Q&A for How to Be a Good Teacher

There is no such thing as a good or bad student. Students are students who approach you for learning new skills; you have to find out their areas of interest. Help them find the room for improvement and be there for them when they need you.

Try to make it engaging. For example, tell the person a simple story, and then ask him or her questions to see how many details he or she can remember. The person will have to listen to your story in order to answer the questions correctly, but it won't feel forced; most people enjoy a good story.

Yes, in some cases. You should be forgiving, yet never let a student feel like s/he can do anything. Set basic rules that are easy to follow and have clear expectations.

For younger pupils, try something that they can relate to, like a favorite movie or cartoon. The best way to generate a conversation is through finding a common ground. Older students may be able to voice opinions on some politics and current events.

Preach by practice. Set examples yourself, like arriving in class before time and being regular or solving a problem along with the students will make students more responsible. Also, good communication skills. And always stand stern to discipline.

Use the grammar translation method by translating words for them, and also use their native language (if you speak it). Using English alone will very effective for students who are basically advanced, but they are a minority -- what you really want is to engage the whole class. Use pictures and gestures to help communicate your meaning, and always give exercises and practice them orally. Consider getting certified in TEFL (Teaching English as a Second Language): that's a great way to learn more strategies for teaching.

Firstly, ask them to stop talking. Then move them away from the person that they keep talking to. If they still keep talking, then move them away from anyone in the class. If they are still interrupting, then give them a detention. After three detentions, tell their parents and the school principal.

Both. You should be a source of support for that person while encouraging them to report the bully to their parents or a teacher.

Seek a degree in teaching and pursue an internship or assistant teacher position to gain experience.

If everyone else isn't done, you can just let the students who have finished read or do something else they want to (e.g., draw, write) quietly at their desk. You could also engage the student by letting her help you with something, e.g., erasing the board or delivering a message to another teacher.

Tell those good-looking kids that even if they are nice in appearance, they still have to study and complete their homework because looks fade but education does not.

If you lost their respect because you did something wrong, apologize to the student and try to talk it out with them. Otherwise, you may want to bring their parents in and have a conversation about how to fix this issue.

Tell your students that whenever one lies to someone, the first one to be affected is not the hearer, but the teller. Provide some examples, and ask the students to reflect on this, and come up with their own examples of when a liar was affected negatively by his/her own behavior. Do this with the whole group and don't single one student out, but try to make sure he/she is getting the message.

Your learning and teaching methodology should be both theoretical and practical as much as possible. Learning while doing help students to create interest in the subject.

You can try doing some activities where people are paired up to discuss or work on something together, so that every person will be engaged. Or you can do activities where you go around the room and every person has to contribute a little. But don't worry about it too much. Some students are just shy about speaking up in class, which is okay, as long as they do their work.

Interact with them professionally and with the respect their age merits. Don't downplay your own abilities.

You will likely lose your job. The only possible excuse a teacher can have for slapping a student's face is in a medical situation such as fainting when there's no school nurse available. Corporal punishment is no longer permitted in most schools because teachers today have the resources of other staff such as guidance counselors and principals to defuse disciplinary situations.

For young children, set them aside and say calmly and gently, "I understand you don't want to learn. However, you are disrupting the other children and that's not okay. Can you respect that I'm teaching and not bother other children?" For older children, say "I know you don't like this subject but you're being very disobedient. If you don't change, I'm afraid your attitude will trail you all your life."

Start by reading them simple books, then in a class reading session, get someone to read it aloud. Spelling tests can also be helpful as the children will recognize the words when it comes to reading books. Also set goals and prizes, so the kids know if they try they get a reward. Make the books in class interesting and ask them what type of books they would like in their reading area. Ask them to practice at home and read to an adult.

Your best option is to give them, and other students, a specific time when they can freely express their opinions as part of a project or assignment. Make it clear that this is their period to talk at length in class and that they need to share the time with their classmates. Guide the conversation along to give everyone an opportunity.

Teachers are happy to show others their knowledge and help them learn. Teachers also like to see students reach their full potential in life and in their studies. In general, most teachers decide to teach because they love both the process of learning and the interaction with people.

You should determine what the specific needs of your students are, and make sure that your lesson is achievable for each student regardless of what adjustments they need.

Look for indications that your students are learning the material, such as improving writing performance on papers. However, also pay attention to feedback from students themselves. If they are coming to you for help or asking for advice, then it is likely that they trust your judgment as a teacher and a person.

Do your best to act confident and positive. Make sure the students know they can ask you any questions about the material they might have. Do a google search for fun classroom games involving fractions that you can play with your class, and maybe even stop somewhere and get stickers or candy to give out as prizes.

You can ask your students for feedback on your teaching. Try to include at least 15 minutes a day (or what some teachers do, 45 minutes every Wednesday and Friday at the end of the day) to have some free time, provide feedback, play games and maybe even go outside!

Some teachers have high expectations for their students and they get frustrated when those expectations aren't met. Teachers also get upset when students are misbehaving or not doing the work they're supposed to be doing. Also, teachers are people, just like everybody else. Sometimes they're unhappy or they have personal stuff going on, and that can result in them coming across as "mean."

The teacher can take all students to lunch as a "field trip" with the school and parents' permission. However, the teacher can't take just some students, as this displays favoritism, and taking a single student to lunch would be very inappropriate.

There may be some students who cannot handles some types of noises which occur normally in class, especially if they are really loud, novel or spooky. First try to bring down the noise in any way possible and try to peak to student to reassure them that the noise has been removed. You might also spend some time after class asking the student to explain which noises are a problem and work out a plan together for either eliminating the noises or letting the student manage it through such ways as leaving the classroom temporarily or using white noise or similar to cover up the noise that is bothering them.

Firstly, ask them to stop talking. Then move them away from the person that they keep talking to. If they still keep talking, then move them away from anyone in the class. If they are still interrupting, then give them a detention. After three detentions, tell their parents and the school principal.

You need to know their interests and hobbies, who they hang out with, their family situations, and what gets them excited. Each student is going to require different motivational strategies, and you have to know them to be able to predict what strategies might work.