Thu, 28 Mar, 2024

What Makes a Good Teacher and a Good Student?

By Shila Parajuli

Photo Courtesy: http://www.slate.com/

After our parents, the most influential characters in our life are our teachers. So, what makes a good teacher? I believe a great teacher is the one who creates a classroom environment full of curiosity, makes the students want to explore, and makes them discover. It is often said that good teaching is one fourth preparation and three fourths pure theatre. Everybody likes a teacher who gives something to take home to think about besides homework. A good teacher is able to put him/herself in the place of those who find learning hard, motivates and encourages them and opens them to face the world because s/he knows their pain and also knows that negligence towards them can make their condition worse. One of the qualities that make a good teacher is frequent communication with parents, whether he is dealing with a school student or a university student.

I am here rambling about good teacher, what about a good student then? Similar to good teachers, good students also have some aspects. There is an old Chinese proverb "Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." Your career and knowledge isn’t decided by how good your teachers are but it’s decided by how good you are. A good student must at least try to grasp whatever the teacher provides him/her with. A student must motivate himself/herself to study and learn more. Homework, assignments and grades may be important but it is the inner burning desire of a student that makes him/her a good student.

Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. And that’s what basically a good teacher and good student must do. In my opinion a good teacher makes a good student and vice versa. They complement each other for good.