NATHANIEL LEE | Teaching is the ultimate step in the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge

There is general consensus that a teacher is the most important factor that contributes to learner achievement in the classroom that even surpasses facilities, resources and even school leadership.

It is the teacher who makes the most difference in pupils’ lives which puts teaching at the centre of all learning and teaching activities. Teaching has often been referred to as a noble profession and a calling and from this it is clear that teachers require special qualities and characteristics to enable them to discharge their duties. What is uppermost is that teachers need to possess strong interpersonal skills and also be motivated by a genuine concern for the welfare of the pupils entrusted upon their care. Moreover, teachers also play a parental role in the lives of their charges hence they operate in loco parentis.

To have optimal impact, teachers need to be armed with communication skills because it would be futile for them to be technically proficient as it relates to their subject knowledge while they are interpersonally incompetent and thus cannot draw pupils into the lesson. Since the classroom is the coalface of all teaching and learning activities, it is important that the teacher is able to create the desired atmosphere, which is when pupils feel confident to participate in the learning interactions. It is imperative that teachers are good listeners,  which will enable them to pick up on what might not have been said. It is important that they exercise empathic listening, which involves more than just registering, reflecting or even understanding the words that are said. In empathic listening, the teacher listens with his ears, eyes and heart. He listens for meaning and for behaviour.

Listening has to be an uninterrupted process with the listener exercising complete silence. It might be for this reason that silent and listen are spelt using exactly the same letters of the alphabet. The 11th century Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol, asserted that, “The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others. It can be surmised from this assertion that teaching is the ultimate step in the acquisition of wisdom. The focus of the classroom should be on collaborative learning more than on individual achievement. In addition, teachers should practice adaptability as change is the only constant which demands that they have their fingers on the pulse with the latest teaching methods and technologies. A good teacher should be engaging, humorous, creative and have classroom presence.

Empathy is another quality that good teachers cannot do without in addition to patience and positive attitudes. They should value real-world learning which can translate into practical application. More importantly, teachers should be life-long learners who display a passion for learning and a consuming desire to pass on knowledge. Classroom interaction cannot succeed in the absence of discipline, which makes it imperative that teachers are disciplined professionals who can draw the line between pupil-teacher relationships. Teachers should essentially be good role models who exercise a positive influence on their pupils. As the 19th century American historian, Henry Adams puts it, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence ends.”

Much as teachers have to be role models, they also need a role model upon whom to model their own teaching. They do not have to look far as the Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest teacher to have walked on planet earth. This is demonstrated by both the enduring quality of his words and the transforming power of his message.

About a great teacher, author William Arthur Ward had this to say, “The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires." This means that all teachers need to aspire to inspire in the same manner that Christ did first through living what he taught.

Christ was also a master illustrator who used stories and examples from everyday life that his audience could relate to in order to explain abstract truths. He used parables to illuminate truth. He also used repetition to convey his instructions and to reinforce his truth. 

Jesus’ teaching methods serve as a model, whether teaching publicly in an assembly, a Sunday school class or privately at a dinner table. The principles are timeless and effective in every generation. He was a teacher par excellence and the epitome of a great teacher whom all teachers should seek to emulate.