A recent poll of 60 students at Trinity school in Aspley, near Nottingham, found that the most-valued qualities of a teacher were showing respect for pupils, caring about them, and – top of the list – the ability to help them get good exam grades.
“It helps when the teachers are even more pleased than you are when you do a good piece of work,” says Lindani, 15. “They are here because they want us to have a good education and a good life. They are not here just to pick up a pay cheque.” He points out that a teacher’s enthusiasm for their subject can be infectious. “Resistant materials is my favourite subject and I enjoy it – but Mr Stevens seems to enjoy it more than I do! I made a scooter with big wheels and I was excited, but he was even more excited than me, because he hadn’t seen it done before and he loved the concept. That makes me want to work harder and do even better.” Mrs Powell is another of his favourites. “She’s a fantastic teacher. She’s a bit mad! She writes raps to teach us geography, and sometimes she takes off her shoes and dances around the classroom as well. Her lessons are great and we learn a lot,” he adds.
Teachers who care about their students notice when things are not going well, says Michelle, 14: “I was bullied at primary school, because, I think, I was small for my age and felt things deeply, which meant I cried easily. When I came here I was able to have counselling, and the teachers know me and ask how I am, especially my progress coordinator. I still get bad days when I feel very anxious, but I know I can go to her when I am not feeling well. She looks out for me.”
Anne, 12, agrees that teachers’ ability to show they care about students is important. “They help us because they care and want us to succeed,” she says. “I like it when we get to do activities. My English teacher reads with a very good expression and makes it realistic. Every time we read a book she gets us to act it out in groups. That helps us to understand it.”
Niamh, 13, says the friendliness of the staff surprised her when she first came to the school: “Trinity has a reputation for being quite a strict school. We can’t bring in mobile phones or tablets, even in our bags,” she says. “Some people really hate being without their phones, but I think the teachers are right. They care about the students and they are doing it for our benefit. It was strange at first, being without my phone all day, but now I really like it. It’s refreshing. When you go into town with your friends you’re checking your phone and seeing what people are posting all the time. In school you can be with your friends and actually talk to them!”
Across the age groups the students agree that teachers with a real passion for their subject inspire them. You can tell when teachers really love their subject, says Thomas, 12, who is thinking about becoming a teacher – either of geography or design and technology. “When they enjoy teaching their subject, we enjoy it too. If they have a passion for it and make lessons fun then students will want to do the subject for GCSE and A-level,” he says.
“Teachers here motivate students to work harder and that’s what I call a good teacher – someone who helps you to do well in exams so you can have a good career and a good life. Also, a good teacher is someone who helps students through difficult times in their lives, and someone with good manners,” he adds.
Chelsea, 14, agrees, that the best teachers are those whom students can relate to on a personal level: “Good teachers are respectful of students and are overall good human beings, the sort of good human beings we aspire to be.”
Chelsea also thinks that people learn in different ways, so lessons are most successful when teachers vary them with visual content and activities. “I like teachers who are quite strict and tell us what to do, but make the lessons interactive. In English, in year 8, Mrs Murphy was quite strict – and what I liked about the lessons was the way she got us to do things such as act out our own Christmas adverts.”
John-Vincent, 13, believes great teachers always make an effort to know your name and make you feel welcome, so you know you can go to them for extra help. “Teachers here put on clubs at lunchtime in subjects such as maths and science, and you can ask questions you wouldn’t feel comfortable asking in lessons,” he says. “Teachers help us learn and guide us. They tell us that every mistake made is a lesson learned, and they help us to see where we went wrong so we don’t make the same mistake again.”
For Ben, 15, it’s the teachers who give up their lunchtime or stay after school to run clubs that show how much they care: “I do several clubs and I enjoy drama particularly because it boosts my confidence. The teachers are very enthusiastic,” he says. “They put in a lot of time and effort on the clubs to give us extra help or let us do things which are not on the curriculum.”
Good teachers encourage their students, says Tyler, 14. They should be talkative and aim to make lessons interesting to help pupils to understand. “I did a good piece of English homework earlier this term and my teacher was very pleased. It gives you confidence when they praise you and tell you what you have done well.”
A postcard home, a telephone call to parents over a good piece of work, praise on the school’s gateway internet resource that can be accessed by families – these are the things that stick in pupils’ minds, and spur them on to greater achievements.
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