Elements of a Dedicated Teacher

                        “I have come to a frightening conclusion

I am the decisive element in the classroom

It is my personal approach that creates the climate

It is my daily mood that makes the weather

As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make

a child’s life miserable or joyous

I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration

I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether

a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child

                        humanized or de-humanized[i]

            The following quote summarizes the critical role the teacher plays in the educational engagement of a child.  While there are some who believe poverty is responsible for educational engagement, a dedicated teacher has the ability to help children engage in school despite turmoil in their personal lives.

            Outside of the home, children spend most of their time in school with a teacher.  A dedicated teacher has the ability to inspire children to value education by helping them believe they are capable of learning.  A dedicated teacher has the ability to create an environment in the classroom that is conducive to learning, is based on differentiated learning, and a place where there are high, but reachable expectations.  More importantly, children understand the classroom is a place where they will learn academically and increase confidence in their ability to learn.

            A dedicated teacher also understands they are a presence that can be perceived as positive, indifferent, or negative to the children they teach.  Understanding that children look to the cues of the adults to gage their behavior and their engagement level, a dedicated teacher understands how their demeanor will affect their ability to teach.  A child’s academic engagement for a single class or day can be based on how they are greeted by the teacher when they enter the classroom, how the teacher addresses (or doesn’t address) children who appear to be in a bad mood, or how the teacher has their classroom set up influences a child’s engagement level.  Lastly, the energy level the teacher demonstrates about a certain subject or lesson plan and how much interaction is allowed by the teacher (as opposed to children sitting and listening) will affect a child’s level of engagement.

            Finally, a dedicated teacher understands the failure of the child is unacceptable.  Understanding that the blame should not only be given to the child or the child’s circumstances, a dedicated teacher views a child’s failure as their failure.  A dedicated teacher understands that a child’s failure is a result of the inability of the teacher to teach the child the material on their level and raise the child’s level.  These are the elements of a dedicated teacher, which all teachers should strive to be.

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[i] Dr. Haim G. Ginott (1975), Teacher and Child: a Book for Parents and Teachers, New York, NY: MacMillian.