How to be a great teacher?

I sometimes worry whether I can be a great teacher. I'm rather shy and not always confident. But apparently I don't need to have an expressive personality to change pupils' lives (see the video below). I need to remind myself, that I have to have faith in the Teach First assessment process. They've chosen me for a reason. And I can make a difference to the young minds I meet in my classroom. Thankfully, it appears that you don't need to behave like a celebrity to win the hearts of your pupils and help them to learn effectively. You need to work hard and keep and open mind, always willing to change your plans and adapt to the needs of the children. 

And a certain amount of acting skills is also required. This is actually my favourite part. You stand in front of the classroom and you're not Kat anymore. You're Miss Z, and Miss Z is whomever you decide her to be. She can be funny, she can be strict, she can be demanding, she can be bouncing, whatever I want to do in the moment. And it is fantastic to be able to do that.

Apparently parents prefer their children to be taught by "qualified" teachers (see here). I won't be qualified when I start in September, as a matter of fact I haven't even studied Maths at university. But I hope I can make up for that by my enthusiasm and continual development of my subject knowledge and my caring nature. 

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. --- Carl Jung

There is a lot of things I hope to incorporate into my teaching. I really like the idea of checks for understanding which are visual, although it might be easier to employ them with younger years. I will definitely set high goals. I'm not a fan of ability setting and would rather teach mixed groups, but you need to play with what you've got, so I will just expect a maximum effort from all of my students, regardless whether they have been labelled as low-ability or high-ability.

I want to be a great teacher. Not because of my own personal ambition. But for the sake of the children. I want them to have a good start in life. I won't be perfect, probably some of the time I will have no idea what I'm doing, but I will do my best, will always try. 

A good teacher is a determined person. --- Gilbert Highet