Outstanding
educators are committed, experienced and personable. To be
considered an outstanding educator, teachers must be able to set high standards
for the qualities they posses. Educators with high standards and outstanding
personal qualities will cause their students to grow more musically, than those
who have low standards.
First,
all educators must be committed to their job. Commitment
is one of the most important factors for a successful program because it
ignites action. Educators must have an understanding of what
it is they want to teach and be able to risk time and energy to provide an
excellent educational environment. Educators are obligated to encourage their
students to see themselves in a positive light and build respect for themselves
as well as for their peers.
Second, educators should be experienced within their field
and have plenty of knowledge and skills to back up what they teach. In
the music world, I feel strongly that all educators should be at a high level
of performance for their students, not only to demonstrate musical ideas in the
classroom, but to gain a certain level of respect from students that will allow
students to be more attentive and productive. To
be able to motivate your students to their potential, you must demonstrate that
you are able to perform at a high level. The majority of students in the classroom
will not care so much about the theory or the history of the music, but they
will care about what it is they hear, play and see happening in the music.
Lastly, being personable will help outstanding teachers establish
and maintain a positive working relationship with their students. Establishing
this type of rapport will also help educators find ways of getting to know their
students and build a trusting and appreciative relationship with them. This will allow both teachers and students to
be open with one another resulting in a motivation to want to learn the subject
matter.
Teaching is not something that should be looked at in a
mild way. As teachers we are more than just an education figure, we are role
models. We as teachers are able to
connect with children in a way that others may not be able to allowing us to
pull so much good potential out of our students, helping them exceed in all
aspects of their schooling.
Becoming an outstanding educator is not something that
happens overnight, it is an attribute that must be worked on continuously over
time. Even
though some educators may feel as though they have reached outstanding status,
they must continue to work and strive to remain at that standing. In
a way no educator can reach the status of being outstanding, for there is
always another step that can be achieved to push towards outstanding.