Teacher’s Personality in the Classroom
There are millions of English teachers out there and how do we know if they are teacher material or not. We don't. Because every single person in this world has its own unique qualities that are lovable by someone. However, there are certain qualities that are needed if you are an English teacher, but they are just my own opinion. Besides you should be able to teach English in English, I think patience is the most important quality a teacher should have. You will experience from the most annoying kid to the most unreasonable adult. How can you handle them without causing a scene? Patience is all you need. Sometimes all you need to do is to talk to them patiently and not lose your temper. You will find it surprisingly effective.
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Chiao L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Knowing Students' Challenges
Also, learning a new language can be boring and challenging. ESL teachers should be able to be outgoing and sometimes even be silly. Especially young English learners who can barely speak their L1 needs to see teachers act or use a lot of gestures. So being an ESL teacher should always be fun and funny.
Also Read: You're Never Too Old to Change Your Life and Do a TEFL Course | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Sense of Respect
An ESL teacher should also be respectful. Just because you're a teacher, it doesn't mean you are above everyone. Respect students' opinions, suggestions, and etc. Sometimes they will WOW you with some cool ideas for the class. I often invite my students to be a part of my lesson planning. I want to know what they are interested in and what they want to learn. It also makes them feel proud to think they are just like a teacher. I also have adult students give me honest opinions about my teaching because I ask them to. They are not only just my students but my teachers. Their opinions will always help me grow.
Creativity
I don't like textbook/worksheet teachers. Especially growing up I have encountered countless teachers like that. I believe that in order to be an awesome ESL teacher, you need to be willing to spare some time to make your lesson plans and prepare props for the class you teach. Teaching English is more than just read through a textbook, you are teaching your students a language that they are not familiar with. Be creative, make it fun, and most importantly take some time to prepare the best lesson plan!
Also Read: The Top 8 Cities in France For Teaching English Abroad | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Personal Growth
Lastly, I think an English teacher should always try to improve himself/herself academically. There are always new things we can learn. We should always offer students the best and most up to date teaching techniques (that is combined with our own teaching style of course.) Just because we are teachers, we don't need to continue learning. I also think it's really important for teachers to learn about child psychology. Kids are a lot different from before. They seem not able to take criticism and can't handle failure. That's why I think we should learn about how to handle situations like this and help them do better in English and overcome some issues like this.
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There are so many more qualities that I think are important for English teachers, but I think these 5 are the most important ones in my opinion. I am still pursuing to be the best ESL teacher I can be in my students' eyes. Though I don't think I have met the goal yet, I know I'm getting there.
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