My Ideal Teacher

A teacher needs to help children learn. With an ideal teacher you’ll find that you have learnt something new at the end of every lesson. To do this, they must have a zest for their subject and teaching. Making children learn is easier than it sounds and a teacher will need many skills and the right personality.
There is nothing worse than a monotonous, droning voice on a Monday morning or, in fact, at any time. I find that I learn more when the teacher has a pleasant voice. My last teacher at primary school had a very pleasant voice to listen to. Even with a good voice, I feel teachers shouldn’t talk too much because telling doesn’t mean learning. For example, I hate dictation work because you are not thinking yourself or learning anything! A good teacher will always give you an opportunity to discuss and air your thoughts.
School can be a lot of obstacles for children to tackle. Some children find it more difficult to learn than others or have social problems. They may be bullied or criticised. Some children also have family problems and some don’t speak much English. That’s why teachers should understand and respect children because they might have gone through a lot of suffering. It shouldn’t matter who the child is, whatever their race or background, a good teacher should never be prejudiced. They should give all children the same chance to learn. A good teacher is inclusive. My favorite teacher, Mr. Choueke, was never biased and was always kind, understanding and respectful of children. This made everybody feel happy, comfortable and confident.
However, just being kind wouldn’t work because we would be able to murder someone right under the teacher’s nose! All teachers need to be strict, even if it’s just a little bit. Otherwise the class would be too disruptive and no one would be able to learn. The teacher should make sure that everyone has the “freedom of speech” when the time is right. However, too much freedom might lead to anarchy! There have to be some rules but they don’t have to be pointless. At my last school they banned the game “it” and we weren’t allowed to take our workbooks home. At one point one teacher didn’t allow blue ink. I think these are pointless rules. The teacher should always stick to their rules and be consistent.
Most children think school is boring. However, a good teacher can make all the difference. Interesting work is the key factor. When teachers set dull work, it is more difficult to concentrate. Thought-provoking work can inspire children to learn. For example, documentary videos can be very interesting. Work can be fun. When I was in Year Four, in Maths our teacher, Mr Sibson, got out his laptop and connected it to the projector. He then logged into a “Maths Game” and divided us into two teams. Finally, he asked people to answer the questions. I think educational games are a good idea. The use of computers in lessons is fun for my age group because it is interactive. My age normally like using computers.
Teachers with a good sense of humour are normally the most popular. Personally, I feel most teachers try and be funny sometimes by telling occasional jokes. This is fine as long as the jokes are funny. To crack funny jokes the teacher must understand children’s humour. Mr Edwards makes us laugh in Music when he pops his cheeks for a dotted minim! Boys my age find silly things funny. It also helps you remember them. It’s great when teachers laugh at our jokes.


Teachers who are patient won’t lose their cool. If teachers don’t lose their cool that means there will be a happy class and a happy class equals more work and learning. I find it is helpful when teachers repeat explanations or instructions, particularly difficult ones. Teachers who are impatient when repeating things are very unpopular with children. Sometimes you need things explained more than once and in different ways. That is why I prefer patient teachers to impatient ones. As well as giving an explanation, teachers need to listen to them. Children often give an ear and they deserve one back. Children shouldn’t be frightened of their teacher so that they daren’t ask questions. Teachers should encourage questions and be good at explaining.
Understanding the way children think is one of the hardest skills my ideal teacher needs. To do this, teachers must at first like children. Secondly, they probably need experience, unless they are a “natural”. Children think differently to adults. An ideal teacher will probably remember being a child. This is fine, as long as they don’t start reminiscing!
Being organised and punctual is important. You can’t expect children to be organised unless they are set an example. Teachers are role models so they have to set a fine example. If teachers are showing up for lessons without their books children will copy them and use it as an excuse. Lessons should be well structured with lots of different activities to do.
It is hard for teachers to be ideal all the time and in all these different ways. Having a lot of teachers means that some will be good some of the time. Nobody can be perfect.