What is a teacher? Well, according to Merriam Webster, a teacher is "a person who provides education for students." So why is it that so many teachers across America, from grade school to higher education, are so bad at doing what they are paid to do? Well, let's look into it.
Having gone through a public school education my whole life, I've definitely seen a lot of different types of teachers. From my 7th grade English teacher who made sure that her students were crying by the end of class, to my senior year history teacher who taught me valuable life lessons and really made me find a passion for history. Now that I'm a college student, I've noticed that the teaching that was supposed to improve, and truly expand my knowledge, has failed me yet again. In fact, my teachers have gotten worse since I've made the leap towards higher education. Most teachers in college, at least the ones that I've come into contact with, actually care a whole lot less about their students than their high school counterparts. So far, I have met: a sporadic woman who calls her students "stupid" and "failures" and who refuses to help them when they have questions, a man who rambles on and doesn't seem to even know what topic he's teaching (See: Macro-Economics), a thirty year old man who throws markers at students when they look down, and a whole bunch more of colorful characters who identify as "teachers". Honestly, I think that I've learned more from my drunken conversations while waiting for an Uber than from the time that I've spent in class.
Although the majority of the teachers that I've seen so far in college have been a joke, there have been the select few who have truly left a lasting impression. For example, one of my business teachers has become a mentor to me, and has helped me realize what I need to do to succeed post-college. He, among a few others, have made the education part of college tolerable and keep me coming back semester after semester hoping that I will run into another teacher like them.
So what is it that defines these teachers as good and bad? Well, my descriptions are simple: teachers that care, and teachers that don't.
A teacher that cares is easy to spot. They make sure that the students interact and truly learn. They make sure that they are available to go to if a student needs help. Simply, they make their subject interesting. Now, the good teacher doesn't have to be the most personable or the easiest, but they do their job; they teach. A good teacher needs to open up their students to the subject that they teach, whether it's a class for their major or a class on why the sky is blue, the good teacher makes the students intrigued and open to the education that they are receiving.
On the other hand, the teacher that doesn't care is even easier to spot. They don't care about their students interacting, or even learning. They are never available for help, or even if they are, they end up confusing the student more than helping them. Worst of all, they make their class a chore to attend. The bad teacher might even be a likable person, like one of my marketing professors, but they are just not meant to be educators. The bad teacher makes their subject, even if it's the most interesting subject in the world, horrendous to learn about and extremely boring to sit through. From experience, the bad teacher makes the student shut them out and do something else (like write an article on bad teachers during economics).
As much as I am ranting, there is truth behind my words. Put my article into your own perspective, think about it. How many good teachers have you had since you've come to college? I'm not talking about your favorite teacher because they are easy and nice, no, I mean the teacher who has actually taught you something and made you feel like you've been educated. Then, think about how many bad teachers you've had, you know, the one's who have lost your interest from the moment they said, "Hi, my name is...". I could bet that the bad teachers outweigh the good ones.
Although this is common, it doesn't mean that it's good. I took a poll, I asked 50 students, some from different schools, to compare how many good and how many bad teachers they've had. From the 50, 47 of them realized that they've had a lot more bad teachers than good ones. However, the one thing that they all said was that the good teachers made coming to school worth it because they actually learned something in those classes; as opposed to just taking a test or reading a chapter.
So, in the end, why does a good teacher matter? You tell me.
