Lucas NoahA Great Teacher Shapes the Minds of Today’s Youth? Several people in this world can inspire children to do a variety of things. Professional athletes, singers, Fortune 500 business owners, celebrities, authors, and even politicians are examples of such people. Even though these individuals were motivated in different ways, they all have one thing in common. Teachers guided and inspired all of them. Whether it was a basketball coach, a voice coach, an acting coach, a business coach, a writing coach, or a political science coach, all of these people were influenced by at least one or more educators to get them to where they are now and where they want to go.
Kobe Bryant would not have won five NBA championships, Katharine Hepburn would not have won four Best Actress Oscars, Stevie Wonder would not have won twenty-five Grammy Awards, Mark Zuckerberg would not have created Facebook, Shakespeare would not have written Romeo and Juliet, and Barack Obama would not have become the first African-American President of the United States without inspiring teachers. Each of these individuals was successful in their own right. However, none of them would have been able to succeed without the help of at least one inspirational teacher. That teacher came from a class-room somewhere along the line 99 percent of the time.
To be an inspiring teacher, you need five primary characters:
- They’re passionate; they care about education and teaching students.
- They’re dedicated; they want to be the best teacher they can be 365 days a year, not just the 190 days we’re contracted to teach.
- They have high expectations, motivating teachers to find new ways to push students to new heights and prepare them for life beyond the class-room.
- They’re accessible; they’re available at all times and are always willing to lend a helping hand to their students.
- Inspiring teachers are deeply concerned about the lives and futures of the students they teach.
These five qualities of an inspiring teacher aid in the development of positive student relationships. These connections are what makes a teacher inspirational to their students. Students begin to trust you, invest in your class, go above and beyond what is expected of them, develop a passion for learning, and commit themselves to excellence when you build these positive relationships.
An inspirational teacher has an impact on a student’s career and instills the qualities of a passionate teacher in the student’s mind, body, and soul.
Students who admire and are taught by an-inspirational teacher will pass on the inspiration to their children when they grow up and work in their chosen field, just as the people listed above did and continue to do for children today.
Consider this: the average teacher works 190 days per year and has spent 30 years in the classroom. That means a teacher has about 5400 days to inspire as many children as possible during their career. They will serve an average of 2,550 students over the next 30 years, give or take.
If, according to the definition of an inspirational teacher, you only inspire ten students over 30 years, and they go on to inspire ten students/children throughout their career, that one single teacher will be responsible for inspiring thousands of people they have never met. Imagine if, throughout our careers, we were able to inspire 50 students. As Arthur William Ward famously put it, “Tells the mediocre teacher. A good teacher will explain things to you. The superior teacher gives an example. The great teacher instills confidence in their students.”
If you’re a teacher reading this, set a goal for yourself to inspire today’s youth today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your career. All of this motivation will result in one thing: A BETTER FUTURE!
A Great Teacher Shapes the Minds of Today’s Youth? Let me know in the comments!
