Why Great Educators Are Essential to Your Child’s Life

We all have that one educator we look back on fondly, the kind that went the extra mile to make learning special, and bring out the best in us. Even years after we leave our schools behind, the lessons we learn from these remarkable educators continue to shape our lives, with some of us even attributing our careers and accomplishments to their efforts.

Without a doubt, the people we surround ourselves with shape our lives, pushing and pulling us in different directions. Children however, often have little agency in deciding who those people are. As parents, we have a role to play in identifying the right people to be a part of our children’s learning journey; identifying the best educator for them is a critical part of doing so.

In this article we distinguish what we believe a great educator is, and why they are essential in your child’s life.

Great Educators Develop Relationships

Just as each and every child has different personalities, they also have different learning styles and needs that their educators need to adapt to and understand. By building a repertoire with their students, great educators are better able to understand the strengths and limitations of their students and adjust their teaching styles accordingly.

Finding an educator who is able to connect with your child also gives you as parents an additional bridge with which you can better understand your child’s learning. Great educators are able to share useful information about your little one and provide advice on how you can support them in their learning. By making use of their extensive experience working with children, they can suggest different learning approaches that can be taken in order to guide their growth at home.

Great educators also listen to what you have to say about their children. They take into account any feedback that you have to offer and any insights that you can provide into your child’s growth and development. They then incorporate the information you provide into the strategies that they utilise. By collaborating together with you, they are in a better position to work with your child and help them overcome any challenges or difficulties that they face.

Great Educators Are Role Models

“Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”

– Jim Henson

From educators, children do not only learn things relevant to their subject, they also pick up habits and values from watching the ways they act and how they treat those around them. Great educators hold themselves to high behavioural standards, acting as a positive role model in the lives of their students.

By watching their educators treat others with respect, compassion, and kindness, students develop their interpersonal skills and learn how to collaborate and cooperate with their peers. Educators who are able to own up to and apologise for their mistakes during lessons, encourage students to take accountability for their work and their behaviour. In doing so, great educators are key in shaping the growth of their students as responsible future members of society.

Great Educators Inspire a Love for Learning

Whilst most educators are professionals in their field who provide their students with essential ideas, hone their skills, and introduce new concepts and topics; it takes a great educator to instil in their students a love for the craft that they teach. Great educators take complex ideas and break them down in fun ways that captivate their students and keeps them engaged. Great educators expand their students’ interests beyond what they learn in the classroom, sparking their natural curiosity, pushing their ideas further, and encouraging them to read up and explore beyond the classroom.

Great Educators Build Confidence

There is a fine balance between lessons being too challenging and being too easy. Great educators know how and when to push their students, discouraging complacency and keeping them eagerly on their toes. They encourage their students when they are having difficulties, and more pertinently, provide them with the tools and resources so that they can learn to help themselves. Showing students that through hard work and some elbow grease that they can overcome their challenges, great educators promote a sense of independence and instil in students a confidence in their abilities.

Final Thoughts

It is important to remember that when we pick educators for our children, we are not only identifying a person who teaches our child, we are also selecting an individual whom we trust and want to work with when it comes to our child’s growth and development. Educators and parents need to have confidence that both parties are keeping their children’s interest at the forefront of everything that they do.

At Wonderlit, we firmly believe that parents are not just clients, they are our most important partners whom we work with as we embark on a learning journey with our students. As such, we actively work to keep parents up-to-date on their children’s education. From digital technology like our Wonderlit App that enables parents to manage their children’s lessons and chat with their educators, to regular after-class discussions on their child’s growth and development, parents receive many opportunities to stay connected with their educators.

Additionally, parents receive progress reports on a quarterly/half-yearly basis, and those with children enrolled in our Wonderlit Speak (Public Speaking) and Wonderlit Perform (Speech & Drama) programmes can witness first-hand their children performing in spectacular mid-year and end-of-year showcases. Students in our Wonderlit Write (Creative Writing) Programme also bring home originally crafted stories of their own each term.