At the age of 16, I found myself in a rather tricky situation. In order to get my IB Diploma, I needed to do 200 hours of volunteer work before I graduated. As I was living in Thailand at the time, my options were limited. When summer school rolled around, I decided to volunteer as an assistant ESL teacher. That summer changed my life forever.
Today I work with individuals and corporations as a consultant to boost productivity and improve their bottom line. Not quite as far removed from when I first walked into a classroom that summer as one might thing. The topic, my audience and the scope may have changed, but I am still using many of the same principles I learned in the classroom.
Talking to clients and their kids over the past 20 years, I must say I was perplexed. While the digital age basically gave a turbo boost to technology and medicine, education seemed to be stuck in neutral.
Then 2020 and Covid19 came along and chaos ensued.
While tech companies have been able to take advantage of the situation, brick-and-mortar companies has not faired as well with 100,000 businesses in New York alone closing their doors for good. In a previous article, I talked about the predicament many colleges and universities now find themselves in. What I didn’t talk about was the situation the schooling system now finds itself in.
For decades parents the world over have been able to rely on schools to take care of their kids’ education. From Monday to Friday, from about 8am to 3pm, kids studied language, math, science, and history alongside the arts (music, art and P.E.).
This year, at least for a few months, that all went poof.
Parents were left to fend for themselves. While some schools implemented virtual lessons, many parents have found it to be a poor substitute for the real thing. The result? Parents, many for the first time, have started asking questions such as:
- What is my kid learning in school?
- What books are good for my kids?
- How can I help my kids stay on course during their extended break?
- What other alternatives are out there?
- How can I find a great teacher?
The last question is one I will endeavor to answer because I fully believe that a great teacher is worth their weight in gold.
Here are the six secrets of great teachers.
Great teachers are students themselves
Great teachers are constantly looking for new and creative ways to improve themselves and in turn their students. Ask your teachers what they are studying, and you’ll learn a lot about who they are.
Great teachers adapt
Great teachers understand that one style does not fit all. What works for one student might not work for another which is why great teachers find a variety of ways of teaching the same thing and will adapt to the student’s needs.
Great teachers allow for debate
Many teachers recently think it is their job to turn their classrooms into social justice workshops. Wrong. My goal was never to have students think like me, but to give them the knowledge to think for themselves. Great teachers, like great leaders, encourage debate as that they know that’s how great ideas come about.
Great teachers ask great questions
Socrates was one of the great educators, and he did so by simply asking questions. Tony Robbins, one of the great educators of our time puts it this way, “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
Great teachers are positive
The last thing any kid (or adult) wants is a Debbie Downer in the classroom. 2020 has been a tough year to say the least, but as I have learned, it is times of crisis when people have the greatest opportunities to become successful. Students want teachers who can inspire them and excite them, that can only happen if they are positive.
Great teachers are storytellers
We all learn best through stories. Stories allow for information and lessons to be remembered easily as the story sticks. All of us have our limits listening to a lecture but a good story will keep us enthralled. The Shawshank Redemption is one of the great movies of all time. No action. No romance. No comedy. Just a great story. Great teachers understand how to tell a story.
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