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The Essence of a Teacher
by Kyozo Suzuki, Japan

1. 	The teacher as a student of English
 
Eyes                  to look at each other

Mouth               to speak joyfully

Ears                  To listen to  other people’s opinions

Hair                   to have one’s own opinions sprouting from one’s head.

2. 	The teacher with his/her students

Eyes                  to look at all the students                                                       like a chameleon

Mouth               to speak so students understand easily                                    like a wolf

Ears                   to listen to students’ opinions                                                 like a puma

Hair                   to have my own opinions and ways of seeing things                like a bear

3    Teacher Qualities

A teacher must have intensity and vigor to help the students.
Students must be able to rely on the teacher.
A teacher must a person of strong faith.

A teacher needs to be an actor.
I must be able to play in my class to attract students into wanting to study English.

In my English lessons I put on my sunglasses and say:
 “I am from London and I can’t speak Japanese, so please speak to me in English” 

After class some students follow me around to find proof that I am not English!

I must get myself  into a normal state of mind even if I have had trouble with my wife  in the
morning.

If necessary, I must get angry and scold the students.

When one student mistreats another I get seriously angry.
When a student plays near a high window and I feel it is dangerous  I get angry and stop them.

The teacher must be a rescuer
The teacher must be a policeperson
The teacher must be  a superman/woman

4. 	Being a scholar

The teacher must be professional: s/he must study the language
                                                                              English habits and customs
                                                                              international behaviour
The teacher must be cosmopolitan.

A good teacher has a pocket:   this pocket holds in it:   good ways of teaching
                                                                                     knowledge
                                                                                     materials for the study of English
Maybe I want to put teaching theory in that pocket, too.

5. 	Ways of being with students.

A teacher must be a fortune-teller to support the students

S/he needs to be sympathetic to the students.

A teacher must understand how the student is.

A teacher must take pleasure in  talking to students.

A teacher must like playing with students.

A teacher must understand that all students are all different

A teacher must know the personality and potential of each student.

A teacher must have an idea of how society will develop in the future.

A teacher must have lots of knowledge about High Schools and jobs.

( editorial note: compared to Japanese teachers, European and South American teachers are
   part-timers. The Japanese State School teacher will often get to school at 8.00 am and leave
   the premises 12 hours later. Home room teachers will sometimes pick up students who miss school 
   from their homes. The police report teenage misbehaviour in public places to home room teachers
   first and to the parents second. When a kid leaves school the home room teacher acts as an
   employment agency for him/her)
   One week-end in two will be taken up with excursions, sports coaching and club activities.
   Officially,eacher have long holidays. In reality teachers will never take more than three weeks off
   in a year.
    You past-time teachers from outside Japan may find this useful background for reading Suzuki San’s
    article. )