Experience Summary
"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary"
I think that this quote about teaching, in a way, reflects my idea on what teaching is all about. One can be a good teacher, whose characteristics encompass good knowledge of the subject matter, understanding the needs of your students, and the ability to apply this knowledge to students' needs. However, an effective teacher does not only pass knowledge on to her students, but makes herself gradually unnecessary: her learners become independent learners as they progress through a course. As a teacher, I always try to be effective in this sense - I foster independence in my students. At the same time, I strive for excellence which will eventually make me a better teacher. This endeavor caused me to reflect on how an excellent teacher is different from a good teacher. The conclusion I have come to is that a gap between a good and an excellent teacher if filled by a teacher's desire and aptitude to sympathize with her students and, what is even more important, to inspire and motivate them. William Littlewood (1987) observes: "In second language learning as in every other field of human learning, motivation is the critical force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres"
My Hobbies
Skiing, reading, art history, theater