Teachers do more than teach, and their impact extends far beyond the classroom. As a teacher, you are more than just an educator: you are a mentor, a confidant and a friend. One of the most common reasons to become a teacher is to make a difference in the lives of as many students as you can.

Answering about the Reasons to become a teacher: ► Applicant: “I wanted to become a teacher to be able to make a positive difference on the future of children. For me, it is great/fulfilling challenge: stimulating the next generation to become lifelong learners.

10 Reasons to Teach

• The growing demand for teachers.
• The opportunity to profoundly impact the lives of children.
• The portability of the teaching credential.
• The family-friendly work schedule.
• The incentives for continued education.
• The satisfaction of contributing to your community.
• An outlet for your creativity.

Teachers set the tone of their classrooms, build a warm environment, mentor and nurture students, become role models, and listen and look for signs of trouble. The most common role a teacher plays in the classroom is to teach knowledge to children.

A great teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. This is the teacher to whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or even to share a funny story. Great teachers possess good listening skills and take time out of their way-too-busy schedules for anyone who needs them.

Plan, prepare and deliver lesson plans and instructional materials that facilitate active learning. Develops schemes of work, lesson plans and tests that are in accordance with established procedures. Instruct and monitor students in the use of learning materials and equipment.

The twelve 21st Century skills are:

• Critical thinking.
• Creativity.
• Collaboration.
• Communication.
• Information literacy.
• Media literacy.
• Technology literacy.
• Flexibility.

Here is a list of some skills that can help the teachers to develop a better relationship with students and make teaching more fruitful:

• Understanding of the Subject.
• Communication.
• Continuous Learning.
• Leadership.
• Creativity.
• Adaptability.
• Internet-savvy.

Indeed, the research suggests nine lessons that inform how to teach these skills:

1. Make it relevant.
2. Teach through the disciplines.
3. Develop lower and higher order thinking skills—at the same time.
4. Encourage transfer of learning.
5. Teach students to learn to learn (metacognition).
6. Address misunderstandings directly.

The 4 C’s to 21st century skills are just what the title indicates. Students need these specific skills to fully participate in today’s global community: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity. Students need to be able to share their thoughts, questions, ideas and solutions.

21st Century Skills

• Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information.
• Research skills and practices, interrogative questioning.
• Creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression.
• Perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative.

Jan