Types of teachers

We all went to school, then some of us graduated from university or college and continued our career. From time to time, we remember our teachers or lecturers. We have good memories about some of our teachers, we hardly ever remember others or we are thankful to some other teachers. If we observe carefully, we can see the following types of teachers around us. Let’s see if you recognize them.

Teachers – good students

These teachers know a lot about anything connected with teaching. They know the curriculum, state requirements. They are very well informed about the standards of education and tests. They regularly visit the government website of educational standards. You can approach them with questions about the curriculum, or semester topics. Their students regularly and intensively prepare for the tests and usually have good results in standardized tests. These teachers usually do what is required by the ministry of education. The order and the way they teach in classes do not usually change through the time. They have strong principles and believes which also do not change. These teachers are usually associated with academic learning environment.

Teachers – communicators

These teachers know a lot of people. They know the educational officers who will visit to assess their classes. They know their peers who are working in other educational institutions. They usually participate in educational events. They know key people in the education world and know who to refer to when they have questions. They are easy to communicate as they know how to approach this or that person and what to speak about with them.

They regularly contact the parents of their students to discuss the issues with their children. They are open to suggestions and questions, but usually, they are very slow to get new ideas and especially implement them, as they strongly believe that the guarantee of their success is in knowing many people. They visit conferences and workshops to know more people and create new networks. They have a lot of friends on social sites, they like and comments under the posts of their colleagues quite often. Their social sites profiles are full of photos from different events.

Teachers – assistants

This type is a great asset for the administration as they do what the administration asks them to do. They do not question any administrative decision. What is instructed has to be done, even if they do not see any value in it. They will not miss any deadlines; they will complete the tasks given by the administration. They usually help their schools or colleges organize events and competitions. They will never argue any administrative decision, as they believe, that their mission is to do what is delegated or instructed because they are workers and this is the business. They are usually on the side of the administration, even if their students will not benefit much. They usually do not grow professionally, but the management will ignore this fact, as they do not create problems for them.

Teachers- friends

These teachers are usually very friendly and it is always fun to be in their classrooms. Their students love them because these teachers are very caring and attentive. They know a lot about their students; they know their hobbies, their decisions, and problems in life. These teachers are usually very approachable and patient. They are easy to talk to and share some even fun stories with.

Their classes can be noisy as they are very tolerant of noise and discipline. They do not see a problem if their students do not show progress in studies as they strongly believe that the students’ life values are even more important than academic knowledge. These teachers are always on the side of the students and try to protect them from stresses and problems. They are ready to support and protect their students and stand for them, whenever the students need their help.

Teachers- policemen

These teachers do not tolerate the noise and bad discipline in their classrooms. They strongly believe that quiet students in classrooms speak about their professionalism and productive teaching. They are usually reserved, and they do not accept any new idea or approach. For them, everything new is not acceptable or not serious. They are very tidy; the way they put things on the table, the way they give instructions, the way they want their students to behave is clear, instructed and unquestioned and simple. They do not care much about their students’ emotional needs, they care a lot about silent and disciplined classrooms. 

These teachers are usually distanced from their students; they try to create vertical relations with the learners. What the teacher said has to be done and it is not questioned- this is their motto in the classroom. They are quite pessimistic about the idea of giving freedom to the students. They strongly believe that students do not know what is good or bad, and that is why they are in the classrooms to learn this.

Teachers- teenagers

These teachers are my favourite ones. They usually try everything new and they get emotionally involved in the innovations that they believe to be useful. They get very motivated with small things but can also feel disappointed easily. These teachers take risks, as the risk is part of their life. They can easily argue the point of administration if they do not believe, it is going to work, or it prevents progress. These teachers are innovative, and they are usually very informed about what is going on in the world. They create interesting learning environments, and students usually like them. They can develop long-running relations with their students, as they believe that real education happens outside of school and university.