"12 Qualities great teachers share"
It is hard for me to truly know how committed to teaching I am from experiences as a teacher. Yes, that is a strange thing to say but I am not an art teacher yet. I have done my student teaching and am currently a substitute teacher but an art teacher that dose not make me. I am going to rate myself more on my hoped perception of my own abilities, and hopefully this comes across as more than a big ego. On the other hand I am in my eleventh year of college because I refuse to quit until I am an art teacher.
Passion for Teaching - 1 / My earliest memory of wanting to teach or mentoring others was at seven when I taught my brother how to add, subtract, etc. at the age of three. Granted he was and is an exceptionally smart person, but I was elated that he understood what I was trying to teach him. I still have a deep desire and passion for teaching and I still get that feeling of elation when a student has that look of understanding dawning on their face.
Love of kids - 1 / Children are exhausting, infuriating, tedious, maddening, and I love them for it. I have been working at a head start center for the last month, kids aged 3 to 5, and out of the 16 students in our room almost half have some kind of behavioral or developmental issues. Just yesterday when I left work my boss asked me if I was going to keep coming back, because she is convinced the room will eventually frighten me off. One of the kids I love the most is the worst one in the room, but he is such a sweet kid. In education if we are not unwilling to look past the rough edges to the diamond underneath then you have no right to be the the field. I personally caused my fair share of grey hair, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to the teachers who never gave up on me.
Love of their Subject - 1 / The only quality I might add to this list, and it is a pretty awesome list all on it's own, would be a core belief that anyone can create and make amazing art, no matter how primitive it looks at first glance. Now this is very specific to art teachers, more so, than just a love for the subject matter one teaches and or is being taught. Not every subject will apply but for me art is the most important because it can help to build characteristic in students which lend themselves to other subjects. So aspect of creativity should be added to every other subject taught in school. Without art life would be meaningless.
Understanding of the role of a school in a child's life - 2 / For many students school is the one constant in their young lives. With the staggering increase of rate of "broken" homes students often depend the school to have any kind of consistency in their daily routine.
A willingness to change - 2 / With every art or education course I've taken I see more ways I need to change my thinking or rational. The hard part comes in when I try to implement these changes into my life. As educators we must be life long students first and teachers second.
A work ethic that doesn't quit - 2 / During my student teaching I got to know the night custodial staff really well. I am a little sad to say that I would often leave after the custodian. Part of that is that it was simply easier to stay and work on lesson plans and exemplars at the school than to bring it all home but I loved being able to work in a quiet space filled with art supplies and work.
A willingness to reflect - 2 / "Thinking is the only way by which the mind can digest content", "students have difficulty thinking critically about their actions 'unless they are writing or speaking out these thoughts in settings in which others respond."
"Writing is not only a medium for thought, it is a potentially powerful vehicle for developing thought"
"... the practice of reflecting critically on their work -- a process inherently necessary for exemplary teaching.(Henry, pg. 17 & 20) are my favorite quotes about reflection by C. Henry and have been proven accurate. What more can I say, with out reflection you can not become great. Henry, C. (Vol. 52, No.2, March, 1999). The Role of Reflection in Student Teachers' Perceptions of Their Professionsal Development. Art Education, 14-20
Organization - 3 / I have to admit I really related with Chris Lehmann on this one. I have always been great at winging it, as long as I understand the topic I was talking about. I am not organized enough and more than once I went a whole day without one lesson being written down. I knew the ins and outs of what I was going to teach and always had exemplars but this is a very bad habit to let myself get into.
Understanding that being a "great teacher" is a constant struggle to always improve - 3 / We all started our Teacher Education Programs with a life time of preconceived ideas and notions about what teaching really is. We have been "participant observers" Preschool through College. We must understand ourselves to
Enough ego to survive the hard days - 2 / There are days I feel a great sense of self-efficacy and then there are days when I doubt I will ever fully understand what I'm doing. The key to surviving (I think) is finding the happy medium and allowing yourself to be a little cocky and a little terrified at the same time.
A willingness to work collaboratively - 2 / One of my favorite people was my first host teacher, Dr. Ginnie. I was amazed by pretty much everything about her, but one of the first thing she told me was about collaborating with other teacher and how vital it was to giving her lessons validity and value for her students. The three V's! I only hope I will get the chance to do the same with my own class someday.
YEAH! Hi Esther! As I read through your first reflection, I was drawn to :"As educators we must be life long students first and teachers second." Really understanding the power of this sentence is an incredible gift to the students we teach. When we remember we do not know everything and that every moment can be a learning moment as well as a teaching moment, there is so much potential for deep understanding. This of course, requires a certain vulnerability and willingness to let go of what we have always thought we knew, in favor of the unknown. But it is in this state of open curiosity that we model for our students one of the essential aspects of real learning. We become open to their input and they see value in their ideas. Teaching takes courage! I love that you can find patience with the little ones you teach because recall trying others at a young age. :) I look forward to getting to know you Esther!
ReplyDeleteI thought I would add this to my 12 qualities response. I have been talking to an old art teacher from high school and he gave me a rather awesome response to my question "what makes a good teacher?"
ReplyDeleteWhat makes a good teacher? Esther…My thoughts are that you just have to make it interesting and try and alter what you do from year to year to keep it fresh, and not boring for both you and the students. Moreover, No different from how things change from decade to decade in the past, but in today’s world of “edutainment”- “screenagers,” who are rapidly becoming tomorrow’s citizens, progressively require capabilities to encode and decode meaning in response to society’s plethora of images, ideas, and media of the past, as well as contemporary elements of our increasingly complex visual world. Flexibility is also key. How we interweave the many demands of our teaching lives, and how we embrace the diverse and often divergent learning needs of our pupils(technology). And let us not forget the challenges that each school district brings to the table (budgets/scheduling issues, etc). Before I forget, In my experience it has always been beneficial to be somewhat of a Jack of all Trades, and a Master of None. Most classes consist of students with diverse backgrounds and interests, so it behooves one (always wanted to say that) to be aware of what new creative techniques, and or movements are out there. Keeping up with Art/professional journals helps. Did I mention Patience?! I always thought it helped to be aware of what was popular (as much as an Old Timer could at least) because of the issues associated visually with communicating ideas and interests. Knowing your content area is also important, as well as a sense of Humor !!! I have always wondered why colleges did not hold a class in humor or story telling. Maybe I should make a suggestion. Developing a rapport with your students is also beneficial. They don’t always have to like you, and a lot probably won’t. But just that openness and communication can open many doors to helping someone realize their potential or help them value the experience that much more. Wish I could have been more concise, and less wordy. However, I felt the need to stand on my lil soap box It is good to hear from you. Mr. P