How do you imagine an ideal teacher? What characteristics should he have?
An ideal teacher is the one who chose his or her profession deliberately and not by chance. He should treat teaching as a mission and not only as a way to earn a living. With an ideal teacher students find that they have learnt something new at the end of every lesson. To do this, he or she must have zest for his subject and teaching. It also requires many skills and the strong personality.
Good teachers are the ones who are highly competent and who like their job. They have a wide knowledge of the subject they teach, and know how to motivate students. Their lessons are not monotonous because their creativity helps them make every lesson varied and interesting. They are well structured with lots of different activities to do.
They are patient and friendly, but demanding and severe to students who do not want to study or who are arrogant and insolent. Nevertheless, they do not get angry with students who are a bit slower and they try to find ways to encourage and praise them.
They are neither too strict nor too easy-going. They always give students an opportunity to discuss and air their views, encourage questions and are good at explaining everything. They are tolerant and broadminded which along with their strong personality makes students respect and admire them. They also must be honest in their relationships with students, and proud enough about their own value so that they can help their students build their own self-esteem.
They do not concentrate only on the subjects they teach but also organize extracurricular activities such as an amateur theatre or a debating club. They take part in various excursions for students and have a lot of ideas how to make school life more interesting.
They are well organized and punctual, as they know that it is difficult to expect students to be organized unless they are set an example by teachers, who often are their role models. They have a sense of humour which makes them more popular among students.
I realize that there are no ideal people, and of course there are no ideal teachers. But if somebody possessed at least half of these qualities, I’m sure he or she would be a very good teacher.
Przykładowe pytanie, jakie może zadać egzaminator
Do you think that teaching at school is a difficult profession? Why? Why not?
In my opinion it is one of the most difficult professions. It requires a lot of patience, understanding and continuous self-education. It is a stressful job which is connected with great responsibility. A teacher has a strong influence on young people and to certain extent students’ future lives depend on him. It is not a nine -five job but a kind of mission which requires a great deal of energy and devotion.
deliberately – umyślnie, celowo, rozmyślnie