15 Strengths & Qualities of a Teacher & Examples of Weaknesses
There exist a plethora of strengths of a teacher. Teachers require a specific list of character traits and experiences to educate the future generation. So much depends on the teacher – they must be able to bring out the best in their students, day in and day out.
Positive learning experiences can only occur as a result of effective teaching. However, while some teachers are naturally talented at maintaining a positive relationship with their students, others struggle.
They may lack key skills, which becomes a detriment to all of the students they come across. However, even the biggest weakness a teacher has can be addressed, and teacher strengths could be fostered. In this article, we will discuss specific and broader traits all school teachers must possess, as well the ways one can attain these skills and qualities.
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List of 15 Strengths & Qualities of a Good Teacher
- Strong Communication Skills and Interpersonal Skills
- Active Listening
- Collaborative
- Adaptability
- Engaging and Exciting
- Empathetic
- Patience
- Real-World Learning is Prioritized
- Great Teachers Share Their Best Practices
- Never Stop Learning
- Organizational Abilities
- Passion for Teaching
- Problem Solving
- Ability to Simplify Concepts
- Creativity
Strong Communication Skills and Interpersonal Skills
Teachers must be able to communicate information effectively and engagingly to keep their student’s attention. The best way to understand your student’s needs is by speaking to them one on one.
Additionally, handling bad students requires consistent speaking to parents and outlining rules clearly. Both learning and teaching require strong communication.
Active Listening
Communication goes beyond simply talking. It continues once the teacher stops speaking and begins to listen. The classroom teacher must be able to quickly read students’ trait expressions.
They must listen to students about their concerns, fears, and struggles. This is key to developing confidence in the students. Listening also helps teachers better understand their student’s educational needs so that lessons can be tailored to the students.
Collaborative
In a school setting, you are never working alone. There is a teaching assistant, technology coordinator, paraprofessional, and so on who are there to support the teacher. These individuals must work together to best serve students.
You must be willing to learn from your colleagues and understand perspectives different from yours. If someone struggles, be collaborative and help that person out for the team’s and student’s sake.
Adaptability
Communication goes beyond simply talking. It continues once the teacher stops speaking and begins to listen. The classroom teacher must be able to quickly read students’ trait expressions.
They must listen to students about their concerns, fears, and struggles. This is key to developing confidence in the students. Listening also helps teachers better understand their student’s educational needs so that lessons can be tailored to the students.
Engaging and Exciting
You can engage students in a vast number of ways. Utilize humor, creativity in your lessons, and charisma when you are speaking. Public speaking skills can strongly contribute to your ability to engage individuals.
Depending on the classroom level and student’s age, engagement will look different. Usually, these teachers think outside the box and aren’t afraid to make their kids scratch their heads or burst out laughing.
Empathetic
You can never truly understand a student’s at-home life. Sometimes, they just need someone to talk to and understand that they cannot be perfect, especially during a time they are struggling. Be observant and attentive to your student’s needs.
If their situation is especially dire, consider being more lenient and understanding. Recognizing that what is easy for one student may not be simple for others is one of the key aspects of teaching. Keep track of all your students, and help those who struggle.
Patience
Whether you are working with kindergarten kids or college students, teachers constantly have their patience tested. Classroom behavior may be abhorrent at times, or you may have to speak with individuals with a radically different value system.
You must have the patience to successfully address these issues and many others. Some teachers believe that even more patience is needed to speak with parents than with students.
Real-World Learning is Prioritized
Great teachers take engagement to the next level by incorporating real-world elements into the classroom. This is true for both the students and the teachers themselves.
Real-world experiences can help students experience new things and learn quicker. There is also a higher chance they will retain the knowledge. The practical benefit of learning becomes evident through real-world experience.
Great Teachers Share Their Best Practices
The best teachers are excited to teach others everything they know. They love sharing their secrets to success, knowledge, and major insights. Education involves experimenting with many teaching menthols and communication styles.
Once you find which strategies work for you, share them with other teachers to benefit the students. Transparency and observance are both needed to succeed in this career path.
Never Stop Learning
A love of learning unites all teachers, and the best educators enjoy learning inside and outside of their careers. It does not matter whether you are learning about your specific lecture topic, exploring new leadership or communication styles, experimenting with new technologies, seeking adventure in new ways, or simply talking to someone with a unique perspective.
You should never feel satisfied with how much you know. Openness to experience new things and explore new ideas can benefit you in the long run.
Organizational Abilities
The organization consists of a number of tasks. For instance, you can sort your files, organize your desk, create a digital binder, and so on. Doing so will keep you productive as a teacher. It saves you time, which you can later spend with your students.
Plus, it eliminates some stress and frustration associated with not being able to find files. An organized classroom also benefits student productivity and keeps them on a consistent schedule.
Passion for Teaching
This is especially necessary when dealing with young children. Superintendents and principals enjoy hiring individuals who truly care about students and the learning process.
Teachers spend hours at a time on their feet, which taxes them mentally and physically. With the intensity of this profession, one must truly be passionate to continue teaching each day.
Problem Solving
You can be an amazing teacher, but even the best educators are met with problems during their careers. It could be dealing with unruly students or dropping school grades across your class. Being able to quickly solve problems creatively and effectively can make dealing with such issues less painful. It saves you time and energy.
Ability to Simplify Concepts
Some notions are easy to comprehend. Others, however, are just extremely difficult to understand. Many individuals struggle with abstract ideas, but some students may not understand ideas that you may find ‘simple.’
Teachers should be willing to explain anything, no matter how challenging they perceive it to be. They should be able to describe these hard concepts with simple language that resonates with students.
Creativity
Creative problem solving and teaching methods benefit both students and teachers. Creativity can be very beneficial when trying to reduce stress levels and burnout rates. Sometimes, trying a new approach is exactly what is needed to reenergize you and revitalize your communication abilities.
What are the Qualities and Strengths of a Good Teacher
To maintain positive, consistent relationships with students, parents, and colleagues, teachers must have a unique skill set. Being able to communicate efficiently and effectively is one of the keys to teacher strength.
Teachers constantly communicate with parents and their students, so being able to engage others and share their opinions efficiently is crucial. Additionally, empathy is another key trait that teachers must maintain.
At times, students will go through periods of pain in their lives. Teachers should be willing to put themselves in their student’s shoes to best serve their educational needs. Sometimes, deadlines may need to be altered.
Empathy also results in a more tailored educational approach. Patience, adaptability, and organization all help a teacher succeed in their career. Patience can contribute to more positive teacher/student relationships.
It encourages educators to step back, listen to the student, and formulate a plan together instead of getting frustrated. Adaptability is a necessity for the modern teacher. Each year, new technologies are updated, and the curriculum changes.
Also, students’ needs and the teaching environment may change, which requires the teacher to adapt. The organization keeps teachers’ stress levels low and reduces burnout. Instead of figuring out paperwork, a good teacher is organized and focused on the students.
What are the Weaknesses of a Teacher?
As an educator, working on your weaknesses is especially important. Your ability to inspire students, communicate, stay organized, and so on all have a tangible impact on your students. Therefore, you should have a strong motivation to find your biggest weakness and tackle it head-on.
Every educator has their own teacher weakness. Some may be disorganized, while others struggle to connect with their students. Regardless, all of these weak points should be addressed as soon as possible so they do not negatively impact your career and the future generation.
Potential teacher weaknesses could be:
- Lack of experience in handling children.
- Poor communication, interpersonal, or public speaking skills.
- Difficulty comprehending complex student relationships and empathizing with others.
- Over-planning.
- Inability to adapt.
How to Identify and Improve the Strengths of a Teacher?
One great way to identify your strengths as a teacher is to look at the data. Whenever your students take a test, take note of the median score. Notice any patterns between how they score over time and whenever you change your teaching style, communication method, tone, or delegation style.
If one median score is significantly better than others, identify which strategy you used to garner that high score and consider it your strength. You can always ask your colleagues, students, or students’ parents directly for some feedback.
Simply ask the students to rate how engaged your lecture or lesson delivery is. Take note of any compliments you get after teaching, too. Of many students thank you for being understanding, consider empathy a strength. If you notice lots of kids are complimenting you on your humor, you are likely engaging.
How to Improve Weaknesses Into Strengths of a Teacher
Improving your weaknesses starts with first identifying them. As with strength identification, it is best to reach out to students directly and ask what they believe is lacking in your execution. Test scores can also indicate if your students are disengaged in a particular subject.
Once you figure out your weaknesses, make sure you have the right personal development mindset. Ensure you have a positive attitude to teaching and are truly energized by your work. Helping your students should always be your number one priority.
After that is established, you can begin experimenting with different strategies to overcome your weaknesses. These strategies will vary depending on the weakness you have. If you need help, try asking more experienced colleagues for advice.
They have likely had to deal with a similar struggle at some point in their career. In general, keep in mind that there is usually no harm in trying out a new approach to teaching. Just keep track of how long each strategy works. When one produces results you are thrilled with, stick with it and consider your weakness addressed.
How to Highlight Strengths of a Teacher in Resume
Once you determine your key teaching skills, it is time to put them on your resume. Doing so will make you a more appealing candidate to recruiters. To do this, start by creating a skills section. The section is solely dedicated to highlighting your abilities as a teacher.
Use bullet points to make the list more visually appealing and manageable. Be sure to do more than just list your skills. You should also provide examples of how you utilized your abilities to benefit your students.
For instance, consider listing the impact testing a new communication strategy had on your relationship with kids. You could tell a story of kids being inspired by your teaching or engaged with your humor. Potentially, you could discuss how being up to date with the newest technology helped your students achieve high test scores.
