Would a quiet person be a good teacher.

Hi Ella,

As an introvert, you are naturally suited to reflection, evaluation and thoughtfulness – all essential qualities for a teacher.

6 characteristics that benefit introverted teachers
Your reserved nature shouldn’t be keeping you from pursuing your passion to teach little ones. Embrace these qualities and start seeing them as an advantage to your career in the classroom.

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  They’re cautious when meeting people
  While you may picture an overly bubbly or excitable person when you imagine a preschool teacher, it’s important to recognize the benefits of being cautious when meeting new people. Not only does being prudent put teachers on their best behavior when meeting parents, but a careful, gentle disposition will put fearful or shy children at ease.

  
  


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  They don’t enjoy being the center of attention
  Instead of treating the classroom like a stage, introverted teachers tend to let their students be in the spotlight. After doing their thing in the front quickly, they can focus on getting the children involved and learning. By getting them participating in their studies beyond the lecture, learning becomes more integrated. This type of teaching encourages the students to do the work first-hand, which leads to hands-on learning.

  
  

Introverted teachers are able to draw out students and allow them to discover information rather than memorize it, according to Cathy Pickens, an author, creativity consultant and former teacher. On the other hand, teachers who simply blurt out information tend to drown out students’ thoughts, she says.

• They think carefully before speaking
  Introverted individuals are typically very calculated and thoughtful in everything they do. They’re the type of teachers who will always come to class prepared. There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing lesson plans and organizing a classroom schedule.

But your introverted nature won’t let yourself walk into the classroom unprepared. Rather than flying by the seat of your pants, you’ll take the time needed to prep and rehearse before getting up in front of the room.

• Reflection is important to them
  Feedback and reviews are part of most jobs. But as an introvert, you especially value the time to reflect on your actions and how they affect your future. When it comes to working at a school, introverted teachers are well aware of their accomplishments and their shortcomings.

You can capitalize on this by taking time to think through the ways you can grow and develop your craft. After each new lesson, you can evaluate what went well and what you could do differently next time. In the end, this will only serve to further benefit students.

• They are great listeners
  “I have been in hundreds of classrooms,” says Sharon M. Hart, a former high school teacher from California. “I have observed that introverted teachers are quiet, reserved, more apt to listen to students and they ask questions.”

Listening is a skill that many of us would do well to learn but as an introvert, you excel in this area. By taking the time to carefully listen to students, parents and other educators, introverted teachers create space for better communication, better understanding and an overall better learning environment.

“It is not unusual in an introverted teacher’s classroom to have a higher level of student engagement than in those of extroverted teachers who do most of the talking,” Hart explains.

• They have the time to be deeply involved with teaching
  Introverts certainly value their friends, but their social lives look a lot different than those of an extrovert. Creating lesson plans, correcting homework and planning out lectures for the next day admittedly take up a lot of time. But as an introvert, balancing the demanding job requirements with everyday life isn’t as much of an issue.

“I did not have a problem with maintaining a work-life balance, mainly because I did not have an active social life,” Hart says. “My time spent alone at home was sufficient to keep up with the demands of the job. Introverts like me do not feel that they are ‘missing out’ if they don't socialize.”

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/oct/27/introvert-teacher-how-to-find-peace-and-quiet-in-school

http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/why-introverted-teachers-have-edge-in-education/

Keep your dream of become a teacher and good luck!

You will be a good teacher so long as you care about your students. Essentially, treat them like human beings. Your students are people too and communicating effectively with them, essentially means communicating with them. Be genuine, compassionate, caring, and show them you care about them as a person and beyond the classroom. Your students need to know that you have a genuine compassion for their feelings and that you care about what they have to say. This starts with building relationships with your students, allowing them to get to know you, and showing a genuine interest in getting to know them.

<span style="background-color: transparent;"> I am an English teacher, we work with other teachers of all different subjects. We have 5 teaching blocks or periods per day, 1 prep period, and 1 lunch period. Depending on the grade level the work environment shifts. But generally we are teaching different cohorts of students each period of the day, typically teaching the same lessons depending on grade and level, and or prepping and grading work. I love working as a teacher. </span>

It's helpful to take higher-level classes in Sociology, Psychology, and Human Development. Definitely take at least two or more 2000+ level courses in these subjects. You will learn about society and how it functions in a way that may be harmful to our student and how to combat social constructions and become more aware of them. This will make you a better teacher in the long run and having and understanding of sociology as a whole will make you a better person, help you understand your students and connect with them. Studying psychology and human development will help you learn about the way people learn (and therefore you will learn how to best teach your students). Depending on the phase of life adolescents and children are in, they learn differently, and their brain works differently as well. It is essential to have an understanding of this prior to becoming an educator. It will also help you to connect with students, parents, and families. Human Development and Family Studies will also allow you to become more culturally aware of students and families that come from different backgrounds; this will allow you to unlearn implicit biases and recognize them in yourself and others (and therefore, grow from them). Overall, these three fields of study are absolutely essential when pursuing teaching. Taking the time to take 2 or more classes in each of these subjects will help you become the best teacher you can possibly be. Other than these, the more obvious answer is take as many classes as possible in the subject-area you want to teach AND take education courses.

To be a good teacher, essentially, treat them like human beings. Your students are people too and communicating effectively with them, essentially means communicating with them. Be genuine, compassionate, caring, and show them you care about them as a person and beyond the classroom. Your students need to know that you have a genuine compassion for their feelings and that you care about what they have to say. This starts with building relationships with your students, allowing them to get to know you, and showing a genuine interest in getting to know them.

Hi Ella,

I'm so glad you want to teach! I was a teacher for many years. The most important quality is that you sincerely, truly care about children. It is important that you believe that all children can learn and that you are committed to helping each child achieve their goals. Sometimes you might need to be quiet to help someone, sometimes you might need to be a little louder!

As you get older, you will see that you will change - your body, your thinking, your actions, your behaviors. We all change and grow as we get older. What I hope does NOT change is your hope to become a teacher. And, teaching English would be wonderful! Read a lot - which I guess you already like to do. Also keep a journal and write!

Here's a great quote I found - read it often:

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning." by Brad Henry.

Brad Henry is a politician and was the 26th Governor of Oklahoma.

Much success,

Stephanie