I truly believe that our children deserve the best teachers that we can find and in order to be a teacher there are certain characteristics, as well as education requirements, that are necessary. Some of these requirements can be taught in college classes, both through traditional and online classes, and some are things that are just innate to a person. Some things cannot be taught or learned, they are the characteristics that will make great teachers.
1. I think the first and most important requirement for a being a teacher is that you love children. I think that anyone can obtain a teaching degree but only those that truly love children become teachers in every sense of the word. A true teacher not only teaches the facts, they impart a love of learning that stays with a child all through their adult life giving them the yearning to keep learning new things each day.
2. After a love for children, the most important requirement for becoming a teacher is a true sense of humor and patience. Children are a treasure but a treasure than can drive even the most patient person to the brink of loosing their cool some days. A person that has a great sense of humor can still be patient enough to handle paint and glue that somehow leaves the bottles and finds itself all over the class frog. Someone who is easily rattled does not do well in a classroom full of children. Children are supposed to test their boundaries and teachers are there to guide them through those tests.
3. I used to believe that a requirement of becoming a teacher was being young in age but I know now that is not the case. Anyone that is young at heart makes a great teacher – – it also helps to be a bit adventurous too. I have been a paralegal for over 15 years and I am currently in college again but this time for my Bachelor’s Degree in teaching. I am taking online and traditional college classes to get my teaching certification. I believe that anyone who desires to work with children will make a great teacher no matter when they begin their career.
4. In order to become a teacher, you must first complete your Bachelor’s Degree in teaching. There are many colleges, both online and traditional colleges, which offer programs in teaching. Search the colleges in your area if you want to be near home or try researching the online programs for teaching degrees.
5. After completing your Bachelor’s Degree in teaching, you will need to complete the requirements for your state certification. Each state requires that teachers pass certain tests and have a certain number of hours of supervised teaching in the classroom. Your college can assist you with what you will need to complete your state requirements for obtaining your teacher’s certification.
6. Good teachers are good managers of time. Usually once you have completed your Bachelor’s Degree in teaching, you have realized that you must manage time well in order to obtain all of your goals. Teachers are no different in the classroom – your goal is to impart knowledge to your students and without managing your classroom time effectively, you will not meet this goal.
7. People focus on teachers enjoying children, which is a requirement, but tend to forget that good teachers also are people person in general. Teachers must be able to effectively communicate with parents in order to teach their children. Teachers must have good communication skills and be able to successfully discuss with parents their child’s strengths, weaknesses and needs.
8. Great teachers are detailed oriented people who are organized and well prepared. Students, even small children, can sense when a teacher is not prepared for class or is unorganized. The class time does not flow smoothly and students do not benefit from such an atmosphere. Teachers should be well prepared for class and be ready to begin on time with a clear-cut lesson plan. This does not mean that teachers will not stray from lesson plans (as we see in number 9).
9. Teachers not only need to be organized and prepared but also they need to be able to “pitch from the hip” when required. Opportunities to make a strong point or teach something special occur in the blink of an eye and a teacher that is not able to quickly pick up on these opportunities will miss a special chance to teach. Good teachers plan their lessons but they are also able to modify them quickly when needed.
10. I guess beyond all of the education requirements and the personality requirements what a teacher really must be is a leader. A person who can command an audience and keep them enthralled, motivated and willing to learn. A teacher must instill within a child a love of learning; therefore, a teacher must truly love to learn herself. She must respect learning and always strive to be at the top of her field and constantly learning herself so that what she teaches is the best that scholars have to offer at that time. Learning is a lifelong process and teaches must be willing to commit their lives to that process in order to be GREAT teachers.
