h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is all very important, but shouldn't we also talk about what schools are for? Don't discuss it here, it's not exactly on topic, go to the thread "What are schools for?"

I think everyone knows what schools are and what their function is.It's education.

to the title-- PATIENCE!

Hallo there again.I lost this 'conversation' for a while due the change of address that h2g2 went through so many moons ago.I still want to do an article about this so I'm kickstarting this thread off again.If nothing goes wrong I hope to do an entry on this-it's about time I did so as I've been a member for sometime now and I've submitted nothing.Mind I can claim to have been researching as I continue to work as a supply teacher(I've been very,very busy since September too).More than is usual.Thanking you in advance.

So what qualities are vital for a good(excellent)teacher?

Incog.

Well...I think perhaps I said this before, but my favourte teacher currently has a certain desregard for rules, and is happy to let us do slightly strange, and indeed dangerous experiments. I doesn't make us write too much, so I think one could say that he understands the average student. However, some people do find this irritating because they have few notes to revise. I love that aspect of it, though. So I think that different teachers are perfect for different stundents.

GP

skool obveeuslie hasent tort me much. It should read "HE doesn't make us write too much"

Well as there is no access to red ink here you are safe from my eagle eyes especially as I'm inclined to typos myself due to fat fingers and poor eyesight.

Incog.

I guess that means the teacher you have is great for teaching people the subject. He just isn't very good at preparing them for exams. So you end up with students who know what they are doing but can't pass an exam, instead of students who doesn't know what they are doing but can pass an exam.

After the recent court case I reckon not taking advantage of a position of authority to abuse your students in any way.I'm steaming after the BBC interview with Amy Gehring.I think she should be run out of teaching or having anything to do with young people.

Incog who's an extremely p****d off supply teacher.

Well, some people hate this teacher, and they are the ones that don't seem to do as well on the tests and so on, but I've done fine in his class. People do learn in different ways. And that's not to say that everyone who dislikes this teacher fails his tests and everyone who likes him tops the class. Hmm, I'm getting rather babbly, aren't I? Sorry about that...

GP

A good teacher, possibly a "very good teahver", needs to reflect on what they do in a subjective way. have respect for the students; extending fron the accademic subject they teach, to that which other professiojnals teach, to the qualitive experiances of the studens and their personal and spiritual and morall development within the boundry's tof the school. Must reflect that the school is a place, not an enterty, and acept the importancve of extra curricular activity's; weather classes afterschool, or two weeks away hiking have a knowledge of teh content of what they are teacvhing that not only enables them to teacvh it, relate it cross curricular, and to relate it to other aspects of the course they are teaching, to develop a true understanding of what lurning is and what (in my case as a science teacher), what scientific investigation is but, most importantly, be enthustiaic abo08t teaching, both subject specific and more broadly reflect on what they do, improve and
adapt as per necessary and do anything else you fcould think of, as well keep it going: I'm sure there is an essay here somewhere : reminds me, my notes will be onlinme, hopefully, with powerpoint presentations, notes etc>;, why doi feel so hungary <?> I'll be back qqn

Teaching is a very hard job and the teaching profession deserves more respect. However, I do think that people should all spend some time doing another job before becoming teachers to get a wider experience of life (and maybe gain some useful skills).

But as to personal qualities - patience, enthusiasm, good organisational ability, versatility and honesty, willingness to learn. Teachers should listen to pupils, admit they don't know rather than bluff and be prepared to admit they are wrong. Natural authority will come in handy too!

That will do for the moment!

I think an important part of it is enthusiasm.

Pupils really can tell if a teacher doesn't want to be there, doesn't care about the subject etc. It doesn't matter if a teacher loves say the latest advances in physics if s/he find the simple basic stuff at the level the students are trying to learn boring. Enthusiasm is really hard to pretend, but if a teacher is usually enthusiastic but is tired on one day, that is recognisable by the pupils and still a lot better than a teacher who never cares.

The other thing isn't just doing the examples in the text book - looking outside of the book and into the life the students experience helps to make the stuff more understandable.

In my (UK public school - read private if you aren't from the UK) discipline wasn't a problem, but keeping the attention and interest of the very high ability pupils while not going too fast for the majority of the class was.

AE

I don't know what makes a good teacher, but I sure as heck know that nobody was ever inspired by a computer. Down with CBT.

The teachers I reacted best to didn't have favourites, cared about their subject, and talked to us like we had some intelligence.

Patience, warmth, empathy, being genuine and having eyes in the back of your head!!!

that sounds like the qualifications for a Guider (or Scouter)

Where do I apply?

Any Rainbow/Brownie/Guide/Ranger unit, headquarters, http://www.guides.org.uk/

Any vacancies for behaviour support?

most units... (well, one *always* gets problem parents, no matter how nice the children are.)
A Guider frequently has to be more than one thing, at once, to over a dozen girls who all have different needs and wants.