In the Making of a Good English Teacher

A good English teacher is differentiated from the rest due to the skilled attributes one holds to shape their pupils. Some of these characteristics include having mastered the English subject; using various methods for teaching; being capable of engaging one’s students in learning; giving and receiving feedbacks; and continuously reshaping one’s teaching skills. The English subject is vast and requires learning it in depth. It is only when one perfects the knowledge that he/she can finally teach about it.

A Greek philosopher rightly stated, “Those who know, do. Those who understand, teach” (Aristotle, 384-322 BC, p. 2). This means that a good English teacher will have perfectly mastered the English language and grammar to confidentially pass on the knowledge to his /her students. It will create confusion and false information if one teaches about something one does not surely know of.

Professionalizing in the subject of English will require a teacher to commonly finish his/her degree, PhD or doctorate level.

In special cases, one can however teach without these qualifications (Wenger, 2019, p. 1). While claiming this, one has to take in the consideration that a good English teacher will certainly have to possess excellent language and grammatical skills. After completing the qualifications, a good English teacher will still have to learn even more. That being said, he/she will have to become proficient in using modern technologies such as computers and projectors and experiment with various methods to engage his/her students in learning actively. The traditional method of teaching is not effective anymore for the millennial.

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Students in this generation are absorbed in virtual reality more than the real world. This concludes that English teachers will inevitably have to integrate modern technology and theories inside classrooms as well to keep the students engaged. Some of the tools and methods that can be used are Open Educational Resources, Google classrooms and 3D prints (J.Koehler & Mishra, 2005). “The typical student’s attention span is about 10 to 15 minutes long, yet most classes last for 50 to 90 minutes” (Briggs, 2014, p. 1). This only means that a good English teacher will have to integrate various methods to grasp their student’s attention and make them participate in learning actively. With the help of modern technology and new theories, learning can become productive and fun in classrooms. In many cases, learning outdoors in the open air or through digital interactions can also have positive outcomes in learning. English language is very creative and experimenting it with different methods will only make learning much easier and interesting.

A good English teacher will take in consideration of the above-mentioned necessities and yet strive for more ways to teach his/her students in the best possible way. This leaves room for one to be open about giving and receiving constructive feedbacks and continuously working towards improving one’s teaching skills. Without communication, it will be difficult to clear doubts of a student and in between the process of listening but not learning, information will be difficult to reciprocate. Feedbacks are essential while learning English – a vast and complex subject, where most parts of information are lost if not attentive. Just because one is a registered English teacher or he/she has all the materials needed to teach does not make one necessarily a good English teacher.

He/she has to accept the failures and mistakes that come their way and strive to become better than before. Time keeps changing so one has to keep on crafting their English teaching skills and be up to date with new information. A good English teacher is also a student that needs to learn. Learning just does not stop. As stated by (McKenzie, 2001, p. 6), “We expect all teachers to learn, to grow and to move forward.” In this manner, one is also indirectly teaching the values of learning lessons to the students.

An English teacher is thus someone who is fluent and competent in the usage of language and communication skills. He/she is someone who is swift in keeping updated with the use of technologies for effective delivery of lessons to today’s millennial students. Lastly, a good English teacher is open to discussions and feedbacks exchanged with his/her students. Indeed, an English teacher’s job is critical to the healthy and proficient use of language just as armed forces support the safety and protection of a country. Bad language and an English teacher can never be a good match and would become an easy target to spark criticisms and unhealthy gossips from the listeners with no exceptions unlike other subject teachers.