Becoming The Best Educator You Can Be

Teaching is a tough gig. No matter if you’re the head of a faculty, a teacher or a teaching assistant, being responsible for the training of young and eager people is difficult no matter which way you look at it. Varying competency levels and even more varied personality types permeate your classroom, and this means you have to vary your approach depending on the children you work with.

How is best to do this? Well, there are various methods you can adopt in order to be the best educator you possibly can.

It will take work, and sometimes you’ll feel stressed and worried that you’re not breaking through to your students. Young people aren’t easy, and they’re usually trying to figure out who they are as people themselves. To best appreciate this fact, and accommodate it, use the following tips to become a great teacher, as worthy as Socrates himself.

Find A Balance of Discipline

Every teacher has different levels of discipline requirement depending on the school they work in and age of the children they teach. If you’re a college level professor, it’s likely keeping your students in line will hardly be a consideration for you. If you’re a teenage teacher, it will be a daily battle for you. Making sure that you put your best foot forward and hold your ground when needs be will allow you to be firm and respectable. Allowing a few mishaps to pass over your head and joking with the students when they’re appropriately humorous will increase their respect for you, and they’re more likely to behave themselves. Do your best to balance both. You’ll get a feel for it in time.

Always Be Organized

You need to provide an example for your students, so be sure to always be prepared for the lessons. Have homework returned in a timely fashion, and be available for any help after class that struggling students might need. Ensure that you have the best software solutions and your teachers are sure to thank you.

Praise, Praise, Praise

A good horse trainer uses sugar cubes instead of a whip. Keep this in mind. Never criticize a child’s intelligence or aptitude, that only breeds resentment. Above all, you should make your students believe in themselves. They’ll develop an emotional respect for you this way, but only if you genuinely try and help them. This might mean being available outside the limits of your prescribed hours to do so, but the return will always be worth it.

Osmosis

A great teacher is absorbed and in love with the subject they’re teaching. This is the best way to encourage your children to follow suit, and at least see past their initial hesitations. For example, if you’re an English teacher, really sell the book you’re about to read. Tell them about the beauty and nuances of language, and the messages the book tries to convey. Show them this means something to you, and they’re more likely to listen to you. Schools are pretty mechanical environments, so anything you can do to inject a human factor will be a humbling experience for the kids.

As always, do your best to stay positive. Teaching is a stressful job, but there’s no reason you should let it get to you. Have faith in yourself, and you’ll do it in a way worthy of praise and respect.