Good teaching

When I thought about the question of what makes a good teacher I also thought it better to ask students. High school students are surrounded by at least 6 or 7 teachers a day. They are able to see the differences and similarities between teachers that actual teachers do not have the opportunity to observe. When posing the question of what makes “good teaching” it helps to look at the qualities that make up a teacher. First a teacher must be skilled in their subject area. Content knowledge is a crucial part of teaching. It is the part of the teacher that stems from what they have been taught and was able to obtain throughout their years of schooling. Another quality in a teacher is personality. Being able to spark with your students is something that absolutely comes from the soul of the teacher. Another very important part is pedagogical. This is another quality that cannot be learned. If a teacher can make a connection with his or her students they are 5 steps ahead in the world of education. Understanding that they all have different learning styles and may need specific attention will further push good teaching to occur. It was interesting to speak to some students because there are teaching qualities they notice more than you would think. One student said he believes the most important quality a teacher must possess is control of the classroom. He explained “I am the type of student that tries to pay attention so that my grades don’t suffer. If the class is out of control it is difficult to learn anything.” Another student mentioned that she thinks a good teacher is someone who can support his/her students no matter what. The point of being a student is to learn and there are times when a teacher discourages learning. “I was told not to bother taking voice lessons because there were other things that were more important when preparing for college. This is kind of true considering I am not going to music school. But I never understood why what I was doing now didn’t matter as much as what I will be doing later.” She brings up a great point. Is it fair to tell the students in the school that they can only take music theory if they are “serious’ about music? First of all what do we mean when we say “serious”? Is a student who plays in a band in his garage the same as the student going to school for classical piano? How do we tell the difference? This student believes that anyone in high school should be able to experience anything. After all high school is where you discover who you and what you want to do. If a student is told not to take something unless… then how will ever know if they would enjoy it or not? I believe we have to dig deeper in the minds of students today to realize how difficult it is to choose a profession. Good teachers are also human beings and must realize that they are half raising these children. There has to be a sense of responsibility taken by the teacher for the student's present as well as their future.