How Would Students Describe You as a Teacher? (7 Answers to Give)

Whether you’re interviewing for a job, in a parent-teacher conference, having a conversation with other teachers, or in some other scenario, chances are you’ve probably been faced with the question, “How would students describe you as a teacher?” It’s important to consider your answer, so you aren’t stumped next time you’re faced with this inquiry.

When faced with answering how students would describe you as a teacher, you should answer honestly and highlight your strengths and positive qualities. Students should describe their teachers as supportive, encouraging, attentive, and knowledgeable.

This article will discuss possible answers to the question, “How would students describe you as a teacher?” so you’ll feel empowered to answer this question honestly and accurately, whether you’re in a job interview, parent-teacher conference, or another scenario.

1. “I Encourage Creativity In and Outside the Classroom”

Creativity is an extremely important skill to foster, especially for elementary school teachers with young students who have vibrant imaginations they have yet to outgrow. Therefore, a great way for students to describe their teachers is that they support their creative endeavors.

Encouraging creativity allows students to express themselves and helps young students develop their sense of self and embark on their lifelong journey of self-discovery. Creativity also promotes out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving, which are essential skills students will need for the rest of their lives.

Furthermore, teachers that support creativity can help instill a lifelong love of learning in their young students. When students are allowed to express themselves in the classroom, they’re more likely to see school as a fun, supportive place to be, which can improve their behavior and attitude toward education.

For more information about creativity in the classroom, I recommend watching this TED talk by award-winning children’s book author Catherine Thimmesh:

Of course, if you want to be honest in your answer to how students would describe you, you must actually encourage student creativity.

Here are some ideas on how to do that:

Build up your classroom library. Reading is one of the best ways young people can stimulate their imaginations, so if you have lots of different books available to your students, you can help promote their creativity. Think outside the box and go beyond what most teachers have in their classrooms by including books from authors from around the world and in various genres.
Present lessons in creative ways. One of the most effective ways to promote creativity is to set a good example. Instead of always presenting lessons by standing in front of a whiteboard and talking to your students, try using different methods. For example, you can use various digital tools and websites, draw, paint, act, or perform a puppet show.
Reward creativity. When students express themselves creatively or say something out-of-the-box, encourage them by offering a verbal reward or praise. Other students will likely take note and want to follow suit.

Allot some class time for students to explore a project or topic unrelated to the curriculum. Every once in a while, give your students some time to pursue their creative passions outside the curriculum’s constraints. Simply giving students fifteen minutes to research, draw, write, or embark on another creative endeavor is a great way to demonstrate that you’re supportive of these interests.
Allow students to brainstorm. If you’re always immediately giving your students the answers to their questions, you’re not encouraging critical thinking or creativity. Instead, allow students to brainstorm and come up with unique solutions and answers.

There are many other ways to encourage creativity in the classroom, and if you do so, your students will surely notice and highlight that as one of your best qualities as a teacher.

2. “I Am Available To Answer Their Questions”

Students should never feel afraid to ask their teachers questions, especially elementary school students who are still getting used to being students in the first place. The best elementary school teachers make themselves available to their students in case they need extra help or have questions they’re too afraid or shy to ask in front of their classmates.

Of course, teachers need their own time too. However, simply letting students know you’ll be available for five minutes before and after class (or five minutes during recess) in case they have questions or need help is a great way to show your support and help them along their educational journey.

Furthermore, making yourself available and accessible demonstrates your dedication to your student’s success. Ideally, all teachers are passionate about encouraging their students to be well-informed and capable adults. That said, the best teachers take steps to go above and beyond for their students.

3. “I Am Knowledgeable and Confident Teaching the Content”

A lot goes into being a great teacher, but one of the most important aspects of being a teacher is educating your students. You should be knowledgeable enough to answer all of their questions and adequately explain the information in a way that elementary school students can understand.

Teaching elementary school is extremely important because you must provide enough information to prepare your students for future success. The education you provide can make or break their future in education.

This may seem like a lot of pressure, and it is certainly daunting, but know that you have the knowledge and the confidence to set your students on the right path. If you are not confident about teaching a particular topic, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the content prior to teaching it. There are always useful resources and videos online that will summarize the learning so that you acquire a decent grasp of it.

Another part of being knowledgeable is admitting when you don’t have all the answers, so if one of your students asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, admit this to them and tell them that you’ll do some research and answer their question at a later time. Then, do exactly this!

4. “I Am Caring and Kind”

Students are vulnerable, especially the younger children in elementary school. They’re put in unfamiliar situations without their parents to lean on, and some students may get frustrated if new concepts don’t come easily. Therefore, you must be a source of kindness and care in their life.

Not only does practicing kindness establish safety and comfort in the classroom, but it can also impact the development of your students. Students who don’t have examples of kindness in their lives have underdeveloped social skills and suffer academically.

Here are some ways that you can practice kindness in your classroom (and encourage your students to practice kindness, too!):

Be gentle and encouraging when someone makes a mistake. Students can be disorganized and often make mistakes, such as spilling a drink, talking out of turn, or otherwise breaking a rule. One way to show kindness is to be understanding in these moments and gently bring the mistake to the student’s attention instead of yelling or harshly criticizing them.
Don’t let your personal life interfere with your interactions with students. Everyone has bad days, but when you’re a teacher, you mustn’t let a sour mood interfere with how you interact with your students. If you’re having a bad day, take deep breaths and remind yourself that your students deserve the most positive and kind version of yourself. After all, it’s probably not their fault that you are feeling down, so why punish them for it?

Give your students compliments. Regularly complimenting your students is a great way to demonstrate kindness. Simply giving positive reinforcements such as “That’s a great idea!” or “Great observation!” can instill confidence in your students and increase your likability and trustworthiness in their eyes.
Challenge yourself and your students to perform at least one random act of kindness daily. If you challenge yourself to perform an act of kindness daily, you’ll become a more genuinely kind person and model good behavior for your students. You can also challenge your students to perform their own acts of kindness and keep a running record, like a kindness diary, to measure and celebrate their accomplishments.
Try to have a smile on your face. People view individuals who frequently smile as being more friendly and approachable, so one easy way to appear friendly to your students is to try and always offer a smile whenever you can.

If you are kind and friendly, your students will feel valued, more comfortable around you, trust you, and will most likely behave better in the classroom.

5. “I Make Learning Fun and Engaging”

One of the biggest challenges faced by teachers is keeping their young and imaginative students interested while teaching. Teachers who make learning engaging and fun are more likely to be adored by their students, and their students are more likely to absorb the information you’re offering.

Here are some ideas for how to make learning more fun for elementary school students:

Incorporate some educational games. Games can be fun and informative! You can try making your own version of Jeopardy or creating a scavenger hunt. Gamification of your lessons makes it easier for students to retain information, and they will also be excited about returning to your classroom the next day.
Incorporate some movement. Students often get bored when they spend too much time sitting down and facing a whiteboard, so whenever you can implement some movement into your lesson, make sure to take that opportunity. For example, a quick game of Simon Says should give the students a much-needed break if they have been sitting, listening, or writing for a lengthy period.
Incorporate technology. For better or for worse, students today are more used to having visual stimuli and using technology. Therefore, if you can show an educational video to supplement your lesson, most students will respond to this break in traditional teaching in a positive way. Furthermore, there are plenty of online tools and websites that can be used to enhance learning and boost engagement. At the same time, remember to choose age-appropriate videos and websites that your students will connect with.

Encourage hands-on learning. Crafts and other similar ways of making a lesson tangible are great ways to make learning more meaningful. You can encourage your students to create a model or sculpture as part of a Science or History lesson, or you can use tangible math manipulatives to make learning more three-dimensional and fun.
Use music when you can. Music is entertaining and stimulates the brain, so whenever you can incorporate music into a lesson, take the opportunity. You can teach literary devices using song lyrics, or if it is an art lesson, you can demonstrate how music impacts the mood and colors of an artwork.
Have small parties and celebrations. You don’t want to disrupt learning time, but a party is always fun! When it’s a student’s birthday, take some time out of the day to celebrate them. This practice will help your student feel valued and important. Equally, end-of-semester or end-of-year parties are a great opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the progress and achievements made.

Let your students work in groups. Allowing your students to work together encourages creativity and collaboration and helps break up a long day of learning. You can keep group time productive by ensuring that it doesn’t go on for too long and by giving your students clear goals and guidelines for what they should discuss during group work.

The best teachers are informative and professional, but they’re also fun, which helps ensure that their students don’t get bored and pay more attention during class.

6. “I Am Interested in Students’ Ideas and Opinions”

You should be the leader of your classroom, but that doesn’t mean that you need to control everything so rigidly. Your students should feel encouraged and comfortable to actively participate in their education, and they will benefit from being allowed to express their opinions and ideas in a safe space.

You can give your students options for how they want their learning to go so they feel like they have more of an active role in how their day plays out. For example, you can ask your students if they’d prefer to do math or reading before lunch and then actually listen and implement their opinions.

Another way to help your students feel interested in their ideas is to actively demonstrate that you’re listening to them and value what they’re saying. Sometimes elementary school students can ramble about things you don’t know about or aren’t relevant, but you should still listen to them and show that you think what they’re saying is important.

Here are some of my tips for how to demonstrate that you’re listening to a student so they feel like their ideas and opinions are valuable:

Make eye contact. It can be easy to get distracted while a student is speaking to you, especially if you have other things going on while the student is talking about something that might not be important (to you). However, do your best to maintain consistent eye contact. This eye contact gives your student a visual cue that you’re listening to them and that you care about what they have to say.
Don’t interrupt or cut them off. It can be extremely disheartening to have someone interrupt you as an adult, so imagine how a child must feel when someone cuts them off while talking.
Give audible cues that you’re listening. As your student speaks to you, try encouraging them with audible cues or phrases such as “Oh, really?” or “How did that make you feel?” These cues assure the student that you’re listening and interested in what they’re telling you.

Repeat what the student tells you back to them. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate listening is to summarize and re-present the information to the speaker in different words. For example, if your students tell you an opinion about a character in a book you’re reading as a class, you can repeat their opinion to them by saying, “What I hear you saying is that….”
Ask them questions. If you’re familiar with what your student is talking about, ask them questions to engage and move the conversation forward. If you’re unfamiliar with the topic, ask them for further information if you have the time – this makes your students feel like you’re actively listening to them.
Have an open mind. Your student might want to tell you about how they want to learn or what they want their day in the classroom to look like, and they might have great ideas! It can be easy to dismiss what a young student has to say before they even say it, but the best teachers have an open mind and can implement the ideas and opinions of their students.

7. “I Am Patient”

Patience is a virtue, especially for teachers. Students won’t feel safe or encouraged if you’re constantly losing your temper with them, yelling, or getting frustrated, so it’s best to practice patience at all times.

Here are some of my top tips for how to improve your patience:

Practice mindfulness every day. Start your days with a few minutes of practicing mindfulness to set yourself up for success. If you’re experiencing a difficult moment in the classroom, take a few deep breaths before engaging with your students.

Learn to accept what you can’t change. Accidents and mistakes happen, especially in an elementary school classroom. Try to practice accepting what you can’t change.
Get a good night’s sleep and ensure that you’re getting enough nourishment throughout the day. This is extremely important. However hard you try, you’re less likely to practice patience with your students if you’re tired or hungry. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night and keeping yourself well-nourished and hydrated. I like to keep a bottle of water on my desk at all times to remind myself to hydrate.
Start journaling. You can use a journal as a safe place to express any challenges and frustrations. This way, the next time you feel irritated, you can tell yourself that you can journal about the experience later and channel your frustration there.

Final Thoughts

It is common for a teacher to be asked the question, “How would students describe you as a teacher?” What they really want to know is, what your strengths are when working with students.

You should be able to respond by mentioning that you are, amongst other things:

supportive

caring
knowledgeable
attentive

engaging

If you are really not sure on how to answer the question, why not ask your students? Have an open discussion and invite them to share some feedback on what they think of you as a teacher. Not only will they highlight your strengths, but their responses will also inform you about how you can be an even better teacher for your students.

Sources

National Education Association: Creativity in the Classroom