Teach English in Xiting Zhen - Nantong Shi

There are so many personal qualities which are important to teachers and I personally don't think that they are any different for an English teacher than they would be for a Mathematics teacher. I have five qualities which I believe are among the most important. The love of teaching, having a good rapport in the classroom, the ability to engage the students, good product knowledge and finally, patience and kindness. Let me start with a quote from Margaret E. Sangster: “No one should teach who is not in love with teaching.” I am such an advocate for ‘do what you love, love what you do’. I know it is not always possible, and for those who are lucky enough to say that they love what they do, I say, ‘good for you!’ So with that being said, I can quite confidently say that, having a love of teaching, is the most important quality that any teacher could possess, however, not the only quality either. According to Wikipedia, a teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue, but would one not have to win over the trust of his/her students first? Which brings me to the next personal quality which I believe is important for teachers and English teachers alike. Throughout this course, ITTT talks about the importance of establishing a good rapport with all the students. Without it the students will have no interest in the subject matter. People want to feel like they belong, that they are welcome and that they are needed for the class to function as one. This can be achieved by simply having a good rapport with the class and with each student individually. It is not advised to have ‘favorites’, although we all have them. Establishing a good relationship with each individual is not always easy. I believe that we were not all designed to get along, but as a teacher we need to possess the quality that allows us to find a bond with each student, no matter how small. A teacher also needs to be able to engage the students. I don't believe that all teachers need to be extroverts, but if teaching is what you love, then you should have all the confidence you need to stand among the students with all eyes on you, with a personality that has them eating out of the palm of your hand. So, now that the students can feel the love, sense that they belong, and are eating out of the palm of your hand, lets not forget another important quality. As a teacher you have to know what you’re talking about. Good product knowledge is vital. ‘Fake it till you make it’ is not going to cut it in the classroom. Sooner or later the students will know that they are not being taught the correct material. Especially when working as an ESL teacher in a school, when tests are being done, it will show in the students’ results. Patience is the next quality on my list. Such an important quality to have. We do not all progress in life at the same speed or with the same enthusiasm. Being patient with each student could be the difference between them succeeding or not. If you are being too impatient, pushing a student because you have a lesson plan to get through before noon, that student can loose all focus, all confidence in you, or worse, in him or herself. Furthermore, I want to mention kindness. We, as teachers, will meet so many different people over the course of our career. Many students will come and go and we might never know the effect we had on them. We have a chance to make a difference in each of their lives. A little kindness goes a long way and has a sort of chain reaction. Have you ever experienced the feeling when someone has shown you kindness? It makes you want to pay it forward. The world needs more kindness, so why not start in the classroom! In conclusion, I hope to be the best teacher that I can be by implementing these five qualities in my everyday teaching, and that all teachers around the world would be accustomed to the same, so that they may also be the best teachers that they can be.