THE “GOOD” LANGUAGE TEACHER

[English Language Professors]

One way to begin setting goals and priorities is to consider the
qualities of successful language teachers Numerous “experts” have come
up with their lists of attributes, and they all differ in a variety of
ways. The eight goals for continuing career growth cited at the
beginning of this chapter are one example of a list of attributes of
a”good” language teacher. Harold B. Allen (1980) once offered the
following down-to-earth list of characteristics of good ESL teachers:
1. Competent preparation leading to a degree in TESL
2. A love of the English language
3. Critical thinking
4. The persistent urge to upgrade oneself
5. Self-subordination
6. Readiness to go the extra mile
7. Cultural adaptability
8. Professional citizenship
9. A feeling of excitement about one’s work
Those nine items contain a good deal of grist for the professional
growth mills. How would you rate yourself on all nine? Any room for
improvement on any of them? If so, you have some goal-setting to do.
I also offer a checklist of good language-teaching characteristics
(Table 23.1) as a composite of several unpublished sources. You may
wish to use this list as a self- check to determine some areas for
continued professional growth, to prioritize those areas, and to state
specific goals that you will pursue. Try rating yourself for each item
on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) and see how you come out.