The kind of teacher I do not want to be
Earlier today as I was going through the readings for this week, I kept asking myself, “What kind of teacher do I want to be?” I had a quick flashback of all my student life until now and reminded me of some of the great teachers I have had so far. “What did they do that made them so great?” Although there were some common attributes these teachers shared with each other, each of these “great” teachers had their unique styles that motivated you to be actively involved in the learning process. So…..what style of teaching is the best style? Which one of these teachers do I want to be in future? A very difficult question to answer because, as Dr. Fowler writes,” There is not one way to teach or communicate in the classroom, so one size does not fit all.”
I only have a vague picture of what I want to do as a future teacher but a very clear idea of what I do not want to do as a future teacher or in other words, the kind of teacher I do not want to be.
I do not want to be a teacher who,
- Walks in the classroom and starts writing on the board right-after without even turning around once to look at the students until the end of class hour.
- Sits on a chair throughout the class time and reads you line by line from text books.
- Assigns you a lot of homework assignments but never gives you any feedback.
- Only talks about what is going to be on the tests and puts a limit on learning.
- Uses the same “teaching formula” for all their students not realizing that each student has different capacities.
- Speaks in a low monotonic voice.
- Directly or indirectly force you to memorize equations and charts.
- Only uses the chalkboard to teach.
- Never ask for any feedback from the students or doesn’t listen to the student voices.
- Does not know how to deliver information concisely and effectively.
- Evaluates you based on the mere grades you receive in the course.
- Does not create a welcoming environment for discussion and sharing of ideas in and outside of classrooms.
- Uses the same syllabus, course materials, homework, and tests for decades.
- Discourages the use of technology in classrooms.
- Does not give second chances to students.
- Only talks to the first row of students in class.
- Does not know the subject matter well and is unprepared.
- ………………………………
- ………………
- ……….
- …
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(I think I should stop now because the list just keeps getting longer and longer.)
Moral of the story: The best one could do is to at least try to avoid the things that you thought your teachers did that didn’t work for you and think of what you would do if you were in their place. I think the key is “engagement” and the goal is to create the kind of environment that helps foster an effective teaching-learning process.