Characteristics to be a good teacher

Assalammualaikum...

I would like to share one of my assignment. I think this is really useful for those who will be a teachers and all the teachers out there. Below are 12 characteristics we should have if we want to be a good teacher. I believe there are so many methods or a guide to be a good teachers. But here, I only list down 12 characteristics.
Insya Allah, this will help all of us be a good teachers. Amin...

Fairness. Every university student we surveyed listed fairness as one of the
characteristics of their favorite teachers. As humans, we possess an ingrained sense of
fair play. Whenever we are dealt with by someone in a manner that violates what we
think constitutes fairness in the situation, we react negatively. Any semblance of
favoritism, or lack of fairness, can leave scars that last a lifetime. While feelings and
competition between classmates can be intense, the memories of unfair teachers are
reported by our college students in great detail, even after many years have passed since
those negative school experiences.
Positive Attitude. Another characteristic that repeatedly appeared on our students’
list of teacher characteristics was the positive attitude and approach that teachers brought
into the classroom. Borich (2000) suggests that effective teachers are those who use
“meaningful verbal praise to get and keep students actively participating in the learning
process” (p.15). Cruickshank, Jenkins & Metcalf (2003) write that effective teachers are
generally positive minded individuals who believe in the success of their students as well
as their own ability to help students achieve. As we all know, there are people in life who
are inclined to see the glass half empty and there are others who usually see it half full. It
is important to “catch students doing things right” rather than “catching them doing
something wrong.”. Effective teachers develop ways to remind themselves to do this, and
the impact on students can last many years. Our students often recall praise and
recognition that teachers gave them as young students, and they point to the confidence
and direction that often resulted in their lives.
Preparedness. It is easy for students to tell if a teacher is prepared for class. Even
young children know when a teacher is organized and ready for the day’s lessons.
According to our informal surveys, nothing frustrates a student more than to come to
class and be assaulted by a teacher who has no idea what he or she is doing. Competence
and knowledge of the content area being taught is something that our college students
have always mentioned about their favorite teachers and is strongly supported by the
current literature. Our students pointed out that in classrooms where teachers were well
prepared, behavior problems were less prevalent. The well-prepared teacher is more
likely to be able to take time during lessons to notice and attend to behavioral matters,
and is less likely to miss the beginnings of potentially disruptive activity. If, on the other
hand, teachers have not invested sufficient time in planning and preparation, they tend to
be so focused on what they are doing that they miss the early signs of misbehavior. This
ultimately results in frequent disruption, waste of valuable instructional time, and student
frustration.
Personal Touch. Our students have always mentioned the fact that their favorite
teachers connected with them in a personal way. Teachers who convey a personal tough
with their students call their students by name, smile often, ask about students’ feelings
and opinions, and accept students for who they are. Teachers who bring their lives and
stories into the classroom build trust with their students. Teachers who tell stories of
events in their own lives which relate to subject matter currently being taught, captivate
student interest and promote bonding with the students. Additionally, teachers who have
gotten close to their students have done so by finding out as much about their students as
possible. Teachers who show interest in their students have interested students.
Sense of humor. Our students fondly remembered teachers for their sense of
humor. If a teacher has a quick wit and the ability to break the ice in difficult situations
with the use of humor, this is an extremely valuable asset. According to McDermott &
Rothenberg (2000) students enjoy teachers with a sense of humor and found those
teachers made learning fun. As long as it is not at any individual’s expense, good teachers
can occasionally enjoy a laugh with the class and they can also laugh at themselves.
Students recognize the strength reflected in teachers who are not threatened by foolish or
silly mistakes that they make. Since students sometimes find themselves in similarly
embarrassing situations, good teachers can provide a wonderful model for how to deal
with an embarrassing situation effectively.
Creativity. Many of our students remembered unusual things that their teachers
did in their teaching and the creative ways that they decorated the classroom or motivated
the students. For example, one teacher was remembered for an old bathtub painted green
and fill with pillows and books, designated the “Reading Tub”. Another teacher was
remembered for an igloo that she had in the back of her room. Constructed out of plastic
bottles glued together in the shape of an igloo, it provided an enclosure into which
children who earned the privilege could go and work quietly on puzzles and word-finds.
Other teachers had large trunks in their elementary room full of dress-up clothes, offering
a fun activity for rainy days. Some teachers were remembered specifically for their
unique ways of motivating their class. One teacher had challenged the class to reach a
particular academic goal.
Willingness to admit mistakes. Something that we all appreciate in others is their
willingness to admit mistakes, and it is also long remembered by students. Like
everybody else, teachers make mistakes. Unfortunately, some teachers think that their
authority in the classroom can be undermined by these mistakes and they try to let them
go unnoticed or cover over them quickly. Students quite obviously have a different
opinion. They are fully aware of the times when teachers make mistakes, especially when
they somehow suffer from them. Teachers who recognize their mistakes and apologize
for them when they affect the students provide an excellent model to give students, and a
great way to be remembered as a favorite teacher.
Forgiving. Most of us have a bad habit of labeling others, and those labels can
sometimes stick for as long as we know the person. They become “lifers” for us, and our
interactions with these students are consistently colored by what we expect to see. All
those associated with education know that there are frequently personality conflicts
between teachers and students. It is often blamed on bad “chemistry.” Whatever the
cause, it can have a disastrous effect on the child caught in this relationship, and can
result in a year of frustration and academic failure. Our students had plenty of memories
of teachers who “had it in for” one student or another, but their accounts of favorite
teachers reflected a willingness to forgive students for misbehavior and a habit of starting
each day with a clean slate.
Respect. Teachers universally wish for their students to respect them. We have
found from discussions with our students that those who are given the highest amount of
respect are those who give respect to their children. Favorite teachers were remembered
for keeping grades on papers confidential, for speaking to students privately after
misbehavior or when the teacher needed some clarification, in contrast to public rebuke.
Favorite teachers were remembered for showing sensitivity for feelings and for
consistently avoiding situations that would unnecessarily embarrass students. Such
behavior is obviously appreciated by students, and according to those in our classes,
repaid with respect and love for the teacher.
High expectations. Our students often have mentioned the expectations that their
favorite teachers held for them. According to Irvine (2001) “students defined caring
teachers as those who set limits, provided structure, held high expectations and pushed
them to achieve” (p. 6-7). Teachers with positive attitudes also possess high expectations
for success. Gill and Reynolds (1999) report that students of teachers with high
expectations learn more as teachers’ expectations rise. Teachers’ expectation levels affect
the ways in which teachers teach and interact with students. In turn, these behaviors
affect student learning. Generally, students either rise to their teachers’ expectations or do
not perform well when expectations are low or non-existent. The best teachers were
remembered as having the highest standards. They consistently challenged their students
to do their best. Many of our students reported that they had little confidence in
themselves as youngsters. Parents or siblings had told them that they were dumb and the
children believed it to be true. When their teachers expressed the fact that they believed
in their ability, it served to energize them and encourage them to reach new heights.
Some ended up choosing careers in areas that they were originally encouraged in by these
teachers. Expectations are often self-fulfilling, and must therefore be expressed with care
and consideration. Favorite teachers apparently have a talent for doing that.
Compassion. Hopefully, school is a place where children can learn and be
nurtured in an emotionally safe environment. The reality of most classrooms, and in fact
just about any gathering of youngsters, includes a significant amount of cruelty and hurt
feelings. All insensitive, uncaring, or deliberately malicious behavior cannot be
eliminated from such situations, but a caring teacher can have a tremendous impact on its
frequency. Students have related numerous stories over the years about how the
sensitivity and compassion of a favorite teacher affected them in profound and lasting
ways. Cruickshank, Jenkins, & Metcalf (2003) report that effective teachers are
supportive of students in multiple ways and help to meet their needs for belonging and
success. These teachers were remembered for noticing when children were left out of
games on the playground and for taking action to prevent such things from happening.
Such simple actions eliminated the embarrassment that many children have to face
everyday. And from our students’ recollections, it was clear that such wise behavior was
remembered vividly years later.
Sense of belonging. One thing repeatedly mentioned by our students was the fact
that they felt like they belonged in the classrooms taught by favorite teachers. They
recalled that these teachers developed a sense of family in their classrooms. A variety of
strategies, long used by teachers in the classroom, were remembered. Classroom pets,
random act of kindness awards, class picture albums, and cooperative class goals were
employed to build a sense of unity and companionship. In addition, emphasis was placed
on maintaining an emotionally safe classroom. Good teachers also took strong measures
to prevent mean and hurtful behavior like teasing and bullying. Effective teachers know
well that when children feel emotionally, as well as, physically safe, they learn far better.