What makes a good instructor
Everyone wants to teach, should everyone be an teacher.
They say that patience is a vertue and it is so so true, There is alot more to teaching than just having patience though. Not only do you have to articulate well you need to personable, and with that you also must be able to keep students engaged in the topic and have the knoledge to awnswer the most challenging of questions. The subject matter of what you teach does not matter as long as you know the subject. As an Automotive Insructor for the past 9 years i have seen alot of students over the years and everyday is a new challenge.
What makes a good instructor is understanding.
The desire and passion to enable the student to be successful. To see the fire in their eyes when they learn a new skill.
They will to go out of their way to learn and apply and then reconnect the everyday, mundane matters to the subject being taught; to incorporate your professional experiences and contrast with student's current experiences. A great instructor never stops learning from students and their multiple and diverse backgrounds.
Passion, drive and excitment of being able to change a persons life.
I have been a nurse intructor for eight years now, and i encountered different kinds of students from all walks of life. Yes, all the descriptions of a good teacher will really help us handle these students, but the most important for me is setting limits to whatever they do. If they go beyond thier bounderies and especially our bounderies they have to be stopped. I teach them the virtue of self- discipline from the start because this is much needed when they are already dealing with their clients.
When instructors show passion and excitement it encourages the students and helps them to be more motivated in their classes.
@cuth : Remebering what it was like when you where an student.
I think a good intructor has to organized and want to teach. If an instructor is unorganized the students will suffer and both the instructor and students will stress. When I'm organized it helps me and my students to stay on time and on topic. I try not to procrastinate my task. As an instructor I wake up 20 minutes early to go over my to-do task notebook so my class will go smooth without any errors. It's very important to stay on task and give my students a 100%.
Not everyone should teach. Also, everyone does not want to teach. Teaching is very challenging and difficult, but does not come without great rewards if your heart is in it. I do remember what it was like when I was a student. You either got it or you didn't. Most of the time it was the instructor that made that happen. I can definately go back and recall the ones that did not have either the desire to teach or motivation to teach. The students are the ones that suffer in the end.
My first class is next week and I have to say I am a little nervous. Teaching is something I have wanted to do and education has always been a very important part of my life so I finally got the nerve to apply for a teaching position. I have always been told by colleagues that they feel I would make a great instructor. Reading this has given me some important things to consider and keep in mind! thank you guys very much!!!
