators of illiteracy, campaigners of gender-based violence, campaigners of human rights, promoters of child rights, promoters of quality education, and above all policy implementers. In this sense, they are friends to everybody irrespective of race, religion and political or cultural affiliations. Their teaching profession is unique and against all forms of evils. It is guided by strong moral principles of teaching profession. However, despite their widely known low payment, they are still fully committed to serve the nation faithfully and loyally.
May God bless all teachers in the Republic of South Sudan and the world at large.
The writer is a south Sudanese and a graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education majoring in Geography and History at St. Lawrence University, Kampala Uganda. He can be reached on mabiorrioc@yahoo.com
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