Teaching is a job like no other. There is no one role a teacher must play. Throughout the day, teachers have to be many things to many children, such as counselor, communicator, role model, and disciplinarian, just to name just a few. But, the good teachers love the various hats they wear, and realize that there are certain values they need to embrace in order to truly succeed in this challenging profession.

Because the lives and education are in their hands, good teachers work on certain personality traits to make themselves available to their students.

Teachers must like children. This seems like a given, but some folks simply like the act of teaching, not those whom they teach. In order to excel at teaching, one must really enjoy being around children and appreciate their different, unique personalities.

A sense of humor is a necessity if a teacher wants to reach the children on a fun, exciting level. Humor helps children learn and also puts them at ease while learning.

Children need adults they can look up to and trust. They need to feel as if their teachers can lead them. If you are not comfortable in a leadership position, teaching is not for you.

To earn respect you must give respect. A good teacher is fair minded and will assess their students based of performance not likeability. It may be difficult, but teachers do not have to like a student in order to pass him or her. One must put all of their personal feelings aside and respect the student for their hard work, not their personalities.

Are you detailed oriented? Teachers need to be organized in their personal and school lives. There are many papers to grade and subjects to teach. If you are not organized, confusion rules and your students will pick up on this.

Patience is one of the most important personality traits to have in order to become a good teacher. Kids can be difficult. Some act seemingly uncontrollable, some scream and cry, and some are blatantly disrespectful. It is your job as a teacher to both discipline and educate. This takes patience. Lots and lots of patience. If you do not have patience, you will loose your cool, and that is bad for business, so to speak.

So, if you are considering becoming a teacher, think about both your positive traits and the ones you need to work on. Teaching may be a demanding profession, but it is extremely rewarding for those who enjoy a healthy challenge.