There exist several teachers, who keep teaching for the entire life, but hardly make any difference. They are absolute experts at whatever they teach. But when it comes to influencing students and going beyond teaching, the initiative is practically zero! A transformational teacher goes beyond teaching concepts to the students. In fact, such a teacher isn’t confined to students, but extends to influencing fellow teachers and keeps moving towards making a difference to the education system in the truest sense. If you love teaching, you will want to be a transformational teacher. But, what are the factors that will transform you into a transformational teacher? Here’s the answer.
- Keep sharing the best you’ve got!
The first and the most important sign of being a transformational teacher is sharing everything good that you’ve got in you. If you’ve got something great in you, and if you think, a particular practice of yours can foster an improvement in the current process, or prove beneficial in the long run, you must share it. Remember, by keeping things to yourself, you’ll only remain a good teacher. But if you share things whole-heartedly, you will set-off on your road to becoming a transformational teacher. For instance, if you’ve devised something that will ease out an existing age-old cumbersome process, you will be thanked and remembered later for your good act.
- Go Beyond Teaching
If you limit yourself to teaching, you will only remain a teacher, and never transform into a comprehensive mentor. Remember, teachers influence lives. They don’t just teach things, but work towards creating an ever-lasting bond with their students. Such teachers will not limit students to classrooms. They will take them to sporting events, museums, etc. to ensure that they don’t turn into bookworms, but prosper as responsible citizens.
The best of transformational teachers develop a deep understanding of the way their role transcends beyond the subject that they teach. The idea is here to create a positive impact. Students must not look up to you as just a teacher who enters the classroom, does his duty, and then departs. Rather, you must graduate into an idol for them, by becoming someone they will look up to throughout their growing years and after that as well.
- Foster a Change
Often, teachers who’ve entangled themselves in a particular routine are the most reluctant and resistant to a change. They don’t change and discourage others from changing. Unfortunately, the reluctant ones outnumber the welcoming ones, and therefore, making a change possible is the toughest of everything in your career as a teacher. But with persistent efforts, and with a lot of conviction, and support of the link-minded people, you can gradually make a change possible.
- Learn from a Senior Teacher
You might have gathered years of experience and reputation as a teacher. But remember, there will always be someone who’s better than you, and who’s been an even better transformational teacher. Connect with some veterans to learn from their experiences as a teacher, to learn about people, to understand students and the education system in a better manner. Their experiences will also help you go a long way when it comes to foster transformations within the system, and only better you teaching skills.
Learning may not be necessarily limited to learning from a veteran teacher. It may be learning from your fellow teachers who are supportive of transformations, and who you think can help you make a difference.
- Observe!
Observation is an extremely powerful tool when it comes to studying something with integrity and focus. Observe your colleagues when they are in action in the classroom. Observe and try to pick out everything that they do well. Learn, how they build a connection with their students, and what is it that they do to get a response from the students, how humorous they are while teaching and how does the humour element help enhance the teaching as well as the learning experience.
- Assist your Colleagues
Never stop helping people. No one is perfect, and hence, each and every one requires help while at work, regardless of the seniority or the experience of the person. For instance, an older teacher may require help with computers, and if you know it, and if the teacher has asked for help, you must help. Remember, these things may not be noticed by someone or the rest of the people immediately. But, over a period of time, you will set an example, and people will start looking up to you.
Gradually, helping becomes an integral part of the work, and that’s how you transform the working environment. So, if you’ve got a capability that others don’t, you can help someone achieve something through it. And, if you help them develop the capability, there’s nothing like it!
It isn’t easy to be a transformational teacher. Some may appreciate you for it, while some may hate you. Besides, people’s resistance may compel your zeal to fizzle out and lose steam with time. However, if you are determined enough, you will neither lose track nor let your efforts dilute. You will keep going with the same enthusiasm, and won’t let anything derail you.
