Teach English in Yechuan Zhen - Jincheng Shi

It’s been over four years and I still think about my English teacher, Mrs. Hartley, and her stories in class about driving to school that morning or raising alpacas on her farm. Her lighthearted humor was contagious and always created a positive atmosphere in the classroom. If I ever struggled with a concept in the course, Mrs. Hartley always had a way of adapting her explanation to the thought process I learned best. Mrs. Hartley’s kindness, adaptability, and passion gave a sense of comfort and support for her students. Kindness, adaptability, and passion for the subject matter- these are the details students remember about the teachers that create lasting impressions on their educational experience. It is important for teachers to create a positive environment for each student to feel comfortable in and be challenged to their own specific level of experience. There are plenty of arguments regarding which qualities are most important for English teachers, but I have found that the most successful teachers often share the traits above necessary for guiding students in the right direction. The list is certainly not exhaustive, but I believe these three traits, kind, adaptable, and passionate, are the most important personal qualities for English teachers to have. Like any teacher, English teachers are the student’s support system so it is important to act with grace and kindness. Mrs. Hartley made herself available in all aspects of her student’s lives. Students want to feel their teachers care about their success. In order to help students feel encouraged, the teacher should be approachable. Students need to feel safe in a learning environment in order to reach their maximum potential. Students are more likely to participate and feel comfortable asking for help when they need it when the teacher is easily approachable. For many students, asking for help can be difficult but having a teacher who is accommodating gives a sense of relief and comfort. It is not easy to accomplish this type of respect, so teachers need to focus on building rapport with students as early as possible. Connecting with students from the beginning will set the tone for students to reach out when they need help later on. Learning a new language can be especially intimidating so English teachers need to understand how to be kind so they can be available and approachable for students from the start. Another important personal quality for English teachers to have is the ability to adapt and be flexible for their students. Along with adapting to a different culture, teachers must also be willing to adapt their teaching methods used in class. Not all students share the same level of skill in English and not all of them share the same learning styles either. Different levels of experience and effective methodologies can present challenges. Each student is unique, English teachers need to be adaptable in order to gauge which technique work most effectively for the group of students as a whole. For both the teacher and students, change must constant. I say this because the educational environment is always evolving, there needs to be an adjustment of teaching methods, curriculum, and practice solely based off of the needs of that particular group of students. Learning how to be flexible for students can be challenging for the English teacher, but pays off the most in the end for the success of their students. The last personal quality I bring up is the passion for teaching and educating students. Passion is contagious, teachers have the ability to pass that desire onto their students to learn more about the subject matter. In this case, an English teacher needs to demonstrate why each and every aspect of the language is interesting and valuable for students to know. With passion and commitment, committed teachers appreciate and put effort towards each of the responsibilities they have to their students. Passion is key to motivating students. An English teacher who is excited about engaging with students instills confidence in students. Learning a new language is challenging for students, participation tends to be low when students are not confident with their language abilities. It is up to the teacher to create an exciting learning environment for students to feel comfortable participating and making mistakes. An English teacher should show kindness to their students, adapt themselves to different cultural behavior and teaching methods, and share a passion for learning English with students. Each of these qualities are essential for English teachers in providing the support system needed for students to grow in and out of the classroom. A teacher who is kind and approachable gives students the comfort they need to engage with and develop their English. A teacher who is flexible with their lesson plans and teaching methodologies creates personalized learning for students. A teacher who is passionate about the English language fosters a learning environment full of students excited to use the language in and outside of the class. English teachers who encompass the personal qualities of kindness, adaptability, and passion create a lasting impression on their student’s educational experiences.