In my upcoming book, "So, you wanna be a teacher," I stress the importance of having a passion for teaching. paraphrasing portions of the book: you will know early on if you have the "stuff" it takes to teach. It's a feeling, a psyche, if you will. The standout quality is that other people pick up on the gift the moment they enter the room or shake your hand. If you're an avid follower of the television show Criminal Minds, you take away from each episode that "professions" have profiles. If you take notice of what the investigators do, you will begin to observe that the decisions you make in life create your profile. It's really very easy to spot once you begin to be a student of observation. Everyone has a profile. Ever meet a person in the mall and she makes a comment about your child: Oh, he looks like he's going to be a football player? If you've ever been summoned to be on a jury, even the lawyers assess your mannerisms, style of dress, and your profession. Lawyers and judges tend to think that teachers make the best jurors because we deal with a variety of personalities and we have perfected the art of listening for the truth.
To be a good teacher, one has to have two primary qualities: 1. The gift to teach and 2. Answering the call. The third, and a close second, is a command of the subject matter. Answering the call: you may have read stories about doctors, missionaries, nuns, priests, or ministers describe how they heard "the call" and answered it. Some people hear the call, but do not answer it. Those people are teachers too. They are the ones who are unhappy. And, it shows. The response to "the call" takes guts. It is life encompassing.
.... more to share later. The book will be available soon.
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