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Katherine Archer

The question I wanted to look further into was “what qualities can I possess to be a

successful teacher?” because that was often something I was curious about and also something I

worried about. I worried about what if I didn’t have what it takes to be able to teach the students

what they need. Looking into the topic will hopefully help me find a little more comfort in that I

will learn all this information at college, and I shouldn’t worry too much about it until the

situation comes. I suppose the answer to this question could be different, depending on whom

you ask and their experience with it. I found many articles that had some of the same

information, but two of them really stuck out to me because they were published by a reliable

source. Not only did these articles list what they considered qualities of a successful teacher, but

they also went into detail on why that particular quality is important in the teaching world.

When I peer-tutored a kindergarten class during my junior year, I often wondered how

the teacher was always so calm. When I talked to her about it, she said that it was hard at first to

be able to stay calm all the time and not let the little things get to her. But as her years of

teaching went on, she learned how to adapt to different situations and be able to remain calm. As

her years went on, she learned what did and didn’t work with students at the kindergarten age,

causing her to think outside the box on some things and how to keep the children interesting and

gaged on the topic at hand. I view her as a successful teacher because not only did I see the

progress of the students throughout the school year, but she was also able to be the type of

teacher that is both respected but also fun. She was able to tell the kids to sit down and be quiet

and they would listen, most days. But she was also able to let the students have their own

creativity and let them have a little fun in the classroom, too. This is the type of teacher that I

would like to try to be, one who gets it done and teaches the kids the material needed, but also

recognizes that children are children and sometimes they need a break, too.
Katherine Archer

I found a really informative article posted by Northcentral University that opened my

eyes a little. One quality they listed is organizational skills. I was really relieved when I read this

because being organized is one of my best qualities. This article states that “it’s critical that you

develop an efficient filing system for memos, assessments, individualized lesson plans, etc.” I

agree with this statement 100%. This can be helpful for the following years of teaching or the

next week of teaching, and if I’m not able to find something I filed away, it only can cause more

work and stress on myself.

Something that this same article said is “eagerness to try something new”. This one

scared me a little because it can be hard for me to be willing to try something new, which is

something I’m trying to work on! I agree that this is something needed to have in a successful

teacher, I’ll just have to work on it a little more. Doing the same thing over and over again in a

classroom can bore students and they need to switch up every once in a while! I need to be able

to have both the creativity and eagerness to try something new for the students to switch up the

learning and get something new and fun for the classroom.

An article published by the Washington Post stated that a quality is the passion for

teaching. Though this one might seem obvious, it’s still needed. A teacher with passion and a

teacher without passion are going to teach two completely different ways. I believe that if a

teacher has a passion for what they are doing, their students are going to be able to pick up on

that energy and it will make a better environment for the classroom. Also, I believe that going to

work for a job you have passion for is much more fun than going to work to a job that you’re not

really excited about. Overall, having passion in the job you have, ends up being better for not just

yourself, but everyone around you and can help make the job seem to go a little smoother.
Katherine Archer

After this paper, I’ve learned that it can take a lot to be a teacher but reading up on these

articles and what they suggest, it makes me aware of what I can work on. Knowing these

qualities also puts me at a little more ease because now I don’t feel as so in the dark about how I

can be a great teacher. It will take a lot of work, and it might take a couple of years, but I want to

be a great teacher, and this type of determination will help me get there. I also learned that I am

always going to be improving and working on improving as the years go on. There will be new

challenges I will face every day, causing me to find more things to improve on. But this also

means that I will overcome challenges and overcome my weaknesses each day at a time.
Katherine Archer

References

What Makes a Successful Teacher? (2018, July 10). Retrieved April 23, 2019, from
https://www.ncu.edu/blog/what-makes-successful-teacher#gref
Strauss, V. (2011, June 17). The 12 qualities great teachers share. Retrieved April 23, 2019, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/the-12-qualities-great-
teachers-share/2011/06/13/AGL64fTH_blog.html?utm_term=.ed2e48358ec7

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