Reflection on How to Be a Good Teacher
For the question what kind of teacher can be defined as a good teacher, everyone may have their own opinions. The one who help you to improve your scores is a good teacher; the one who treat you like his or her own child may be a good teacher, or the one who influences your world outlook and your view of life and so on. Since we are in a normal university, we are all aimed to be a good teacher. Then what kind of teacher is a good teacher? What kind of qualities do a good teacher should have and what can we do to improve ourselves towards to aim of being a good teacher? We have been thinking about these questions these years when we are in normal university. It seems that to be a good teacher is our lifelong dream. Therefore, in this paper I want to talk about my opinions about what kind of teacher a good teacher is and how to be a good teacher.
As is I mentioned above, different people have different criteria for a good teacher. In Seymour Erichsen’book The Essence of Good Teaching, he described that “an outstanding teacher should be an inspiring instructor who is concerned about students, an active scholar who is respected by discipline peers, and efficient organized professional who is accessible to students and colleagues”(Ericksen 1984:3). 1A argue that there is almost always a discrepancy between what professionals say they believe and the way which they act. In order to balance the discrepancy, teachers should have self-aw
areness, that is to say, good teachers should become reflective practitioners during the teaching procedures. However, according to Feuerstein’s theory of mediation, a good teacher should be a mediator. Mediation theory tells us that the teacher is to help learners to find ways of moving into their next level of understanding of the language. Undoubtedly, these studies are all rational. As for me, I think a good teacher is the one who can mediate students’zone of proximate development and help learners grasp knowledge and one survival skill, and also, he or she must teach students how to be good people. This good people have lots of means, like virtuous, creative, brave, strong qualities and so on. In a word, not only knowledge and skills, emotional attitude and cultural consciousness should also be taught by teachers. Then this is a good teacher.
1 Marion Williams & Robert L. Burden. Psychology for language teachers. Page 47.
For the second issue, what kind of qualities a good teacher should have. It depends on different areas, educational objects, learners and also historical background etc. However, there are some essential qualities of good teachers. (1) Teaching is a lifelong learning process, whenever we walk into a classroom to teach something, we face different issues and learn from them. We will find how well a technique works, how a student processes language, how classroom interaction can be improved, how to access a student’s competence, how emotions enter into learning, or how your tea
ching style affects learners.2 The discoveries go on and on --- for a lifetime.  Therefore, the most basic quality of a good teacher is never to stop learning. The world changes day and night, knowledge will be never enough, so a good teacher should always  keep pace with the development of times and  society and never stop learning and accepting new things. (2)  A good teacher should have the self-awareness of reflecting herself. There is always a gap between what teachers believe and what they act, so a good teacher should reflect every class and then check the consistency between his or her belief and act. Through this continuous reflection and correction, a good teacher can promote teaching efficiency and validity. Therefore, the belief which a teacher holds is the most important thing for the reflective process. Teachers’beliefs about learners, learning and themselves have a great influence to teachers’ act in the classroom. A good teacher regards learners as democratic and individual explorers, regards learning process as the acquisition of facts, procedures etc. which can be retained or used in practices and also some form of personal change, regards himself or herself as a mediator and a normal people who help learners to learn and also learn from learners. This is the second quality that a good teacher should have. (3)  Competent and ample knowledge of a subject is necessary for a good teacher. Students’love to the teacher stars from worship. Notwithstanding it is true that teachers are ordinary people and they can’t know and grasp all the things, a knowledgeable teacher is the beginning of being a good teacher. When I was in junio
r middle school, my historical teacher was very professional and she never taught us with her course book. She mastered the whole historical procedure and all the historical testing points. A piece of chalk and the blackboard are enough. It just looked like telling stories. We all admired and respect her.  As a language teacher, a high degree certificate is primary and important. As for English teachers, the TEM-4
2H. Douglas Brown. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Page 425
and TEM-8 certificates are essential for each. They are not only the proof that you have acquired the language aptitude but also the possibility that you can be competent to the task of English teaching. Together with the knowledge, a good teacher also should have the analytical skills for assessing and dealing with different teaching contexts, materials and classroom conditions. The teacher who has ample language knowledge but no teaching skills seems like dumpling in a boiler but can’t be poured out, vice versa. (4) Positive and optimistic characters are also indispensable parts of a good teacher. Nowadays, learners from pupils to college students are shouldering much pressure and facing lots of difficulties. Therefore, psychological illness is common among students, such as depression, autism and suicide. Obviously, teachers are not doctors. However, knowledge and skills are absolutely not t
he only things to teach. As a member of this society, human beings must learn how to face to the difficulties and survive from the strong pressure. And this is a part of teachers’profession. A good teacher teaches learners knowledge, skills and also transfers the emotional attitude and cultural consciousness to learners. A good teacher is a positive, optimistic and brave man who sets a good example for students.
These are the essential qualities that a good teacher should have. Teachers, as ordinary people in our society, shoulder the responsibility of imparting knowledge and educating people. Therefore, a good teacher should have a love of teaching, find and acquire happiness in this process even though this profession is a serious and difficult one.
After having decided to be a teacher, I have always been thinking of what we should prepare for it. It is a complicated and serious profession. It is also such a profession that will guarantee you more than your fair share of challenge, growth, joy, and fulfillment. To be a qualified, respectable and be loved teacher is the lifelong dream of every teacher. Therefore, what can we do to achieve this goal? As an undergraduate student, I should prepare lots of things before being a formal teacher. Firstly, study hard and do more research. Solid foundation of professional knowledge is the most essential thing for a teacher. Researches can help teachers find and resolve problems in the teaching process
and then improve the teaching quality and efficiency. In the following one year, I will read more professional books and do more researches to prepare for my forthcoming formal teaching career. Secondly, set realistic goals for the forthcoming days. One of the most invigorating things about teaching is that you
never stop learning. We can learn from students and also we should learn by ourselves continually. As I mentioned above, teachers should always be ahead of the times and set realistic goals. The realistic goals must be dependent on the priority and difficulty. The easy goal come first, then the important goal followed by the difficult goal. Realistic goals and a reasonable order can enhance my professional accomplishment and confidence, vice versa. For example, my goals of the coming year is to read three teacher resource books, do a research, observe five teachers’lessons and reflect on myself every month. And also, different periods have different goals. Thirdly, practice and take risks. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Since we have learned so many theories and methodologies, it is time to practice, to test whether they are useful or not. When there is a good idea and reform scheme, it must be tested first in a small scale in advance. I think every reform is a process of taking risks. Through this, we education get some appropriate reform schemes. There are no permanent good and appropriate teaching methods for the changes in the world and society. Ther
efore, as a beginning teacher, I should have the awareness of finding out new ideas and take risks to practice them. This kind of creativity and adventure spirit on teachers will have a great influence on students. Last but not least, enrich our daily life. Most people consider the teachers’ life as boring, simple and vapidity. However, teachers’ life is full of happiness and changes because of students. And also students are eager to know much about teachers’ experience. A wealth of experience is a great asset and glamour which will help you to achieve more admirations and respects. Consequently, we should travel, take exercise, read books, watch fashionable plays and take part in more activities if we have some square time. And also, by doing these, we will improve ourselves inside and outside. This brave, active and optimistic spirit will bring energy to students. When they are facing to the difficulties and pressures, students will be brave and optimistic too.
All in all, there are different standards for a good teacher. My opinion on a good teacher can’t stand for all opinions. However, one criterion that will be never changed is to be helpful and nice to your students. To be a good teacher is a long and difficult procedure. In this procedure, both ourselves and the students will be improved and perfected. It is a mutually beneficial process. Every teacher can be a good teacher.
References
[1] H. Douglas Brown. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. [2] Marion & Williams Robert L. Brown. (2000). Psychology for Language Teachers. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
glamour[3]吕乐.戴炜华.2007(04).教学研究：外语教师职业发展的关键[J].外语界.
[4]李拉.侯秀杰.2007(02).教师信念的实质及意义[J].现代教育科学(中学校长).
[5] 武海燕.(2010).英语教学论.西安：陕西师范大学出版总社有限公司.
[6]于兰.2007(07).初任期外语教师的教学问题研究：生存关注[J].外语与外语教学.

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