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needed to do to get a top grade. Those only interested in passing knew what minimum effort was required for a passing grade.

A good teacher knows how to overcome the inevitable boredom of the classroom setting and promote learning through fun and participation. Going to Ms. Ruth's Spanish class was a daily adventure. It was our last class of the day, and by the time we arrived, most of us were tired and anxious for the school day to end. Ms. Ruth knew that and had such a variety of class presentation methods, we would often ask ourselves, "What has this lady in store for us today?"

One time, for example, Ms. Ruth wanted to teach us the various forms of Spanish verbs. She gave three students a listing of verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir, and asked them to put them on the blackboard with their English meanings. Another group of students were given flash cards with individual verbs and told to act out the meaning of a verb. For example, to act out the verb "hablar" (to speak) someone in the group had to say "blah, blah, blah." For "comer" (to eat) someone had to mime eating, etc. We had an absolutely hilarious time trying to figure out what verbs the other students were acting out, and no English was allowed.

A good teacher takes a personal interest in student success. Ms. Ruth seemed to be totally focused on nothing but student success for everyone, especially her best students. Without making students feel the burden of being a "teacher's pet," she had a way of connecting on a personal level and convincing us that our success was the most important thing on her mind.

The foregoing qualities are by no means all the characteristics required of a good teacher, and they are admittedly subjective. However, I can say that having been a teacher myself and emulating Ms. Ruth's approach, I was told by more than one student that I was good teacher.

Learn more about this author, Jerry Curtis.
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