What makes a teacher a good teacher? I do not think I am authorized to categories people as good or bad, but there are many characteristic that if a teacher followed, it will make him or her a good teacher.
What are some tips and tricks, I think, makes a good teacher?
First of all, in order for you to be a good teacher you should understand that not all your students are smart. As much as teachers want all their students to be the smartest, that is not realistic. You should understand that students' level of understanding may vary, and you should make it your aim to make everyone understand and not to feel like a failure when they do not understand something.
Also, to be a good teacher, you should repeat and repeat, and repeat again. As we said not all students' level of understanding is similar. Some may get the information or the idea from the first time while others will need more time to understand even the simplest point and that is fine. Do not make a student feel like a failure just because they have asked about the same exact point for the 3rd time in a row. In Arabic, we have this proverb that says that repeating teaches the best as it indicates that practice makes perfect. Always repeat the information with no upset feelings. Repeat it as if it was your first time teaching it.
The third point in how to be a good teacher is to appreciate smart students. From what we mentioned above we know that there are two types of students. There are the smart students and the regular students too. As we should be patience and understanding with regular students, we should also validate and appreciate smart students too as they have worked hard to reach that level. Do not limit their intelligence or hard work just to make them in an equal level with the regular students as that is not fair for them or even the regular students.
The forth point that a good teacher should follow is to set boundaries between you and your students. You want to be friend with your students, but you also need to set boundaries between you and them. Be personal with students. It is fine. But do not get too personal with your students or you will regret it in the long term.
The fifth way to be a better teacher is to be flexible. Be firm, but do not be too strict. You should know that there are many reasons in why something does not go the way you planned it. Students will skip classes. They may even not to be able to attend the exam. Be understandable and fixable. Try to rearrange the class time, if possible, so students can attend your class. Do not make your students feel like your class is a burden. Make it feel like it is a light weight on their shoulder. Something they do to break their routine and enjoy life. As I said earlier, do not take students action personally. So they did not came to class for no actual reason, you cannot be upset at them in a personal level. Do not take this action personally. You are their teacher not their best friend. You can be upset but as a teacher.
The sixth point to better yourself as a teacher is to continue learning. As a teacher you should always continue learning. Do not limit yourself with your university education or any degree or certificates you have. You will thank me in the long term when you notice that you need to know more things day by day and that your degree is usually not enough. Watch TED videos in YouTube. It may not be related to your major or specialty, but it will, for sure, make you an understanding and a better person.
The seventh way to be a better person is to be fine with admitting being wrong or not knowing everything. You are not God. You do not have to know everything or be perfect all the time. It is okay to make mistakes, but learn from these mistakes and make sure that you avoid them later on. It is okay to get asked a question that you do not know the answer for. Admit that, and seek help and search about it. Then answer the question in the next class. Do not skip the question or act like you know the answer when you do not. My mom always say "He / she, who said I do not know, has issued a fatwa". A fatwa is when a person categories a thing as forbidden or okay to do which is a big deal when it comes to religion and religious thing. Based on what my mom says, you do not have to always answer by yes or no, acceptable or forbidden, as saying ''I do not know'' is enough when you do not really know.
And the last step in how to be a better teacher is to use different methods in explaining the information in class. Also, use many different tools to try to make students remember the needed information. Try to make students use the maximum number of possible senses during class. For example, if you want your students to be good at spelling, do not just make them memorize the words by writing them over and over again. Maybe try making games in class! So you can tell students in advance ''in X day we will have a spelling competition. The included words are Y, Z, and A and etc.''. In the decided day, write students name in the board and hand students these small boards that you can stick at the end of a textbook (it will cost 3 dollars per a textbook board maximum, and you can reuse it forever) with a board pen. Then you can ask the students to spell a word by writing it down. Whenever they answer correctly, you put a point next to their name in the big board. Salute the one with the highest points and encourage others and appreciate their hard work too. Always do this causally during class. You do not have to make it into a competition each time. Try to make the class active and fun, and challenging using creative new methods!
These were some tips and tricks that, I think, would make a good teacher. There are more tips, for sure, as being a good teacher is not limited by these steps. Good luck on being an amazing teacher!
Peace,
Shouq