We all have that one teacher which we remember from school. Someone that inspired us, seemed to understand us and encouraged us to do well. It may be that they taught you a topic that you had previously always struggled with or maybe they offered you some support in a personal situation which kept you on track.

To be a great teacher you need to be many things. Firstly you need to know your stuff, you cannot teach someone something you don’t know and understand. You need to get the balance right between discipline and compassion and understand how to adapt tasks for different children. Some children will respond better to group work than individual and vice versa.

You are not there to be friends with the pupils but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be friendly. Some children may need extra support while others are looking for discipline and structure.