Now that I'm on the road to being a teacher, I'm trying to figure out what traits good teachers have so I have something to work towards
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Hmmm. Good attributes of teachers. Everyone so far has made really good comments. I always got most from teachers who were willing to go the extra mile, who really cared about what I learned from them (both in terms of the subject material, and about life). Math was always one of the most difficult subjects for me. However, my grade 12 teacher was able to make it a lot easier, and I got a great deal more out of it. Mainly, she was there to help the students out when they needed help. She arranged out-of-class time when students could come in to work through problems together in a group setting, and with her. This was extremely helpful. She didn't try to pass math off as being an easy subject, but she helped you work through the problems, and tried to instill the skills which you needed in order to get work things through on your own. In essence, if you wanted to learn, she was there to teach.
From my own experience, both as a student and a teacher, I think that one of the most crucial aspects of teaching, and it sounds obvious, but I have to say it, is that you have to believe in your student. Every one of your students, no matter how difficult they are to teach, or how much difficulty they are having with a subject, is capable of 'getting it'. If you believe that your student can grasp the topics, then they are far more likely to do so!
Above all, patience is a virtue. However, patience bestowed in the wrong situations will not get any respect, and respect from the students is crucial for class discipline. You will have heard over and over about discipline in the classroom, but it is one of the most crucial things. I was motivated to learn much better in a controlled classroom setting. This is also one of the things which my Mom, who was a teacher and administrator always stressed. Never turn your back on the class!
Last of all, I think that people - not only kids - learn better when they have to figure a problem out for themselves. They should receive the foundational knowledge, and the guidance necessary TO figure it out, but they will remember better when they are not simply TOLD the answer. Interactive lessons always help with this.
Anyways, I think that that's the end of my tirade. You probably already have a good sense of all of this, but I hope that it may be helpful. I'm sure that you will be a really good teacher. Just the fact that you really want feedback and suggestions stands to prove that you really care about teaching, and this is the first and most crucial element!
From my own experience, both as a student and a teacher, I think that one of the most crucial aspects of teaching, and it sounds obvious, but I have to say it, is that you have to believe in your student. Every one of your students, no matter how difficult they are to teach, or how much difficulty they are having with a subject, is capable of 'getting it'. If you believe that your student can grasp the topics, then they are far more likely to do so!
Above all, patience is a virtue. However, patience bestowed in the wrong situations will not get any respect, and respect from the students is crucial for class discipline. You will have heard over and over about discipline in the classroom, but it is one of the most crucial things. I was motivated to learn much better in a controlled classroom setting. This is also one of the things which my Mom, who was a teacher and administrator always stressed. Never turn your back on the class!
Last of all, I think that people - not only kids - learn better when they have to figure a problem out for themselves. They should receive the foundational knowledge, and the guidance necessary TO figure it out, but they will remember better when they are not simply TOLD the answer. Interactive lessons always help with this.
Anyways, I think that that's the end of my tirade. You probably already have a good sense of all of this, but I hope that it may be helpful. I'm sure that you will be a really good teacher. Just the fact that you really want feedback and suggestions stands to prove that you really care about teaching, and this is the first and most crucial element!
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