A good teacher can make a difference to a child's learning

A teacher not only teach and imparts skills and knowledge to the pupils, he/she also acts as a mentor and role model for the pupils.

In my opinion, there are three factors that make a good teacher who can effectively make a difference to a child's learning.

First of all, we need to acknowledge that there is a difference between having the intellectual knowledge and being able to share or teach it so that students are able to benefit from that knowledge. Hence, a person with a high intellectual knowledge may not be a good teacher if he is unable to stand in front of a class and impart his intellectual knowledge effectively.

Secondly, a good teacher teaches with a heart. This essentially means that the teacher is able to see each student as an individual and not just one in a class of forty pupils. The teacher must be willing to make the extra effort to engage his students and ensure that every student in his class is able to "get it". This may involve additional hours spent after class, over the weekend so as to ensure that those who might not grasp the essence of the lesson the first time would now fully comprehend the topic.

Thirdly, the teacher must be willing and able to introduce innovative and meaningful ways of teaching to engage his students and capture their attention at all times. Hence, the traditional "Ï talk, you listen" approach certainly needs some revamping. A good teacher needs to recognise that every student learn differently. Hence, he must be willing and able to invest time in exploring the answers to "how else can I teach so the students will learn and absorb the knowledge much more effectively."

However, I do believe that some of the qualities of a good teacher are 'ín-born' while some are cultivated in the upbringing of the teacher himself. Besides, a passion to teach can also make a great difference to the effectiveness of the teacher.

In a nutshell, to be a good teacher, one has to have the aptitude, passion and love for teaching and keen in children development. Any teacher who is lacking in any one these attributes can make a lot of differences to a child's learning process.