![[Photo of a teacher and student]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/teacher_and_student.jpg)
| Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” |
| —Isaiah 48:17 |
Teaching is a wonderful profession. It takes a special person with special skills to become a really great teacher. Most of us can identify someone who, during our formative years, contributed a great deal to who we have become because of the skills that individual had as a teacher.
A really great teacher has a number of personal skills that enhance that individual’s knowledge and makes the transfer of information most effective. Such skills include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Patience. A truly great teacher has a high degree of patience in order to allow the student to stumble around until he or she finds the way through the “jungle” of information that the teacher is trying to convey. This patience allows the teacher to let the student find his or her own way. This patience never tires of answering the same questions over and over again. This patience promotes a sense of security between the teacher and the student that allows learning to take place over an extended period of time.
- A sense of humor. A truly great teacher takes even the most serious subject and punctuates it with just enough humor to make it palatable to the student. Such humor disarms any tension the student might feel. It creates a learning environment that promotes the free exchange of ideas and gives the student confidence in whatever knowledge he or she is seeking.
- Relaxed control. A truly great teacher recognizes that it is necessary for him or her to maintain control of the learning environment. Yet, he or she instinctively knows that this control must be meted out in a relaxed and carefully measured manner. This control keeps the learning on track. But, the relaxed way in which the control is extended gives students the freedom to learn in a more comfortable setting.
- Creativity. A truly great teacher employs creativity in order to find the best way of explaining the information that comprises the learning. Such a teacher knows that a single example will not work for all students. Rather, the teacher knows that he or she must craft examples and illustrations that will engage the student in a manner that matches the learning style of the student.
- Goal-oriented. A truly great teacher never loses sight of the goals toward which the transfer of knowledge leads. This teacher understands what the end-game is for each learning encounter. He or she understands the goals and, for each goal, the objectives through which a student must travel in order to reach the goals. In addition, the teacher has a clear set of learning strategies that will help the student move through each objective. Said another way, such a teacher understands the complexity of learning because he or she clearly sees the logical pathway that will move the student from ignorance to comprehension.
In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, when God says to His people: “I am the God, who teaches you to profit…” we can clearly see that God is, indeed, the Master Teacher. Whenever God teaches His dearly loved people, He does so intending for that learning experience to bring His people to a place where they can profit from the learning experience. I have seen this happen in my own life.
Many individuals have a far more significant testimony than my own. Most people have had to deal with overwhelming issues in their lives. Tragedy strikes almost every person. These times of great trial can offer enormously important lessons for us to learn. In the midst of trial and sorrow, the testimony of God being the very best teacher a person can have shines through.
As another day begins, let’s remain thankful that God is the Master Teacher. He possesses all of the qualities that the most excellent teacher always has. We are truly thankful that we are the recipients of His instruction. We are the ones whom He teaches us to profit.
