A discussion of how to be a good teacher sounds a little narrow – and probably not very relevant to most of us.
Few of us want to be a school teacher, instructing children in some narrow academic subject or other, which is what we overwhelmingly associate with the word 'teacher', the person in a rather frayed jacket in front of the class, the type who bored us rigid for long stretches of our early years.
However, teaching is far from being something that we only need to learn if we're contemplating a career in education.
Considered properly, teaching – by which we mean, the vital business of getting an important idea from one mind into another – is one of the most crucial life skills that any of us ever requires.
It's vital in any relationship, office or family we'll ever belong to.
Every one of us, whatever our occupation, needs to become a good teacher, for our lives constantly require us to deliver crucial information with grace and effectiveness into the deep minds of others.
We can admit, quite candidly that most of us have probably started off by being quite bad teachers.
This is nothing to be ashamed of, like most things, teaching can, and must be learnt.
What, then, are some of the prerequisites of the good teacher?
Here is a start to the list: 1.The good teacher never blames another person for not already knowing.
