Today’s guest post comes from Jenni Canterbury, marketing coordinator for Mountain State University’s Charles H. Polk School of Leadership and Professional Development. Prior to joining MSU in May 2010, she taught public speaking, public relations, and persuasion courses at a liberal arts university.
Like leaders, good teachers have a vision that they share with their students. They see the importance of the subject that they teach. They prepare their students for the next phase of their life and inspire them beyond the classroom.
Good teachers work to motivate their students through their actions and words. They set an example for the class. My college speech teacher was strict, but he set an example for us. He gave specific guidelines that we were to follow, such as requiring us to speak from note cards and limiting us to three cards per speech no matter the time limit. In return, he gave his lectures from note cards. He never asked us to do something that he didn’t do. He led by example.
Good teachers value students as people. They respect their students. I remember my fourth grade teacher taking me aside and talking to me as though I were an adult even though I was only nine. She believed in me and my abilities, and because she had faith in me, she inspired me to try new things.
Good teachers demonstrate honesty and integrity as they identify each student’s strengths and work to help them address their weaknesses. I remember struggling with research papers for an advanced English course. It seemed that every paper that I submitted was returned covered in red ink. My work appeared to be bleeding. When I went to the professor to ask for help, he told me that I was a good writer, but he expected more out of me than he was seeing in my writing. He explained what I was doing right and the areas that I needed to improve upon. After our conversation, I tried harder.I applied myself more, and I finally earned an “A” on my last assignment.
With a new school year approaching, I find myself thinking about the teachers who motivated and inspired me, and I hope that other students– in elementary school, middle school, high school, and at colleges and universities– are fortunate enough to have leaders as teachers, too.
“Leadership is essential to instruction…But what does this mean?” he asked.
Though I hadn’t written the original text, I agreed with the statement. Having spent over 17 years as a student and eight as a teacher, I didn’t feel that the phrase needed explanation. In my mind, the statement was true - standing alone without explanation - because the people I have learned the most from were leaders.Like leaders, good teachers have a vision that they share with their students. They see the importance of the subject that they teach. They prepare their students for the next phase of their life and inspire them beyond the classroom.
Good teachers work to motivate their students through their actions and words. They set an example for the class. My college speech teacher was strict, but he set an example for us. He gave specific guidelines that we were to follow, such as requiring us to speak from note cards and limiting us to three cards per speech no matter the time limit. In return, he gave his lectures from note cards. He never asked us to do something that he didn’t do. He led by example.
Good teachers value students as people. They respect their students. I remember my fourth grade teacher taking me aside and talking to me as though I were an adult even though I was only nine. She believed in me and my abilities, and because she had faith in me, she inspired me to try new things.
Good teachers demonstrate honesty and integrity as they identify each student’s strengths and work to help them address their weaknesses. I remember struggling with research papers for an advanced English course. It seemed that every paper that I submitted was returned covered in red ink. My work appeared to be bleeding. When I went to the professor to ask for help, he told me that I was a good writer, but he expected more out of me than he was seeing in my writing. He explained what I was doing right and the areas that I needed to improve upon. After our conversation, I tried harder.I applied myself more, and I finally earned an “A” on my last assignment.
With a new school year approaching, I find myself thinking about the teachers who motivated and inspired me, and I hope that other students– in elementary school, middle school, high school, and at colleges and universities– are fortunate enough to have leaders as teachers, too.
