I believe there are many different ways a teacher can be exceptional. I have explored many articles, books and journals that have been published but I found the one that made the most sense to me is one that I found written by Peter C. Beidler. To read his top ten ways to be a great teacher click here.

Many people have the skills to complete many complex tasks but how many can actually teach these skills? A tremendous aspect of being a teacher is not only being able to demonstrate the required skills but also to possess the proper skills to reach and connect to your students. In Saskatchewan in order to be considered a fine teacher it can be argued that the most important skills a teacher demonstrates include: practicing culturally relevant pedagogy, accommodating to students as well as being life long learners.

Culturally relevant pedagogy is defined by American education philosopher as, “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” In Saskatchewan this is especially important because our province is so filled with aboriginal culture. In fact, studies have shown that one half of all students in schools will be from aboriginal decent within the next decade. In terms of teaching these statistics will mean that teachers will need to adopt a more culturally relevant pedagogy in order to see success from students. To do this, teachers need to add culture into many different facets of the curriculum as well as educate themselves in regards to the history of each student’s culture, their family history as well as their own personal interests in order to be an exceptional teacher that will see positive results from all students of all ethnicities.

Secondly, teachers will also see success in students through accommodating to their needs and recognizing any special requirements. A fine teacher will understand and sympathize to different student’s needs in order to make sure they feel comfortable around the teacher and comfortable in the classroom. In Saskatchewan there is a high number of poverty stricken families which may mean the students do not have the proper home support they require to see success in school. The support needed will then become the responsibility of the teacher to spend extra time assisting or intervening in any personal problems.

Finally, in order to be the best possible educator a teacher must be committed to being a life long learner. To do this teachers need to be willing to collaborate with teachers in their school, community, province, country and worldwide. Personally, as a pre service teacher I have had the opportunity to collaborate with a classroom in Nelson, New Zealand. There are many ways to collaborate technologically such as: Twitter, Facebook, Ning, and many other social networking sites. By doing this teachers open up their classroom to a much larger number of possibilities and allows students to collectively learn from a team who may present the material in a manner that is better understood by different students.

To conclude, to be a good teacher there are many other qualities that could be mentioned. However, the most important aspect is to keep the student’s best interest in mind. A good teacher will work hard to make all students feel included in a number of different ways including practicing culturally relevant pedagogy, accommodating to students and committing themselves to being lifelong learners in order to ensure students learn in a number of different ways