Top 10 Qualities Every Great Teacher Should Have

We admire them and now we want to be them but what are those fundamental qualities that make teachers so great? Drawing on decades of experience of working with TEFL teachers across the globe, we have listed the top 10 qualities every great teacher should have below.

1. They’re glowing and inspiring.

Great teachers love what they’re doing. They are passionate about their subject and do their best to bring it through to the students. Their passion and enthusiasm really shines through and inspires their students, too.

Also Read: 10 Pieces Of Advice Every New TEFL Teacher Needs To Know

2. They plan it all out.

If you want to be a successful teacher, you need to have a plan. Amazing teachers take their time in creating fun and engaging lesson plans with lots of activities and clear objectives for the students. Planning your lessons out also means you are building your own lesson portfolio that you can refer to for future lessons as well!

3. They are patient.

Great teachers understand that different students learn at different paces. Some students need a little longer than others and good teachers know how to deal with that. As a teacher, you need to be able to tailor your time to your individual students’ needs so that all of them understand the lesson and nobody is left behind.

Also Read: 10 Tips To Help Your Students Follow Directions When Teaching English Abroad

4. They are challengers.

No matter if you are teaching a group of kindergarteners or business English students, they will all want to impress you and live up to your expectations. Great teachers know how to challenge their students to make them feel empowered and ready to learn!

5. They are creative.

There is nothing worse than a dictated lesson where nothing interesting happens. Great teachers know how to deliver a good lesson and how to build it around the textbook. They create props and use a variety of teaching aids to bring their lessons alive and get their students involved.

Also Read: The 5 Best TEFL Games For Adult Students

6. They are great talkers.

As a teacher, you need to be able to communicate well. Whether it’s with your students, your fellow teachers or the parents, you need to be able to bring your point across in a way that is at the appropriate level of your listener. Great teachers know exactly how to do this and are able to speak with students as a group, as well as individually.

7. They know their stuff.

Great teachers are passionate about their subject. They have invested a great deal of their time to learn as much as possible so they can pass on real, up-to-date knowledge to their students. At the same time, great teachers admit when they can’t answer a question but will do their best to research and provide an answer later on.

Also Read: The 5 Most Common Types of EFL Students And How To Deal With Them

8. They are flexible and adaptable.

While planning out a lesson is great and the recommended thing to do, they don’t always go to plan. Unforeseeable changes and incidences happen frequently and teachers need to be able to change track and improvise. That’s why great teachers always have some spare activities or worksheets up their sleeve.

9. They show and receive respect.

All teachers want their students to respect them and great teachers know that respect goes both ways. They are friendly, approachable and know how to have fun with their students but also how to set boundaries. This mutual exchange of respect creates a well-balanced and controlled classroom.

Also Read: The 7 Biggest Myths About Teaching Abroad Alone as a Woman

10. They are professional.

Great teachers are extremely professional and prepared for every part of their job. This means they plan out their lessons, arrive on time and dress professionally.

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