Teach English in Mianzhi Zhen - Aba Zangzu Qiangzu Zizhizhou —

In order to be good at any job, there has to be a desire for it and that desire derives from the personal qualities that one possesses. A teacher is not just an educator, but has an important influence in a student’s life; they are mentors and looked up to. Hence it is important to ensure that the teacher has the essential qualities to be able to live up to the expectation of the role. If a teacher does not possess the necessary qualities, the effect and impact left on the students can be damaging and everlasting. There are many schools of thoughts as to what qualities are important for a teacher to possess. A teacher requires, patience, good communication skills, humility, effective listening skills, the ability to motivate others and above all Integrity. The highest level of patience is required as there will be days when students will test the teacher’s patience to a high level. In this era, teachers are dealing with a different level of youth, young adult’s mind-set who are much more confrontational and challenging. The secret is to count to 10, as screaming and yelling at the students does not solve the issue, it in fact may cause resentment, which could lead to the student dreading coming into class. This level of patience takes time a certain level of maturity, as teachers are also humans and may be having a bad day, however the essential point is not to rise to the temperament of students. Some students will start to deliberately wind the teacher up and again it is better to not give them the satisfaction of acknowledging them, as once they realize the teacher has not paid attention by not getting worked up, they end up stopping their misbehavior. Having patience is also a key quality due to the different levels of understanding, as students may ask repeatedly in the lesson for an explanation or act like a particular material was not mentioned in class before as they have forgotten or have not studied. Therefore patience is required in order to deal with this situation as students need time to grasp the material and may not always get it the first time or remember it, and it is not a teacher’s job to scold at this point, but to serve as a mentor or guide. Good communication skills are also an essential personal quality as without this, a student cannot understand no matter how much material is covered in class or homework is given. Being able to communicate in a way that treats each group of students uniquely takes experience and knowing that just spoon feeding the material is not teaching. It is important to find a suitable way and method to enable the students to learn and be able to feel good about what they are learning. In addition, being humble and allowing the students, to respect the teacher - student relationship, but to know that teachers also are not perfect and can make mistakes and that we also learn something new every day. A teacher should not act like a boss in class or speak down to the students. Telling the students, that we learn from them and with them is an essential motivating factor which gives the students confidence. Furthermore, effective listening is important as teachers should be facilitators and not merely expect students to just listen in class. It is important to listen to the students and also accept what they are saying may be right too, as it gets them to critically think and encourages them to share their ideas. Also students may be trying to tell the teacher something, but might be afraid to, due to being afraid of the consequences. There should not be any consequences for students who wish to share their ideas and may have suggestions for the class. Moreover, the skill of motivating others is a unique skill to have, as it requires a lot of effort and pushing boundaries as well as limitations that students set upon them. When the students are encouraged and have someone that constantly believes in them and shows them how to trust themselves that they are great and can become whatever they want to, they build that confidence and achieve and do things, such as public speaking and volunteer work, which they did not have the confidence to do before. Motivating others to keep going is important for one’s self worth and to stay positive, especially when dealing with students as they may be facing many issues that they have not shared. Above all, Integrity is a very important quality to have as a teacher. A teacher has an important role in society and needs to take that responsibility seriously. If teachers cheat the students in terms of the way they are teaching them and doing the bare minimum, then the only person who really loses is the teacher. Doing right is also, about one’s professional reputation and should never be compromised. In conclusion, a teacher must have the essential characteristics in order to be a ‘real teacher’, there are many who teach for fun, to earn money and do not really care. As well as possessing patience, good communication skills, humility, effective listening skills, the ability to motivate others and Integrity, a teacher has to have the passion and enthusiasm to be effective.