Natural Born Teachers
One of the more interesting
comments/topics presented during this week’s edchat was the question of whether
the participants felt that there was such a thing as “a natural born teacher”.
My opinion on this is that teachers need to be leaders, and yes some people
possess that special “something” that helps them succeed in leading others, but
these are few and far between. The better, more complete answer might be that
although we may have the basic foundation for becoming a strong leader or
teacher, it is much more dependent upon being taught how to lead, and given
strong examples to emulate.
The big difference between leaders
and teachers is that to be a teacher you must be a leader and have the ability to convey valuable information to
audiences quickly and effectively. Knowing what information is critical to a
class’ learning and being able to present that information in a digestible
fashion can prove to be the greatest hurdle prospective and seasoned teachers
face. I myself do not pretend to have all of the answers, I only know what I
have observed in others, and feedback provided to me from those who have
critiqued my own teaching methods.
I
believe that a skill such as teaching, like any other skill can atrophy over
time and needs attention to remain at a constant level of effectiveness. This
is where a PLC or PLN can come into play. Through collaboration and
communication with others in the profession, teachers can be constantly
exploring new ways of presenting information to their students. Just as the
information we teach gradually changes, so should our pedagogical style.
Teaching is a never ending evolution and refinement of leadership and
communication skills. I personally hope to be a better teacher on my last day
of teaching than I was the day before.
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