What Would My Ideal Teacher Be Like?

When asked to define the perfect teacher, most students would think of someone who doesn’t make them work too hard for the highest grades. However, such teachers are rarely remembered for years to come as important persons who made influence over the student’s development. I imagine the perfect teacher differently. He is someone who enters a room and silences the crowd not because we are frightened of his authority, but because we have the greatest respect for his knowledge and personality.

What would the characteristics of an ideal teacher be? First of all, he has knowledge that inspires us to learn and research every aspect of life deeper. When I witness his passion about the things he teaches, I understand the importance of every single lesson and its connection with real life. If someone influences you so much that you want to become a better and more successful person, you know that he will be remembered for a lifetime. The ideal teacher doesn’t yell to “put students in their place”, but earns his authority through respectable and inspiring behavior. When he notices a student’s insecurity, anxiety and problems, he does everything to help him and not to embarrass him in front of the class.

John Keating, the teacher from Dead Poets Society is my image of an ideal professor. It’s never easy to inspire students to learn by making the lectures enjoyable. When a concept is difficult to explain and understand, a teacher should make it easier for the students through practical examples. A great teacher, such as Professor Keating, doesn’t force students to study; he inspires them to learn! My ideal teacher wouldn’t yell at his students when they don’t pay attention in class. He would earn that attention by presenting his knowledge in a way that everyone is inspired by. The teacher should be kind, soft-spoken, and caring. He doesn’t perceive the lecture as another mandatory thing he has to do to get through the day. He always does his best to get the best out of us.

I am lucky to say that I have a true example of how a real teacher should look like. He is an inspiration and makes an extraordinary impression for life. When I listen to him speak, I know that his words have much deeper meaning when you scratch their surface. He makes me think with my own head and bring conclusions related not only to the things he is teaching, but life in general. Thanks to my teacher’s guidance, I can relate my current education to my future and see that today’s efforts are important for the upcoming results. Every action I take counts.

Not all students are lucky to find their own Professor Keating. We surely don’t make a teacher’s job easy, but it takes real inspiration and devotion to become a respected educator that everyone loves. I am grateful to have someone whose lessons have a life-time effect on the way I think and act, and the way I perceive life in general.