High school teachers often share many characteristics that are the same regardless of the subject matter that they teach. While high school students might swear that those characteristics are the ability to put together hard tests, the ability to lecture forever and the ability to see in a totally different direction than they are looking, the truth is that there are five characteristics that most great high school teachers share in common.
1. Â Creativity
While state tests often determine the learning objectives that they must teach, creative teachers are always pondering how to engage their students so that they will remember the material come test time. In order to do this, they must find ways to make students care about the material. They often engage students through their five senses allowing the lesson to become more meaningful for them. Creative teachers do not teach only to the middle, but they engage the smartest students and those not as talented.
2. Pay Attention to Detail
Despite the average high school teacher engaging with more than 150 students each day, high school teachers have an amazing ability to pay attention to detail. They are active listeners when listening to their students because they honestly care about them. When grading papers, they think outside the box so that they recognize patterns in errors that students make allowing them to teach the student the right information again.
3. Flexibility
In addition to being creative and paying attention to detail, high school teachers are incredibly flexible. They are constantly putting the needs of their students first. Therefore, while they may have a great lesson on creative writing, the bad car wreck involving students at lunchtime may leave many unable to concentrate. Therefore, they set their lesson plans aside and engage their students with what they are thinking about at the moment. Likewise, pep rallies, announcements and other activities may interrupt their teaching day. Instead of getting frustrated, they are flexible and go with the flow.
4. Curiousity
The job of being a high school teacher requires that people are creative, pay attention to detail and flexible, but they must also be naturally curious. Teachers love their subject matter and they are constantly striving to learn more about it. The best high school teachers are not afraid that they might not know the right answer when a student asks a question but engages with students about how to learn something new. They stay positive even when everyone around them seems to be negative. While the teaching manual tells them to teach one way, they are not afraid to step outside the box if they feel that their students will benefit from it. Curious teachers also have noncritical attitudes as they embrace the world around them.
5. Compassion
The final characteristic of a great high school teacher is that they are extremely compassionate. They honestly care about the students that they are teaching. Teachers often spend many unpaid hours with students helping them to become better people. They often notice when some student is acting differently than normal. Furthermore, they take action when a student does not have a needed supply or the money to participate in a learning activity. Many have been known to give their own lunch money away so that a student can eat.
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High school teachers are dedicated to helping their students grasp learning materials in different ways. They try to engage students where they are using whatever means is necessary. These five characteristics of a high school teacher are important to consider when deciding what level of education is right for you to teach.