Pre-reading task

1. Match the words in Column A with their definitions in Column B.

 

	A	B
A	Hallmark	1. to guide or control the growth of; influence
B	To recognize	2. defeat or disappointment
C	To mould	3. the way in which something happens, develops or is arranged
D	Frustration	4. distinguishing characteristic (usually of excellence)
E	Pattern	5. identify again; be willing to accept as what he is or claims to be; be prepared to admit something; to acknowledge

Reading

Read the text; state the qualities which characterize a good teacher.

 

From The Personality of the Teacher by Alice Yordley

 

The hallmark of a good teacher is her ability to put the in­terests of children before her own. She recognizes and respects the individual nature of each child, and she resists the tempta­tion to "mould" him. She is first and foremost concerned about helping him to become a person – in his own unique and inimitable way. Her best contribution to his full personal develop­ment lies in the inspiration of her own personality; she cannot avoid influencing him, but she does it through what she is rather than by intention. The child sees in her the pattern of a mature and responsible person who is willing to guide him while leaving him free to develop a personal pattern which is entirely his own.

What the child most needs to find in his teacher is a person, is someone who is willing to share with him all aspects of life. She supports and encourages him without being over-protective. She establishes a happy environment for him, yet never leads him to believe that life is completely happy. She helps him to set for himself realistic goals and to select tasks which he can hope to accomplish, but she allows him to en­counter a degree of frustration and disappointment because she knows their value as stimulants of further effort.

A teacher's sense of values is an essential aspect of her personality. Her attitude to books, music, poetry, works of art, natural phenomena, personal relationships, religion, etc. is of great importance.

Perhaps the most severe test of personality for the teacher is the kind of relationship she makes with the children. How to influence them without requiring them to conform to her sense of values and how to put their needs before her own self-satisfaction, are the most difficult challenges a teacher may have to face. The relationship between teacher and child should enable the child to develop his individuality in a way which is entirely his own.