- I want a teacher who has a contagious enthusiasm for his teaching— one who, as Richard Via says, loves his students and his work.
- I want teacher who is creative. Teaching must be more than simply opening a book, doing exercises, and following an outline written by someone else. In the tedium of repetition, the student can go through the notions of doing the exercises without his mind being engaged. There are myriad of techniques that the creative teacher can employ—information-gap exercises, games, songs jazz chants, problem solving, and other techniques that allow the student to utilize the skills he has already developed in his first language.
- I want a teacher who can add pace and humor to the class. The humor of one of my teachers had the effect of alleviating my nervousness—of reducing my affective filter. There was a rapport among the students and the teacher because we were all laughing together.
- I want a teacher who challenges me. I had several teachers who always spoke to me in Spanish, both in and out of class. I felt they were showing confidence in me and challenging me top speak Spanish.
- I want a teacher who is encouraging and patient, and who will not give up on me. When the teacher is positive—encouraging initial and repeated attempts— the students will apply themselves more diligently. Motivation thrives on success.
- I want a teacher who will take an interest in me as a person— one who will try to discover discussion topics that interest me.
- I want a teacher who knows grammar well and who can explain something on the spot if necessary.
- I want a teacher who will take a minute or two to answer a question after class, or who will take five minutes to correct something that I have done on my own.
- I want a teacher who will treat me as a person, on an equal basis with all the members of the class, regardless of sex, marital status, race, or my future need for the language.
- Finally, I want a teacher who will leave his emotional baggage outside the classroom. The classroom is a stage, and to be effective the teacher must in some cases be an actor.
By: Gina R. Bagtas |T-II | Limay National High School
