Taken from https://www.teachermatch.org/blog/attract-recruit-and-retain-minority-teachers/
Teachers: What a Good Teacher Should be By Zhang Xiao Yu Pre-Service Teacher, School of English Faculty of Social Sciences Universidad Latina de Costa Rica Saturday, March 6, 2016 Post 230
Harmer’s (2007) Chapter 2 on Teachers begins with a thrilling question: “What is a good teacher?” The author recorded interviews with a large number of teachers and students, but he did not have an exact answer at the end of the interviewing process. Someone said that he/she is a good teacher because of his/her personality; because they looked as if they loved their job; perhaps, their interest in their students, or maybe because they are a fascinating person. To be a good teacher is not that easy, it will need many aspects to create a good teacher.
This chapter is indeed about teachers. What factors do teachers need to include in their daily teaching? What about the way we communicate with our students; how we balance the relationship with our students; how we act
in a classroom; teacher’s preparations, teaching skills and knowledge, etc.? This chapter on Harmer’s (2007) book gives or reminds us how we can become to a good teacher.
Even though the chapter is reminding us the importance to have a good relationship with students, teachers should listen to their students, but instructors should also set a limit to their listening to information coming from their learners. I am not saying that a teacher and students cannot have a conversation excluding study matters, but the teacher should control the limit of what is or is not relevant to his/her teaching. This limit implies that an instructor should know student’s basic information, like where the student comes from, how many family members they have, cultural background, financial situation, etc. You do not need to know how much their parents earn monthly, or why the parents are divorce. Sometimes a teacher are in need of controlling the conversation and should not go deeply in subjects that are irrelevant to the student’s education.
I agree with Harmer that it is important showing teacher’s personality with students. I remember that when I was a student back in China, my teachers were showing me the same characteristics; they demonstrated their seriousness and authority. Our Chinese instructors made us feel scared of them. The teachers in Costa Rica are different; they are much friendlier, and that makes the lesson more comfortable and easier for learners.
As a conclusion, this chapter on teachers state that “good teachers are born, not made” (Harmer, 2007), but I do not agree that to be a good teacher first should be a born one, then, the teaching experiences will make us become a good teaching professional.
References Harmer, J. (2007). Chapter Two “Teachers”. How to Teach English. Essex: Pearson.