Ask Yourself A.S.K.

There’s no doubt that you’re a GOOD teacher! However, your visit to this tambayan tells me that you are not contented with being one and that you are actually in search for what actually will make you, a good teacher, GREAT!

Let me then share with you a concept I learned from one of the trainings I attended which I find really useful when considering how to be truly effective in almost everything that you do. In our case – in becoming an effective teacher… a great teacher! This concept is known as A.S.K.ing.

I see A.S.K.ing as a pre-requisite to becoming a great teacher! How? A.S.K. stands for Attitude, Skills, and Knowledge. Simply put, among us, teachers, A.S.K.ing is a simple way to assess our attitude toward teaching, to check if we have the skills necessary to function well in the classroom, and to evaluate the amount of knowledge that we have on the subject we are handling.

Of the three criteria, I believe the easiest to evaluate is no other than KNOWLEDGE. Do consider: If you have an education degree, is the subject you are teaching your major or your minor field of concentration? If you’re an AB or BS graduate, is the subject you are teaching relates to your course? A good example to illustrate is a teacher teaching Mathematics who is a BS Math graduate or a teacher who handles English classes who is actually an AB Speech and Communication graduate.

Let me now ask you, “How would you be able to effectively teach something you have limited knowledge of?” It is never possible that you are just a step ahead of your students or, worse, you are of the same level as them. You do not want that every time your bright students asked you tough questions, you will simply resort to saying, “Let me check that out and I will answer your question tomorrow.” Remember that we are supposedly experts in what we teach, and that we could never share something we don’t have.

The second criterion is skills. Do you have the right skills? Some of the general skills I see necessary for us to be a great teacher are those involving the three different stages of lesson presentation: planning, delivery of lesson, and student handling.

Under planning, you might look into persuasion skills. Are you able to persuade your students to buy your ideas as a product of carefully lesson planning and preparation? How good are you when it comes to matching lessons with the right activities so that your students are not just guided accordingly as they learn the concepts but are also having fun in the process? Being skillful at this will help you establish that credible image of a great educator.

Under delivery, platform skills play a major role since is it through how we maximize the use of our words, voice and body language that captures and sustains attention of our students. Examine how you look and sound in front of your students. Did you look enthusiastic when having that discussion on computing square roots? Did you sound madly in love when you discussed Romeo and Juliet in class? Consider that before you could make your student feel, look and sound excited over a lesson, they should be able to see that excitement in you first. Never expect to experience a truly motivated class if the teacher herself is never motivated.

Under student handling, interpersonal communication skill is a must to have. It is the ability to manage your students’ behaviors without resorting to the use of harsh words or even corporal punishment. In other words, it is disciplining through effective communication. Communicate with them assertively by showing them a great amount of respect. Yes, it is through the observance of respect that a harmonious relationship in the classroom is built. You need to respect your students so that you gain their respe ct in return. Always treat them well.

The third criterion, which I consider is the most challenging to address is Attitude. Ask yourself this, “Am I happy being a teacher?” If your honest-to-goodness answer to this is yes, you are, then let me congratulate you. Not all who end up teachers turned out to be happy. It’s true that many are just forced into becoming one. And yes, I pity them, but I pity more their students. Oftentimes, their students end up victims of their ungratefulness to the profession. They come to class unprepared; they waste time; they often get mad, and they even fail students in spite of their own inadequacies as teachers. How sad! We need to realize It is the love and passion for teaching that serve as the driving force behind every successful and great teacher. Without these, we could never dream of becoming any better.

What then should you do if after A.S.K.ing you feel you’re lacking in one of the three criteria? Don’t feel disheartened immediately. What you can do is to work on what needs re-working. Knowledge and Skills are best address by continuous learning. Enroll in short courses, attend trainings, read various references, and learn from another teacher’s experiences. All these lead to enhancement of both knowledge and skills. How about when it comes to Attitude, which seems more challenging to work on? It’s helpful to know that Attitude is a product not only of one’s culture but more importantly of one’s choices. This means whether you are happy being a teacher or not all depends on what you’ve chosen to be. Let me tell you that there are indeed hundreds of reasons to be a happy teacher, but it takes the right attitude to discover each one of them. Begin by asking yourself A.S.K.!