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One of the first people, one of the first adults we encounter in our lives (apart from family) is most likely a teacher. From pre-school to graduate education, we spend most of our lives interacting and learning from these figures we have become so dependent on.
It would be a grave injustice to negate that teachers are indeed the pillars of this world- they help us gain knowledge but also help us appreciate so much more!
Research has shown that teachers impact the happiness, academic performance, non-cognitive skills, and behavior of students. This coupled with the fact that brains need nurturing, warm and encouraging environments to learn makes a good teacher all the more valuable.
Learning in a happy state or a positive state is proven to be much more effective than something more gloomy and negative. Reinforcing students’ abilities increases their motivation and self-discipline, leading to higher attendance and more will to learn.
The My Voice Aspiration Survey, the largest survey conducted in this niche, found that only 31% of students from classes 6-12 supported that teachers made the subjects more interesting. Newer studies show that almost 75% of high-schoolers associate some sort of negative emotion with schools.
While this data is collected from many different schools with extremely diverse demographics, it’s hard to find consistent patterns in this data, but it is not an unknown fact that many students aren’t happy with their school.
This pivotal period of their lives shouldn't be one they look back upon with regret and bad memories- so what better way to make school an unforgettable memory than associating it with good teachers?!
There is an incredible number of things that students can learn from teachers-
Hard work always pays off, maybe not in the way you might want it to, but it always pays off!
Respect is the most important quality one can possess.
Organization is so much more effective than imaginable!
Always fight for what is right
Being accountable is an important characteristic to have in any stage of life.
You undeniably have the power to control your life, it may not seem like it now, but with the proper guidance, it will!
In chaotic situations, systems are extremely valuable!
Mistakes are nothing to be ashamed of unless you refuse to learn from them.
To reach far, you cannot work alone.
There is no doubt that you are incredibly special.
It’s not a new thing to hear from a student that they hate a subject because they had a teacher who made them hate it, or they hate it because of how discouraging the subject seemed.
We learn to brush this off as a life lesson that everything isn't always easy, but this doesn’t have anything to do with life not being easy. What we learn is what shapes up, and missing out on learning something because of such avoidable circumstances is not a good situation for a student to be in!
If we think about the opposite of this, students actually benefiting from their teachers or mentors, not a lot of examples come to mind immediately.
CASES OF SOME INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE AND THEIR MENTORS:
Here are the cases of some incredibly successful people and their mentors!-
1. Maya Angelou mentoring Oprah Winfrey:
Maya Angelou is a pioneer in the world of civil rights activism and is best known for her literary works. She has undoubtedly changed the world, not only through her writings and philosophies but also by the legacies she left behind. She was a mentor of who we now know as the “Queen of All Media”- Oprah Winfrey!
2. Warren Buffet mentoring Bill Gates:
Warren Buffet is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hataway, an investment giant, and is considered the most successful investor of the 20th century. It is no surprise that his student, Bill Gates went on to become a world-renowned software developer and the co-founder of the tech giant Microsoft.
3. Michelle Robinson (Obama) mentoring Barack Obama:
Michelle Robinson, now known as Michelle Obama was former US President Barack Obama’s mentor at the law firm he was an associate. There is no doubt about the impact both of them have achieved, and it will never be forgotten any time soon!
What made these mentors so different? How did their students improve by leaps and bounds? The answer doesn’t lie in what they taught them, but in what they inspired them to do.
TOP QUALITIES OF A TEACHER:
These are the qualities some of the best mentors and good teachers in the world exhibit-
1. Strong communication -
Communicating what is important and necessary is imperative for humans and professionals. Learning this from a role model is perhaps the best way to learn it!
2. Patience -
The age-old saying “good things take time” couldn't fit anything better than this scenario. Students take time to understand certain things, but once they do, they feel unstoppable, and this feeling is so very important to nurture!
3. Embracing tier differences -
Feeling validated and appreciated is a craving all people, not only kids want. It is incredibly important to help students realise that they are important and that everything about them is a strength!
4. Thirst for learning -
This world holds countless possibilities to learn. Finding that spark in students and enabling that to become a flame is the most powerful change a teacher can make!
5. Updates -
Always keeping students up to date on current situations is imperative to their critical analysis skills!
6. Delivering information in a way they take it as something to build on, not insecurity.
7. Reading students and their personalities well.
8. Being their biggest source of encouragement.
Your education serves as the cornerstone for your work as a teacher, which has the potential to make a significant impact on students' lives regardless of where your career path leads you—whether to an elementary school, secondary school, or even the university level.
To conclude, all teachers or aspiring teachers should strive to be that good teacher they wish they had growing up!
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