How To-28: How to Be an Inspirational Teacher

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This article will show that any teacher can Be inspirational.

Steps

1. Empathy. Probably the greatest quality a teacher can have. Creating empathy is about bonding with your students. Cry with them, laugh with them. Try to be on their wavelength. Get to know their emotions and understand their feelings. Young people are easily stressed and sometimes under great pressure, but all you might see is anger, aggression, bad attitude or impatience. At this time you need to be compassionate and understand some bad stuff is going on in their lives. Search for the real person underneath and when you find them they will open up to you.
   
2. Positive Mental Attitude. Teachers are human like anyone else; however, the stresses of working with young people especially those with attitudinal and behavioural problems can sometimes be immense. This is the time you need to be strong. To keep a smile on your face when things get tough. To see the bright side of things. To seek to find the positive in every negative situation. To be philosophical. Why? Because your attitude is contagious. You have the choice to bring a light into your classroom or cast a shadow.
   
3. Verbal Skills. Every great teacher is a great orator. If you can keep your students focused and interested just by talking to them then you are doing a great job. When was the last time you spoke about something and you could hear a pin drop? 'Just talking to them' means using passion, emotion, great eye contact, animated body language, voice modulation and feeling. Talk with conviction. Believe in what you say. Take your students on a wonderful journey every day.
   
4. Respect. Respect every human being that is in your classroom. Talk to them like you would talk to your closest friends. No one is more important in this world than anyone else. A great inspirational teacher is a human being who respects everyone no matter their attitude, colour, religion, creed or country. Every one of your students has a place on this earth. You can help them make a positive impact on it too. You have the power to change their lives. The Law of Reciprocity (you reap what you sow) will ensure that the respect you give out will come back to you a hundredfold.
   
5. Individualize. Know your students inside and out. Do not pick on reward/punishment for all students, because they are all different individuals. Talk to your students and be involved iin their lives. Use different teaching styles and strategies within the classroom, because everyone learns differently. Have options for big projects or presentations within your class. Most importantly, let your students be creative, do not limit them. Also, do not judge them. Do not have your own thoughts about them before they walk in your room, or after they leave. Look for the deeper meaning behind actions, instead of getting angry or upset.
   
6. Noble Profession. The day a teacher realizes that they have been given a great gift - the power to change lives, is the day an inspirational teacher is born. You have a choice either to believe you are a mediocre teacher teaching a boring subject to boring kids. Or, a human being helping other human beings to realize their full potential and go on and make a positive difference in their world. Your beliefs create your world.

Tips

• be different
  
• be humorous
  
• be kind
  
• be patient
  
• be respectful
  
• be understanding
  
• be helpful
  
• be loving
  
• just be the very best human being you can be

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