On Being a Teacher

Being a teacher is a gift as well as one of the greatest responsibilities. The gift comes in being able to inspire others to want to reach their own potential in learning and beyond, and the responsibility is in knowing that with such an influential position we must be aware every moment to the fluctuating needs of students and the wide variety of learning styles. A wonderful way to define being a teacher is through the ability to facilitate an increase of knowledge and awareness in students. Referring to a teacher as a facilitator of growth encapsulates their role as an active participant in the learning process, not just a bearer of information. At the core of any great teacher is a desire to make a difference in the lives of each of their students by instilling a vision of growth through their ability to communicate ideas clearly and with a passion to discover new plains of understanding.

If any of us look back at the people that have had the largest positive influence on our lives, whether they are friends, family members, role models or teachers, there are certain qualities that touched us that are seen in most. Compassion, consistency, clarity, humble confidence, passion for the topic at hand, belief in what is being shared and organization are some of the characteristics that lay a strong foundation for proficiency in facilitating learning. Life is set up to be a constant path of absorbing and sorting through information and as a teacher it is important to recognize characteristics that influence the effectiveness of educating and guiding others. Every person has a unique personality and learning style and for a teacher to reach a larger range of students it is important to take that into account when developing their teaching technique. Individualizing the learning process for each person gives a better chance of aiding them in discovering their individual growth potentials.

Motivating individual learners can be one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. The ability to motivate is a bi-directional relationship. There isn't one way to motivate everyone, only unique ways to attempt to motivate each person in their own right. To give two general examples, students who are the most intrinsically motivated (self-motivated) tend to do the best absorbing and involving themselves in the process with none or limited aid as long as they believe in what they are doing. For these students as long as they maintain interest in the subject they will continue to drive themselves towards their potential. For more extrinsically motivated students (motivated by external rewards), short-term goals with some form of award system usually help to access more effort and interest. The challenging aspect comes from the idea that ultimately we cannot motivate anyone else to act, they have to be a receptive and willing participant. As a teacher we have the responsibility to try as many approaches as we can to inspire students enough to want to accomplish goals, while continuing to have complete belief in their abilities, both realized and undiscovered. The key is in never underestimating a student. Remember that as a teacher you can greatly affect a student's self-view.

At the root there must be a developed sense of trust between student and teacher, without it a stable road cannot be carved to walk down. Though trust comes in time it must be revived and strengthened through examples of honest and good intentioned behavior. There are many who do not trust easily so developing it may take time. The main thing to remember when teaching is every time you pass on information you are asking for the recipient to trust in the validity of your words. The guidance you share depends on the strength of understanding, acceptance and belief that you have something valuable to offer. Sincerity is crucial in building trust on an individual and group level. If a student feels a teacher is present and honestly cares about their growth, they will be more likely to tune in to what you are offering them in their path of learning.

As with every other art form teaching is a balance between passion and structural organization. Without passion many important messages can be lost. It isn't always what is said, but how it is said that makes an impact. On a personal note, the moment this saying clicked for me was during my freshman year in high school during my first math class of the year. The amount of passion my teacher, Mr. McGee, had teaching arithmetic not only made it my favorite subject, but helped me learn the most out of any other subject. Passion and mathematics didn't seem to be a compatible duet until it was introduced by someone who clearly had such a joy for the subject that it became infectious. For me, this was a lesson on the power of believing so deeply in something that you can't help but bubble over when sharing it. What that excitement does for the interest level of the students is tremendous.

With passion there must also be form or else the excitement has no foundation for longevity or clarity. When structuring a course, workshop, lecture or weekly class it is important to start by outlining your ideas, concepts and core information you want to make sure gets across to your expected audience. Though there are creative moments when your class structure gets substituted with and impromptu inspiration for an alternative plan, for the most part you want to have each section set for the benefit of the students as well as your own benefit in making sure you include what you feel is important. No matter what it is you are teaching the idea is to have an overall long-term goal, which should be considered your greater vision that you refer to every step of the way. Though this vision may expand and change form as you do, to have it as a focal point will always have you reaching for your goals in why you are teaching. In addition making short-term goals for yourself, your students and your field are all stepping stones pointing towards a path of growth. The desire to teach may not be something that can be taught, though the fundamental skills surrounding the act of being a teacher can. It is important to take to heart the reasons why you have chosen to teach and bring out the best in yourself through your strengths and unique contributions.

One of the greatest offerings you can give a student is belief in themselves that they can accomplish their goals by giving them the tools for success that build their confidence. Through each platform they reach, they begin to have faith that they can make it to the next, and the next. Being able to instill the freedom to believe, tools to make it happen, strength to see past set backs, awareness of self and an open view of possibilities pertaining to a lifetime of unlimited personal choices is the largest gift a teacher can give. Instilling hope for what is possible and the reality of steps that need to be taken to reach new plateaus of being with one of the ultimate goals being fearless expression through any chosen medium is the balance as a facilitator of growth helps to maintain. These core values of teaching have the power to spill over into every aspect of a persons life, making their foundation of existence even richer, their belief in themselves stronger and there desire to accomplish even greater.