Teaching is one of those professions that one must have a passion for. As a teacher I can tell you that if one doesn't have passion for the job you won't impact knowledge on your students.
I have seen a lot of Teachers who are not serious with their jobs and when you find out why they do so, you will see that Teaching might be their second or even third choice of career.
Grading of my Teachers on a scale of one to ten won't be an easy task. I believe all my teachers played a significant role in my education even though some were not that significant. I believe whether good or bad there is always a lesson to be learnt.
For the good ones I took note of those characters they possessed and to be better than them, I will improve on those characters. For the ones I feel they had poor attitude to work or relationship with their students I have to avoid such and do better.
I will be grading my teachers from my Primary school level up to my University level.
Please note that I will not use their real names .
I remember my primary school days and it was fun and impactful.
My best teacher was my Physical and Health Education teacher Mr. Peter. I will grade him ten out of ten. I loved the way he delivered his classes. He always made sure that he kept it simple and brief. He took time to explain concepts to the students and made sure every student had atleast 60% knowledge of a particular topic. I loved how he had mastery of the different sports. I was always excited when it was time for Physical and Health Education practical, I love sports and I got the passion for sports during my primary school days. Sports has made me travel to places and make new friends.
I loved how he was patient with us and made sure we all knew how to handle an equipment or perform a particular skill in a sport. I remember how he made sure we all knew how to handle the Lawn Tennis Racket. I saw the passion and love for his students in him. The most striking part was how he treated all his students like his children devoid of discrimination.
My worst Teacher in Primary School was my Mathematics teacher Mr Fred. I would grade him 4 out of 10. He was intelligent and always dressed smartly. Mr Fred was not patient with the students. As a Mathematics teacher I believe one needs to exercise some patience, not all the students are fast learners and for the slow learners one must take time to explain a concept. This is why repeated learning is encouraged. Mr Fred would use abusive words on students who were slow learners and this affected their self-esteem. This affected me negatively, I was always afraid to ask questions in class because I did not want to be embarrassed. This poor foundation I had in Mathematics has affected me. It's one of the reasons I opted for Social Science.
My secondary school education was a very beautiful experience and I cherish very experience I had . It has shaped my life greatly.
My best Teacher was my Geography Teacher. I will grade him ten out of ten. Mr David was an excellent Teacher and he had a mastery of his subject. He made me fall in with the subject. I was always excited and happ when ever he was in class. He made sure we studied the Atlas and have a fair knowledge of the countries in the world and their capitals. He was more like a father figure to us. Mr David would counsel the students who had issues in school and at home. He was also a disciplinarian who stood for the truth always . I learnt from him that as a Teacher, you can impact good morals in your students. Teachers are role models and they need to understand this fact.
My Chemistry Teacher would be my worst Teacher during my Secondary school years. I would score her 3 out of 10. Most of the students complained about her. She was later sacked by the school management. She would come to class write notes for the students on the board and she will leave without explaining and chemistry is a subject one has to take time and explain to the students. I remember her yelling at students and even cursing students. I just hope she learnt her lesson and worked on herself.
When it comes to my University level I will say my lecturers all had significant impact on my life . Mr Dave was my best. I loved the way he delivered his lectures and he was very friendly. He was diplomatic in his delivery of topics . He made sure we all contributed in class. He would always tell us his ideology as a Communist should not affect is relationship with us. As most communist will make you believe that every one has to see the world from their own lens. He was open minded and always ready to learn new ideas and concept. This made him better and more knowledgeable.
One thing I learnt from Mr Dave was that no knowledge is a waste. He would constantly remind us that even a three year old baby has a lesson to teach you.
I believe that Teaching is the most important occupation in the world and that we should treat Teachers with care and love. Their financial reward should be taken care of. Motivation plays an important role in productivity.
