A Good Teacher …

A good teacher worries about a lot of things. Here are a few, I can think of:
 
  1. Do I understand the subject well enough to teach? Do I have both the conceptual and the detailed understanding of the topic?
  2. How can I keep the students engaged? How can I evoke curiosity? How do help them learn during my session?
  3. How can I make my students understand enough to ask a lot of questions? What do I do if I don’t know the answer to some of them?
  4. What pace should I cover the subject?
  5. How do I handle a mix of knowledge levels of students?

 

Once you start teaching, you will figure out the answers to most of these questions. You will also learn how to be a good guide.  Be comfortable with who you are. Prepare, prepare, prepare and prepare some more. If you don’t know something, say so and find the answer and get back to the students.
 
The toughest part of teaching is to keep students fully engaged.  The greatest joy of teaching is that you will always learn something new. The ‘aha’ moments you create for the students will make you forget everything else.

Meta:

I wrote this for a young friend who is just starting to teach to professionals.