Do you agree or disagree that with the following statement? A teacher’s ability to relate well with students is more important than excellent knowledge of the subject being taught.

Do you agree or disagree that with the following statement? A teacher’s ability to relate well with students is more important than excellent knowledge of the subject being taught.

What makes a good teacher? People often hold two arguments when it comes to this question. Someone believe that a teacher’s ability to relate well with students is more important than excellent knowledge of the subject being taught. However, I disagree with such statement considering teachers’ responsibility, the effectiveness of teaching as well as networking of a good teacher.

First and foremost, as what is defined to be a teacher, teachers’ main responsibility is to teach what he knows to students. We are willing to call someone “a teacher” only when he is very good at a certain field. If he isn’t professional in a subject enough, it’s impossible for him to teach well. In other words, if a teacher doesn’t have excellent knowledge of the subject being taught, he lacks the basic qualification as being a teacher. Imagining someone who doesn’t know well about a topic makes a lecture in front of hundred of students. Can he be responsible for all he said and taught? What if he makes a mistake and isn’t aware of it?

In addition, if a teacher has excellent knowledge of the subject, he is more likely to teach effectively than those who don’t have such knowledge. Since the teacher is very good at the subject he teaches, he must know well about how to learn this subject and where students should pay attention. He may know better in the learning methods so he can give students the most useful and valuable advice. Many people may know well about the students and can relate well with them. It may be the students’ classmates, friends or parents, but not all of them can be called a teacher because without excellent knowledge of a subject, they can at most give some general but not specific advice. However, teachers with excellent knowledge can find students’ weakness immediately and thus teach more effectively.

Moreover, teachers with excellent knowledge may have a good reputation in the fields they teach and can therefore provide students with more valuable resources and academic networking. Students may be able to get contact with many other experts in the subject if their teacher is well-known for his excellent knowledge. This will provide students with a broader platform for learning, which is quite important when doing some researches.

In brief, I believe that it’s more important for teachers to have excellent knowledge than relate well with students. In fact, a teacher with excellent knowledge has already had an advantage in relating well with students naturally.