How To Be A Better Teacher

There is no society out there that thrives without teachers. Almost everybody is a teacher, but not everybody is a qualified and recognised teacher. Teachers make life easier not just for parents, but for the children that they teach. Almost everybody has a memory or a story about a teacher that they really valued in high school, primary school, or even college. Teachers at all levels and in all walks of life are impacted by the people they teach, too, so the impact goes both ways. 

Teachers are keen to learn and they are the best type of learner because they want to be able to learn as much as they do teach. Improving their classroom management skills, improving knowledge and learning how to deal with different behavioral issues are important for teachers, and the best teachers continuously push themselves to learn more and do better.

Some teachers choose to use an educational marketplace to better their resources and add extra strings to their bow. Others choose to go out there and teach more in new places so that they can upgrade their current teaching style. Either way, learning how to be a better teacher serves the community as much as it serves you, so here are some of the best ways that you can do it. 

1. Learn to create an atmosphere that fosters mutual respect. It really doesn’t matter in which capacity you do this – you can coach a team or lead a club, support a new activity or get involved with new students in your current school. The idea here is that you become a much better teacher when you learn how to make respect the goal. Show people that you care about the things that they care about, and you’ll have a recipe for success in your teaching day. 

2. Be fun. The worst type of teacher is the one that rules with fear. No one likes to feel tense in a classroom atmosphere and it’s because of the demeanor of the specific teacher that students feel that way. It can make a big difference if you are a teacher who is fun, has a sense of humor and knows how to smile and interact with students. It’s so important that you become more fun in your day to day classes and show students that they can trust you and rely on you.

3. Be effective. You are planning lessons, marking homework, grading essays and generally letting people know if their learning is occurring. If you find that your students don’t have the right grades, then you should know that it’ll be because your teaching methods aren’t effective enough.

If you can ensure that you are planning your lessons effectively, then you will be a much better teacher for it. You can make learning and understanding happen for you, and that will make your students look forward to your classes. This is the creme de la creme of teaching; happy students who want to learn from you should be the goal! 

4. Communicate. This is all about the students and their abilities to learn, grow and repeat what you’re teaching them. If you are communicative, you’re going to be a much better teacher and you will be able to avoid unnecessary criticism in your work. Communication isn’t just key with pupils, though. You need to be able to communicate with parents, with coworkers and with your teaching management teams. Make sure that your communication is constructive, too. No one wants to deal with mean teachers!

5. Offer praise. There’s a common misconception that people will only learn from mistakes. Sure, as a teacher your job is to correct mistakes by pointing them out and offering solutions. The problems tend to arrive when you only point out their mistakes. If you are doing this, you’re going to really miss out on a lesson here.

Offering constructive, relevant and regular praise doesn’t just show people that they are learning well. It means that you are offering them the acknowledgement that yes, they’re doing well. People thrive with a simple pat on the back, so make it happen and prove that you understand what motivates people the most. 

6. Rest. Some of the best teachers out there are those who are well-rested. Yes, your job is impossibly busy and difficult, but you need to use time to rest where you can so that you don’t burnout. It’s very common for most teachers to burn out of the job before they have a chance to really dig their heels in. 

7. Get a mentor. In your profession, you need a guide and that’s never a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with asking for help from someone who knows better than you do. When you get a mentor you are better able to work effectively and happily in your job. 

8. Get messy. The best teachers do so much more than teach with the blackboard and chalk. Use multimedia options and show relevant videos and films. Incorporate music into your lessons and help students to learn with games. Sitting and copying writing, or following essay structures doesn’t help them to retain it. You need to move, listen, speak and do and get everyone involved.

Also, ask your students how they best learn. When you do this, you can tailor your lesson planning and resources to meet their real needs while ensuring that they are happier and more secure in their future. 

9. Make it visual. Decorate the classroom and make handouts and flyers visually attractive. You want to make sure that your people are interested in what you are teaching them and the best way to do that is to make a concerted effort to show them that you are teaching them so much more than reciting things. 

10. Keep the classroom clean. Get the kids in your class involved in this one. A tidy classroom is one people want to be in. No one can effectively learn when they are sitting among disorganized everything! If you make it a game for younger kids, they’ll be excited to get involved with the cleaning up.

11. Be confident. This takes some time to work on but when you do, you will notice that you are better in your decision-making and you are going to rub off on those around you, too. You’ll be able to invite calm conversations during conflicting moments and you’ll diffuse disrespect, too. 

12. Be clear and effective in your policies. Children and even adults in your classes need to know your boundaries and your policies. If you aren’t going to be clear about your policy on discipline or classroom working, then you’re going to be a less effective teacher. You need to be able to handle classroom situations promptly and fairly, and you’ll need to ensure that you are able to explain your policies, too. If you’re all of the same understanding early on, you’ll be able to make your lessons easy to balance. 

13. Take courses. One of the best ways to become a better teacher is to learn more! Take courses and upskill on what you know. Make sure that you are planning your continued education to match the research and ensure that you are current in your teaching methods, too. The more you learn, the better you can do.

14. Speak up when you’re struggling. If things are going wrong and you need more support, you have to say so. Otherwise, what’s the point? You need to be able to tell someone when it’s all getting too much or you’re going to just collapse in a puddle of tears!