4/29/21; Week 02: Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

What makes a teacher (basically)?

What are the characteristics that an individual has to have to call himself/herself a teacher? Probably we would first think of mastering a specific area of study, adopting a chosen pedagogy principle, having a measure of interpersonal skills. Then, the individual should have the ability to mix these elements to deliver them in a "package" to students. You probably are thinking that being a teacher is much more than, and you are right. But what if I tell you some teachers believe that the formula above is enough to fulfill students' expectations, reducing their role in attending to those characteristics.

According to John J. Ivers, in his article "Is the Great American Teacher Dead? Principles to Resurrect Meaningful, Effective, and Consciousness Raising instruction" some teachers are not responding appropriately to their roles of being a real educator, being in a system where poor teaching, lack of motivation and, inspiration are commonplace. Accepting this poor learning package, as a result, we have incapable teachers to motivate and inspire students, not making any difference in their lives and, students that are not able or not interested in achieving their highest potential and become stewards of their knowledge.

What makes a great teacher (basically)?

That's another question that doesn't have a ready answer. Being a great teacher involves several aspects which can differ according to the area of knowledge, culture, and audience. However, there are certain aspects of great teaching that are common for all teachers. Here are some we, as actual or future ESL/EFL teachers can start paying attention to e apply whenever possible:

• Good delivery - being a strong communicator when delivering classes. It's important to show genuine enthusiasm and, through it, engage and motivate students. A good communicator is also a good listener.
• Meaningful learning journey - providing students experiences in the learning process that will transform their way of thinking and help them become different from who they were before it.
• Friendly inspiring environment - making classes environment a safe place to share, question, make mistakes and, learn, rich in cultural diversity and opportunities for those who seek knowledge.
• Avoiding predictable classes - bringing new ways to work the content, changing activities whenever necessary to drives the students’ attention, promoting a variety of tasks are good ideas to keep students engaged.
• Building a positive teacher-student relationship - the educator Rita Pierson said in her Every Kid needs a champion, for Ted Talks, tell us that "kids don't learn from people they don't like", which means if teachers want to teach meaningfully, they must build a positive relationship with their students, being able to first understand in order to be understood.

Of course, there are much more aspects that can guide and help senior teachers and brand new teachers to become what exactly a great Teacher should always be - the students' inspiration!