What makes a good teacher?

Updated on: Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Remember the ‘Miss’ who wore different floral-printed frocks to class. You admired her flair for English as well as how she handled nervous parents and a noisy class of children.

Some of the first impressions of your primary school days and the class teacher who shaped you are just a few things that should make the job of a teacher both satisfying and bring immense happiness about this noble profession.

If you were caught awe of Ram Kumar Nikumbh, the art master played by Amir Khan in the Hindi film Taare Zameen Par, then make sure you are ready to take up many more unconventional roles on the job. At least that is what the younger generation look for from a teacher.
Caring attitude

Today’s students are not only looking for information from the teacher, but a fruitful company, a friend and a caring person. Meera Gopi, who has been teaching for around 15 years, talks about how she orients herself to the work.

“Having become a teacher I constantly introspect everyday and bring about small changes in my day-to-day action,” she says. Ms. Gopi says that a teacher must understand that there are different styles and multiple levels of intelligence among children, and if teaching is based on this then every child is an achiever.

“Change your yardstick for every child and one must be open to various kind of teaching,” says the Head of primary section at TI Matriculation Higher Secondary School. But, like many, if you think teaching is not your cup of tea after a few years, make sure you quit rather than sticking to a profession you are not enjoying. Also, the pay for a teacher is not very lucrative, so it should be a profession where one joins out of choice and not by chance.

For most people who undertake the course, it is a journey of self-discovery. Montessori and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) are the two popular degrees preferred by schools.

While Montessori stresses more till age six, the later is for even higher age groups. Of late, schools are increasingly investing in offering teachers new learning modules so as to update them as well as bring in attitudinal change.

EZ Vidya, a Chennai-based company that offers schools learning modules, believes in experimental or participatory model to bring in a difference and add zeal to the teachers’ role.

“We go into the ‘why’ of teaching, while in lesson plan we bring out the core objective of a topic. The whole idea being to make the teacher feel better, think better and that leads to better performance,” explains Chitra Ravi, founder and CEO, EZ Vidya.

Child psychology, art skills, methodology in teaching... there are different aspects covered in a professional teaching degree, which one generally takes up after a bachelor’s degree in any stream.

According to N. Vijaya, course director and a Montessori consultant, Sri Venkateswara Montessori Teachers Training School, Chennaim is a hub for Montessori training and there are around 10 institutes offering a diploma.

“As requirement for teachers is high, we have intakes twice a year for the Integrated Montessori Kindergarten and Gurukul System.

The course ranges from six months to one year and one is absorbed into the job even before they complete the course,” says Ms. Vijaya. With a number of institutes coming up, the fee for the course has also come down. One needs to spend between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 20,000 for the course.

What makes a good teacher?

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