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The best teacher is not an easy pair of shoes to fill. The adage once went 'experience is the best teacher'. Though this may be true, Teachers and those of us in whatever education department we find ourselves in would like to believe otherwise. Therefore, it is our duty to try and discover what sort of persona or skills it takes to be the best teacher. Lao Tzu once said "Teaching without words, performing without actions: that is the Master's way." We may not all be Taoists but the point is clear. That words are simply not enough. The same can be said about action. It is a combination of the two into one that allows a teacher to become better at what he or she does. The best teacher wants the best for his students which sometimes means allowing the student to go his own route. I do not think there can be a more noble job than mentoring someone and so therefore it is essential and absolutely crucial that we have quality of character in our teachers rather than just the quality of education. For generations we have cried about better education but it isn't just the education. There is more than enough information to learn at this point in our life as a species. We must teach character above all to allow for the proper growth and education of every student. So it would seem clear and evident that the best teacher after experience would have to be a role model. Someone that students of any age can look up to rather than just absorb mental notes from. Looking back on my life, I believe the teachers who helped guide me most were those who I remembered because of their beliefs and their moral fiber rather than what they taught. Those were the teachers who not only held a significant role in my life but always made me think for myself and ask myself what is the best answer rather than the most economical, practical, or scientifically accurate. So the conclusion is thus: coming second to experience are the people you hold in high esteem as the best teachers in one's life.

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