By | RankCastle Publishers
As of 2021, the U.S. had over three million school teachers. Among them, around two million teach in high schools across the country. Over the years, teaching as a profession has gained more popularity. The result of that is an increase in the number of teachers across the U.S.
High school teachers in the U.S. earn around $60,000 a year. That alone is one of the biggest reasons why so many people are interested in this profession. However, not all of them will be fit to become great high school teachers. That’s because they will not have all the qualities needed to reach that level.
That being said, what are these qualities that can make you a great high school teacher? Let’s find out.
#1 Academic Qualifications and Eligibility
To become a great high school teacher, you will need to meet the academic requirements set by your state. These include having an accredited bachelor’s degree, along with certain coursework in education. Many states also require you to pass additional exams, such as those for content area knowledge or teaching practice. You should also familiarize yourself with your state’s teaching certification requirements so that you can find out what type of license is needed for your desired position.
To advance your career, you should consider pursuing an Ed.D. degree. Most of these degrees require you to take the GRE first. However, that can be time-consuming. Thus, you can look for a program that offers an Ed.D. degree online with no GRE requirements. An online program also means you can afford to spend more time on your other work instead of worrying about attending in-person classes.
#2 Listening Skills
As a teacher, your listening skills are more than just hearing what the student says. Listening is about paying attention to a person’s body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. They can tell you a lot about how your student feels. It also means paying attention to their emotions and feelings. Students who feel like they’re being listened to by their teachers are more likely to open up and share important details about their lives.
Finally, it means taking time to listen to the student’s needs: what they want out of the lesson plan, how they want it delivered, and whether anything needs changing along the way.
#3 Communication Skills
Communication skills are essential to being a good teacher, and they come in many forms. The ability to listen carefully to students is important for understanding their needs and meeting them. Being able to speak clearly and concisely is also critical in communicating effectively with students, parents, school administration, other teachers, and yourself.
Finally, good communication means being able to read and write well enough that you can pass on knowledge effectively by doing so.
#4 Classroom Management Skills
It would be foolish to send your students into the world without guidance, and classroom management skills are a vital part of that. Getting along with people is a skill you will learn in any job, but teaching requires it most of all because it’s not just about managing your students. It’s also about managing yourself as a teacher.
Creating a safe environment where everyone feels comfortable is critical when it comes to developing classroom management skills. Thus, being able to diffuse situations and resolve conflicts effectively should be at the top of your list. Being able to deal with behavior problems calmly and effectively will make everything else so much easier for you as a teacher and your students.
#5 Preparing a Useful Lesson Plan
Preparing a useful lesson plan is key. A lesson plan is the most important thing you can do to ensure that your class runs smoothly and efficiently. That will help you establish credibility with students and fellow teachers.
A good lesson plan should include:
- The goal of the lesson (i.e., what you want students to learn)
- The specific learning objectives for each student (i.e., what each student needs to know)
- Instructional strategies and activities that will enable students to meet those objectives
#6 Not Remaining Confined to Textbooks Only
When teaching in the classroom, you need to know your stuff and not just remain confined to textbooks. While some teachers may be able to regurgitate a textbook or two from memory, what’s going to make you stand out as an effective educator is that you can take what is in those books and apply it in real-life situations.
As an educator, you have to not just teach but also help your pupils learn. You can never do that by confining them and yourself to just textbooks. Instead, you should teach from other resources like the internet or even newspapers. Doing so will allow you to provide updated lessons to your students. It can also help you incorporate real-life examples into your daily lessons.
A great high school teacher must have all of these qualities and more. All these are not achievable in a day or two. It takes time. Thus, if you truly want to be a great high school teacher, start today and gradually work your way to the top.
By 2030, The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts over 658,000 new jobs in the field of education, training, and library management. Many of these jobs will be open for those who want to become high school teachers. Of course, not all of them will become great ones. Only those who can live up to the standards and ensure the qualities discussed above will be able to do so.
