What makes a great teacher?
The Trinity community is made up of a whole host of different people
who contribute to the current and future success of the School. For our
academic staff, what makes a great teacher?
Passion
Learning something new is not always smooth sailing. Students will find themselves facing challenges, becoming frustrated, and sometimes they may even feel like giving up. These feelings are normal and every student will come up against concepts and ideas that they find difficult. Teachers who are passionate about their subject matter can make a huge difference in the mindset of their students.
Passion is contagious, rubbing off on students and inspiring them to push through, even when these difficulties arise. A teacher’s passion shows students why a topic is important and can make it fun, even if it’s a bit tricky to understand.
Knowledge
It may seem like an obvious requirement but great teachers aren’t narrow specialists – instead, they have a wider stock of subject material to turn to which not only allows them to answer all the creative questions students can come up with but it also allows them to tailor their lessons to the needs of individual students.
A great teacher doesn’t just rely on their existing knowledge, they are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to learn and keep up to date with the latest research in their field.
Communication
Not every student learns in the same way, it’s up to the teachers to know how to use verbal and non-verbal communication, alongside learning aids, to convey information in an effective way that can engage all students, no matter their learning style.
For some students, learning in class can become a chore when the communication styles used by teachers don’t engage them. It takes a great teacher to recognise the different styles needed and adapt accordingly from one student to the next.
Relatability
To facilitate students’ motivation and engagement, great teachers are committed to forming strong relationships with their students in order to understand their strengths, weaknesses, interests and future goals.
Every great teacher understands how much can hinge on positive relationships with students and in many cases, these relationships last throughout a student’s academic career, evolving into mentorship in the senior years as they consider life after school.
Teachers, much like their students, are unique and you’ll certainly never find two Trinity teachers who are exactly the same. Each brings their own experiences and ideas to the School and each positively impacts the School in a range of different ways.
One thing is for certain, at Trinity, you can find passionate, knowledgeable, relatable teachers, committed to communicating to and engaging with their students.
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