William Arthur Ward explained, “The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires.” The way teachers act and teach affect how they’re observed by the students. In order for the teacher to be classified a superior teacher by the pupil, each pupil will have a different list of qualities that describe their preferred teacher; our list of preferred qualities will depend on who we are.  During the school day, I have different teachers with different characteristics. I have grown to recognize which characteristics I value over others. My ideal teacher would have some of these features. The characteristics for my ideal teacher would be: focused on how the classroom appears to the students, organized, and authoritative yet friendly.

To begin, one primary characteristic of my ideal teacher is how they make their classroom appear. I like it when our instructors acknowledge that we spend a lot of time in their classroom. One of my past teachers that possessed this characteristic was Mrs. Davisson. She was my eighth grade English teacher and a particular favorite teacher of mine. She was always thinking of different ways to improve our classroom to impact our learning in a positive way. By the end of the year we had different tables, wobble chairs, yoga balls, and other kinds of chairs. Her only limit to which seating situation we used was that it had to help you and didn’t distract you from learning. Another thing that makes me more comfortable is when teachers have quotes or pictures hanging in their classroom. I am fond of motivational quotes. When I am able to observe them it helps me become more relaxed and adds more personality to the classroom. It makes it less dull and more calming. One thing that distracts me, though, is when classrooms aren’t organized.

To continue, the second characteristic of my ideal teacher is organization, both in how they teach and how they organize their classroom. One thing that always distracts me is a teacher who has a disorganized classroom or desk. I always have this urge to go up to the desk and start organizing it: stacking paper in neat piles, putting things in place, and making sure it looks nicely organized. The teacher needs to be organized with lessons and have a lesson plan. I like teachers who have a solid vision of what they are doing for the week. I understand that sometimes things don’t always go as planned and might change, but I prefer the teacher to have a plan of what will be covered or assigned the next day. I tend to be organized; I keep a planner that lists all of my classes with spaces to put assignments or what we are doing in class that day. I always strive to be organized. I try to set out everything I need for the next day so I don’t need to rush around looking for things in the morning when my brother is waiting for me. Everything has a place where it belongs. I respect the quality of being organized in my teachers. However, while it is important for a  teacher to be well-organized, I feel that the most important characteristic of the ideal teacher is how the teacher acts. 

Next, in order for my teacher to be an ideal teacher, he/she must be nice and friendly but also maintain authority. One of my favorite things is when teachers tell us stories, whether it is related to the lesson or not. I like it when all of sudden a teacher will start telling us a story that he/she just remembered. It’s important for us all to laugh sometimes--this tends to help us to be less stressed and lifts our spirits. Even with the stories and friendliness, there must be authority. There has to be rules and order to have an effective learning environment. One of the teachers that I had that showed both of these qualities was Mr. Strauss, my eighth grade Global Studies teacher. He had a rule that no one should talk when he talked. This rule was difficult for some people in the class, but it benefited our learning. Even though he was strict at times, he would tell us funny stories about his dog. He made sure we understood what we were learning but also that we were having fun. This matters a lot and is a requirement for my ideal teacher.

To conclude, these three things matter a lot and add up to my ideal teacher. The teacher  would be focused on how their classroom appears so it isn’t distracting and is a place where I can learn. The teacher would be organized in their lesson plans and classroom. The teacher must also have authority but still be friendly, having rules but still have fun. My ideal teacher would improve my learning environment, where I’m able to concentrate and be more relaxed. This would make a mediocre teacher into a great teacher. I’m excited to continue my education and add to my list of characteristics that would make my ideal teacher.