2. TEACHER QUALITIES
Teaching is a carrier that provides challenges, excitement, personal reward and
a chance to encourage and support others to achieve their goals. There are
many personal qualities and skills that make someone a good teacher.
1.Empathy
One of the most important good qualities of a teacher is empathy. Let’s
understand this quality through an example.
Imagine you are in your classroom and there’s a student who continuously
performs poorly in his/her exams. You advised them to study and yet, they
keep on getting low marks. Now, it’s natural for you to get angry because,
despite your efforts, the kid is not performing well. However, you don’t know
what’s going inside them and what kind of conditions they are going through.
What if the kid is facing issues with their family or if they have a learning
disability? As a teacher, you need to put yourself in their situation and think as
your student. This is what empathy is. You must understand the student and be
available.
2.Creativity
As a teacher, you have to ensure that your students don’t get bored. It’s
common for students to lose interest and attention, so simply teacher must be
creative. One of the important qualities of an ideal teacher is creativity. By
being creative, you can make your classes interesting.
3.Communication
While talking about the good qualities of a teacher, communication skills
cannot be missed. When it comes to communication, a lot of things can go
wrong. It is said that the biggest problem with communication is the
misconception that it has taken place. There are a few points to be kept in
mind:
• Always invite feedback, ask your students if they have understood
• Create a platform for open communication
• Talk in their regional language and guarantee your students that the
classroom is a safe space
3. When the teacher assumes a strict and harsh role and the communication
becomes one way, there’s not much learning involved. Neither for the student
nor the teacher.
Communication need not always be verbal; the teacher has to pick up non-
verbal cues and that’s where the real qualities of a teacher get tested. It is
important for teachers to have strong verbal and nonverbal communication
skills.
4.Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills and communication skills are closely related to each other.
How well you communicate with your students and their parents will
determine the nature of your connection with them. Interpersonal
communication is important to establish strong interpersonal relationships. As
mentioned above, a teacher must aim for the holistic development of a student.
For example, it is not just their education that matters. It is their behaviour,
their manners, their attitude, and a lot more aspects as well. In order to make
sure that the students achieve this, the teacher must have strong interpersonal
skills. So that they can connect with their students and solve their problems if
any.
5. Positivism
Students would often feel depressed and down. If a teacher has the quality of
always being positive, it can help the students in a lot of ways. A positive
attitude and a positive relationship between students and teachers are the most
important thing needed to ensure effective learning.
6.Fair Minded
A teacher has to treat all her students equally. Fairness is one of the most
important qualities of effective teachers. When a teacher is fair-minded, it
earns them respect and students feel safe and valued in the classroom. Creating
a classroom environment that’s fair will nurture trust and respect between
students and it is a great quality to teach your students.
4. 7.Humorous
Though most people don’t think of humour as a quality, it is one of the most
significant qualities of an ideal teacher. Teachers who are humorous and funny
have the ability to connect with students easily and can create a joyful
environment.
8.Consistent
Consistency helps teachers and students alike. It helps teachers to feel more
organized. Being organized and well-planned removes tension and stress. By
consistency, we mean having a routine and system in place. When there’s a
proper routine, the respect from the students’ and parents’ side increases.
9.Rewarding
Teachers need to be rewarding and have to acknowledge the efforts of their
students. When teachers say “well done”, “good job” etc and reward students
with a good word of encouragement, it motivates them to do better and makes
you a better teacher.
10.Reliable
A reliable teacher is someone who is dedicated to their job and is trustworthy.
Reliability is one of the best qualities of a teacher. Reliable teachers know how
to make proper decisions and assessments. Since a student’s future lies with
the teacher, it is important for students to study under reliable teachers and for
teachers to cultivate the quality of reliability in their students.
11.Passionate
Passion is something that every teacher should have. Teaching is not an easy
job. There are a lot of problems that teachers face in their day to day lives.
From low engagement of students to less interactivity, there are a lot of issues.
Now, with online teaching and live classes, teachers face even bigger
problems. Passion is the core essential quality that helps teachers to overcome
any problem that they face.
5. 12.Motivating
Teachers can play a huge role in motivating their students. Prompt feed,
critical appreciation, group works, etc are some of the methods that teachers
can apply to motivate their students.
13.Active listening
You can be a great teacher only when you understand what your students need
and in order to understand what they want, you have to listen. Active listening
is one of the most important qualities of an ideal teacher.
14.Nurturing
A nurturing teacher promotes a healthy classroom. When teachers get harsh on
them, there are chances of students acting out. Whereas when a teacher is
nurturing, the students feel safe, it increases respect between students and
towards the teacher. If students have behavioural or social disabilities, a
nurturing teacher can help them a lot.
15.Honesty
Students look up to their teachers and honesty is one of the important qualities
that students need. Honesty towards the work that you do, towards your
students and colleagues is extremely important. Honesty is often a package, it
comes along with qualities such as responsibility, courage, and reliability.
16.Punctuality
Being on time and sticking to schedules and timetables is among the most
needed qualities of an ideal teacher. Students learn from you and in order to
instil a sense of punctuality in them, you have to live by it. This quality
reflects your responsibility and commitment to your profession.
17.Willingness to Learn
Teaching and learning go hand in hand. A good teacher never stops learning.
With the education sector changing every day, teachers need to learn and
6. upskill themselves. For example, with classes going online, teachers have to
learn about live classes and online teaching.
18.Organization skills
This quality helps teachers to stay punctual and disciplined. Organization and
planning are extremely important qualities of a good teacher. If you are
organized and planned, it helps you be on time and finish your lessons. This is
an unavoidable characteristic of teaching.
19.Ethics
Ethics is a standard set of values and beliefs that teachers should follow. It is
important for teachers to have good ethical principles. Ethics is what tells us
what is right and wrong and keeps us from doing things that are wrong. It is
against a teacher’s ethics to be unfair to students and to show partiality to
students.
20.Dignity
Respect for humanity is of utmost importance. Since learning starts with
teachers, it is very important for teachers to respect everyone regardless of
their gender, status, caste, and creed. This is one of the characteristics of
teaching that sets teachers apart.