Author: Marife Santos, online ESL teacher at Acadsoc
Nowadays the job of a teacher can often times is underrated; they tend to forget the significance of having a great teacher. A teacher is not only teaching a specific course, not just certain logic, teachers are much more. People may forget what they learned in the classroom of a teacher; but not the teacher. The way the teacher acts, speaks, reacts, etc. This is what really last… Being a teacher for 3 years now, I realize that I have imparted not only knowledge to my students but characters as well. When I started working in Acadsoc;
I had a student who kept coming back to me. I had her since a few months after my application and till now; she’s still my student. Once I asked her, in a joking manner why she seems to enjoy my classes; her only response was- “with you I learn not just English, but how to deal with some problems I encounter during my daily life, especially during our warm up sessions before every class proper.” This really changed my way of thinking on how teachers are. We are not just English teachers, we are much more! Looking back to my first days of ESL teaching, I used to say to myself- ‘I better be a good English teacher!’ Now, I believe we should all say-‘I should be a good teacher and example to my students!’
A great teacher is not remembered only for what she says in the classroom, but how he or she conducts his or her character within and without the classroom setting. The one with a personality that can be approached yet respected.
I suppose everyone have heard the saying ‘Familiarity breeds disrespect.’ Let’s try to define the word approachable pertaining to a teacher; a person who lends a listening ear and gives due advice, yet maintains authority towards the listener. We can be a person whom they can approach, breathe their difficulties to, confide their aspirations and dreams.
Thinking back on my school days- yes, I don’t remember much of what the teachers discussed in the classroom; more of who and how the teachers were. To us teachers, we focus on the content of each lesson, each chapter, and each class. But I believe we should also focus on something beyond the classroom. Remember that being good teachers would not just make our students good English speakers with neutral accents; it shapes the student’s character as well. To us now, we may not seem to notice, but to every student we make a contact with it is a life changing moment every time a class starts. To this I leave a part of a prose I made years ago… ‘Teaching is a very noble profession, shaping personal character, caliber and future. If people remember that I was a good teacher, it would be my greatest honor.“
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