Effective Teacher Detector | Teen Ink

Effective Teacher Detector

December 10, 2009
By Michelle Pinckney BRONZE, Auburn, New York
Michelle Pinckney BRONZE, Auburn, New York
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Every school has the teacher who all the students like because they are nice but none of them seem to learn from this specific teacher. There are several types of teachers and many different teaching styles. There are three specific categories that I believe teachers may be placed into: the “know-it-all”, the fun teacher, and last but not least “the perfect fit”. Some ways teachers teach are very effective while others, lets just say, are not so much.

One type of teacher that seems to be very common within the high school level are what I like to call, the “Know-it-all” teachers. These are the ones who stand at the front of the room with the same look on their face every day that just screams that they do not want to be there and they would love to be anywhere else in the world! People who have little to no interest in children or young adults should simply for the sake of the students, their fellow teachers, and their employers not choose to teach. Lack of interest will result in similar absence of interest from the students in the classroom. Some of these teachers are also the ones who have such high expectations that students may wonder why they aren’t teaching at the college level instead of high school students who are clearly not at this level of intelligence yet.

Although these are the teachers who say the famous quote “There are no stupid questions.” these are also the teachers who will never let you prove them wrong. In a class like this learning can be quite difficult and somewhat stressful for students.

In contrast to the “know-it-all” teacher, there is always the fun teacher (who never actually teaches.) In many cases students love to have the fun teacher but this teacher may not always do the best thing for the grade book. The fun teacher acts more in the role of a friend, or a fellow classmate than the educator. Teachers want and expect to be respected. Acting as a friend and allowing the students to become uncontrollable will cause an extreme lack of respect. The fun teachers main focus is to be the well-liked, popular teacher. Sometimes this teaching style can turn into an uncontrollable class without very many successful students.

Last but certainly not least there is “the perfect fit” teacher. Like Cinderella’s foot to the glass slipper, this teacher is the “perfect fit” for any class of a
ny age group. Teachers such as these know how to teach so that the students can comprehend and understand with ease. Students grow and learn at different levels. It is important that a teacher can teach to the comprehension of each student. They may not always be fun and exciting but the “perfect fit” teacher can teach a lesson while making it enjoyable. Having an optimistic attitude reflects on students in a very positive manor creating a fantastic learning atmosphere for both the students and faculty. This teaching style is certainly the most effective and guarantees a high success rate.

Just as many students come from many different families and have several different personalities, many teachers graduate from different colleges and have their own
unique styles of teaching. While some may be effective others are not so much. Teachers should listen to their students, ask for feedback, and remember that learning is a two way street. Not only should teachers be able to teach their students, their students should be able to teach them something in return. No one is ever too old to learn something new.

The author's comments:
I want to be a teacher when I get out of college. I am a high school senior and I can honest say that I have had each kind of teacher talked about in this essay.

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