A Teacher is a Personality

Is there such a thing as a "Teacher Personality?"

My former professor thought so. As an teaching intern, Joseph Heron was my instructor and supervisor. He was close to retirement -- I love working with and learning from seasoned teachers, they have so much to offer. I am glad I had a chance to be under his tutelage before he retired. I miss him, he was wise, thoughtful and possessed a quiet authority. During one of the sessions, he said, "a teacher is a personality." Interestingly, he choice not to elaborate. Instead, he allowed us to discover what that meant for ourselves. I decided to do some research on the qualities of a good teacher. 

One educator described a good teacher as being passionate, patient, cooperative, authoritative and create.  I would extend this by also including compassionate, curious, observant, and caring. In addition, I think a teacher must possess emotional and social maturity or at least have the latent potential to develop that same. Strong organizational and self regulatory skills should be added to the list. Teachers have above average IQs, according to the professional journal articles I read.

As an instructor, a teacher must be able to hold their students attention. I teacher needs to study and understand their students developmental stage and personality. A teacher needs to have an awareness of their students learning styles and deficiency. I teacher needs to know where their students buttons are, and make the choice not to push them. This can be a temptation that some teachers find hard to resist. It is a form of revenge upon a student who has time and time again derailed the classroom. But, instead of being revengeful, why not find out why the student is seeking to avoid the instruction and address it? A student's cry for help should not be responded to with a revengeful act of humiliation or ostracization. 

As I reflect on my personality and the personalities of other teachers that I have observed, I agree with my professor. Substitute teachers are challenged upon entering the classroom. Substitute teachers must be quick studies and highly intuitive, because if it is a one day assignment, one must quickly assess the classroom climate and abilities of the students. I usually start the day with a silky-steely firmness, that I may or may not soften, depending on the behavioral dynamics of the class I am supervising. I am at present on an assignment that may last until the end of the year. This past week, I have been quiet and the students and I observe each other. They are deciding if I am safe or unsafe as an adult and teacher. By day two, most students seem to respect my quiet authority. I do not issue threats and make no remarks about behavior. 

More to come...

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