Elgin Taylor, Star Writer

Much has been said of late about the poor performance of the students in our schools.

The area where this critique is most directed at, is the primary and secondary sectors of the education system. Invariably the spotlight is turned on the practitioners - the teachers in the system.

But what is the blueprint of a good teacher? What are the characteristics of these individuals which could determine the success or failure of the students in their care?

A good or an effective teacher needs to be someone who loves and cares for the students; someone who has their interests at heart. This teacher should be adequately trained for the job and be someone who is sufficiently motivated to realise the goals of the institution.

He/she should strive to be a team player and be willing to work long and unusual hours in the interest of education. The teacher should have a sobering personality, humble and unselfish.

Matters like punctuality, the completion of lesson plans and other assignments on a timely basis should be the hallmark of this individual.

This teacher should be someone who is willing to use data garnered from practice to inform further practice. He/she should be able to use technological gadgets to aid in the delivery of the lessons.

Creativity

One important aspect of a teacher's repertoire which is often overlooked by administrators is that of creativity. The creative teacher will generally be ahead of others in the education game. This is because of the number of possibilities that a problem or task presents to this individual. The following example of a teacher in a prep school will serve to bear out this point.

This teacher was given a pre-high school literature book to introduce to her grade-five class. After reading it she decided to give them an assignment. But the assignment that she gave them did not result from the main body of the book, nor even the sub-plot. It was something stated in two sentences and taken from the latter stage of the book. After a brief discussion, the students were told to research the matter with the help of their parents if necessary. They were divided in groups and they were empowered to choose the leaders who would present on their behalf.

The presentations were suberb; they seemed to have fun doing it, and were very eager to get started on the book itself! The teacher was truly amazed, and when the author of the book learnt of this, he was nonplussed.

This is the kind of effort needed from a true teacher. Regrettably, too many of them are lazy to think 'outside the box,' too many of them are only comfortable with preset exercises and directions.

Our education system is bawling out for a new kind of teacher - the ones who will actually spare the time ... to think.

Questions, comments, observations? You can email me at elgin1225@yahoo.co.uk