Comments on: What makes a good teacher?

By: Tom (soul capoeira)

Tom (soul capoeira) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:09:27 +0000

chan man,
during my time at school and S.C and NPIAMA i have begun to feel more comfortable with certain teachers merely because they understand me and i understand them well enough to build a sense of security and making a good teacher is not neccessarily who and what they teach but how.A good teacher will hav life experience which is an extremely important tool in teaching, and giving a student valuable tools in life will be more important than knowledge, heres a little quote, intelligence is not knowing but understanding . hehe. anywho a good teacher will be like chan hahaha !!! yeh man ur a good teacher…….

Tom

By: chan

chan — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:57:06 +0000

I am glad that you can relate to these stories through your own experiences. Sharing and learning together is what it is all about!
chan.

By: Mariposa

Mariposa — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:54:56 +0000

Q: What makes a good teacher? A: A good student!!!
Just recently I had one of my high school graduates initiating a discussion topic on the best and worst teacher (on my school’s group in Facebook). I did my story on the best and on the worst… And after reading my both notes – to my overwealming surprise – I have realized (20 years after!…) that I’ve learned useful skills from both!!!!
With the bad teacher I’ve learned to protect myself with “selective hearing” – not letting her poisonous words even touch my brains; think about what I trully am (despite all her demeaning comments) and patiently allow other teachers to appreciate my knowledge and work regardless of her negative references… I imagine now why my intuitive attitude has been fueling her up, but now the same approach has helped me turn on positive and for my benefit complicated situations at work

With the good teacher I’ve learned how time literally expands when you are organized and comitted to your studies. She trully loved her job and that has been transmitted onto us, without us realising! The feeling of joy, respect and waiting for unexpected (hard to imagine eh? Her classes were super organized and consistent, everybody knew what is coming next: but she would find time to talk to us about attitude towards women, poetry, family issues etc.) I found something like that when I’ve joined Capoeira – perhaps that is why I stuck to it so hard!!!

Axeeeee!

By: chan

chan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:36:14 +0000

Thankyou Jonathan,
your insight and most undoubtedly your voice definately has something to say that is worth hearing.

I hope to hear more from you.
chan.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:28:33 +0000

Chan, I think your post highlights that we will always have many teachers in life, and sometimes they may be there for a lifetime, or they may be there a short time but teach one single important lesson.

In both cases, the state of receptivity of the student, and growing awareness by the student of their own preconceptions and prejudices can mean the difference between perceptions of a good teacher and a bad teacher.

After all, you cannot fill a glass that has not been emptied first.

By: chan

chan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:51:54 +0000

Thanks Ramsay
Thankyou for all of your support.
Chan.

By: Ramsay

Ramsay — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:54:13 +0000

Chan this is a fantastic entry. I conntect with it so much because I was there when that kung fu phrase was being shot off at every training session!

But from my part the best teacher I have ever encountered is in Buddhism. You know his name and he said this about good teachers:

“They should be free of concern for money, fame and power. They should come from an authentic lineage and have trained in it thoroughly. They should love each student as if it was their own mother wallowing in a pit suffering.”