By Zain-ul-Muluk
What makes a good teacher great? In this article, I will briefly examine a few among many qualities that distinguish a ‘great teacher’ from ‘just a good teacher’. I will illustrate some of these characteristics with examples from real-life examples and some from Bollywood movies revolving around child education.
I have referred to Bollywood movies for two reasons, (a) a film is made either based on real-life characters (b) the characters in the movie inspire people in one way or the other.
Following are the characteristics that make a good teacher great.
1. Passion
Passion is the driving force for a great teacher. A great teacher is always passionate about his/her subject. They have a deep understanding and real love for the subject they teach. They would leave no stone unturned to share the knowledge they possess with their students. Moreover, good teachers are always looking for and inventing new ways to make their lessons interesting, fun-filled, and interactive. In nutshell, they are committed to ensuring their students learn and enjoy the teaching-learning process.
In an Indian movie ‘Chak de India’, Shah Rukh Khan has played the role of Sahir Khan, a former national hockey player who has served as the coach of the Indian women’s national hockey team.
In the movie, Sahir remains passionate about hockey and his team’s success. He works tirelessly to train his players, and instill pride and determination in them. Through his passion and dedication, Sahir overcomes the obstacles faced by his team which in turn enables the team to win the World Cup.
2. Patience
Patience is another moral value that great teachers demonstrate massively. They know this fact that not all students have the same learning style. As a result of this factual knowledge, they demonstrate patience while meeting the unique learning needs of each student. You will find a great teacher showing patience while addressing student questions and explaining concepts. He won’t show any frustration while making several attempts to address the same questions several times. He would rather listen to the students with compassion and understand their concerns at all costs.
A great real-life example of a passionate teacher is Anne Sullivan. Anne Sullivan was the mentor of a blind and deaf girl, Helen Keller. Sullivan worked tirelessly with Keller. He taught her how to communicate through sign language and helped her understand the world around. It took years requiring patience and dedication. Sullivan’s hard work paid off when Keller became the first deaf and blind person to receive a bachelor’s degree.
3. Innovation
Great teachers are always in look for new and innovative ways to engage their students in learning activities. They will not feel contented with the traditional methods of teaching. Moreover, they are always looking for new tools, skills, and methods to improve and enrich student learning. They would not hesitate to take risks and try new things, doesn’t matter, even if it means breaking out of their comfort zone. Because they are creative, they know how to make the learning process fun and interesting.
A real-life example of an innovative teacher is Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy. Khan started making videos to help his cousin with his math homework, and soon he was making videos for anyone who wanted to learn. His innovative approach to education has revolutionized the way we learn and Khan Academy has become a leading provider of free online education. Khan’s innovative approach has inspired countless educators to embrace technology and find new ways to engage their students.
4. Empathy
Another moral value that great teachers demonstrate in their professional life is a demonstration of empathy. They are empathetic and understand the needs and concerns of their students. They treat their students with kindness and compassion and care about their well-being. Furthermore, a great teacher would take out time to get to know the students and connect with them. Similarly, they create a conducive, safe, interesting, and supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves. A great teacher also understands the needs and problems of the students as well as his fellow teachers and gives them helpful advice
One such example is the role of Ramshankar Nikambah played by Aamir Khan in the Indian movie ‘Tare Zameen Par’. Nikumbh is a teacher who admits that his student ‘Ishaan Awasthi’ with dyslexia is facing difficulty in learning. He takes out time to understand Ishaan’s unique learning style and provides him with the support and resources he needs to succeed. He also encourages Ishaan’s creativity and imagination and helps him see how he can make the best use of his talents.
5. Command on content and pedagogy
Content knowledge and teaching skills are necessary for effective teaching, but these alone do not make a great teacher. Great teachers possess a thorough knowledge of teaching techniques. They can adapt their teaching to different formats to meet the needs of diverse learners. Likewise, they go into the classroom with a complete plan. For this, a great teacher constantly goes through the process of self-learning and attaches high expectations handwork from his students. Similarly, a great teacher always evaluates his/her performance, teaching skills, learning process, attitudes, effectiveness, achievements, and knowledge regularly for self-improvement.
In the Bollywood movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’, Ram Shankar Nakambh is passionate about helping his students develop their creativity and imagination. Nakambh is known for his strong content knowledge and teaching skills. He is also able to connect with his students on a personal level. He tailors his teaching methods to meet their individual needs as he recognizes each child has a unique learning style.
Similarly, Neha Mathur’s character of azim ustani, played by Rani Mukherjee in another Bollywood film ‘Hichki’, truly epitomizes the qualities of an exceptional teacher. She is portrayed as having a deep passion for teaching reflected in her unwavering commitment to the success of his students. Despite facing numerous challenges, she is exceptionally patient in her approach to teaching, never giving up on her students and always finding new ways to engage them in various learning activities. Her innovative teaching methods reflect a willingness to experiment and take risks in pursuit of effective learning.
Similarly, she has a deep sense of empathy, always striving to understand and address the unique needs of each of her students. He also has command over the subject matter and teaching techniques to provide effective instruction and guide his students to academic excellence. These qualities make her an inspirational figure and a perfect example of what it means to be a great teacher.
Conclusion
A good teacher can impart knowledge and teach students essential skills, but a great teacher does much more than that. A great teacher has a combination of qualities that include passion, patience, innovation, empathy, mastery of the subject and pedagogy, which inspire their students to learn and grow. Great teachers create conducive learning environments, adapt their teaching to meet the needs of diverse learners, and use technology meaningfully. Examples like those provided about by Sahir Khan, Anne Sullivan, Salman Khan, Ramashankar Nakambh and Neha Mathur show the impact great teachers can have in shaping their students and their future.
