The Top Five by Raquel

The Top Five by Raquel - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

Every school has a variety of teachers in its cast of faculty. Each teacher has a unique, propagandized reputation so as to ensure every student – whether they have been in that teacher’s class or not – has an established opinion of them. Now the opinions of students vary in many ways; some students find Mrs. Smith boring, others find her lectures inspiring. Some students find Mr. Jones’ daily bookwork a welcome way to soak up information, while others groan at the mention of Mr. Jones’ textbooks. Certain students giggle and whisper about Mr. Thompson’s good looks, while others shake their head in disbelief.

Despite all this variation in opinion, it seems to go without fail that if you ask a large group of students who is their favorite teacher, the returned responses will all be the same five teachers. Five out of sixty. Do these five simply possess some sort of magic, like fairy dust, aimed to make us students like them? So we will be more engaged, disrupt class left, and never say anything negative about them during our lunch break? Although fairy teacher dust would truthfully be terrific and make class more enjoyable I’m sure, it is more reasonable to conclude these teachers simply have the best teaching qualities.

So what are these qualities? The qualities I would advise anyone in a teaching position to strive for – respect and accessibility. Those are they two keys to hopping your way to the top of the favorite teacher list. Think about all of your favorite teachers, do they fit the bill? Now how can teachers make these two ideas tangible?

Respect comes when teachers are passionate about their job – they should never complain about it in front of students or make negative observations about the school, the cost of supplies, or the resources that are available to them. Venting is understandably necessary in some instances for any job, but it’s only appropriate for the teachers’ lounge and outside the school. Respect comes when the teacher is reliable. When they say they’ll put the assignments online, they do. They get their papers graded within no more than a week and a half. Students can trust them to have the best interest of the class in mind. Firmness is the linking chain to all respect. Firmness in beliefs, firm consistency in policy, firmness in discipline. Past passion, firmness, and reliability, teachers should also show respect to their students. Listen to their concerns, without undermining the ideas or thoughts, show some understanding.

Passion, reliability, firmness, and mutual respect give any teacher a good head start to being the new favorite. But how do they achieve relatability? It’s simple, get to know the kids and let them know you – don’t be too busy to use some class time teasing and using personal examples. And last but not least, share some genuine laughs with your students. It’s the most potent, surefire way to get the best out of your classes – for both the students and, hopefully, yourself.