Essay on My Favourite Teacher

A good teacher can change the way a child looks at a subject. My favourite teacher did that for me. She teaches us mathematics, a subject I used to fear. She enters the class with a smile and begins with a small puzzle or a story. She explains every step on the board and asks us to try it ourselves. If we make a mistake, she does not scold; she asks us to find where we went wrong. She gives extra time to those who are slow and extra problems to those who are quick. She is strict about discipline and neat work, yet nobody is afraid of her. Because of her, I now enjoy mathematics. She has taught me that no subject is hard if we practise it regularly.

Every teacher in my school works hard for us, and I respect them all. Still, there is one teacher whose period I wait for the whole day. She is my favourite teacher.

She is our class teacher and teaches us mathematics. She is always neatly dressed and reaches the class exactly on time. She knows each of us by name, and she seems to know our moods as well. If a child is unusually quiet, she notices and quietly asks what the matter is.

Her way of teaching is what makes her special. She never begins a new chapter straight from the book. First she asks a question from daily life: how much paint is needed for this wall, or how to share a pizza equally among six friends. Only when we are curious does she open the textbook. She writes clearly on the board, goes step by step and stops often to ask, "Any doubt?" No question is called silly in her class. Those who are shy are gently encouraged to come to the board.

She is fair to everyone. She does not have favourites. The topper and the weakest student get the same attention. For children who find the subject hard, she takes a short extra class during the games period once a week. She checks our notebooks carefully and writes a small remark of praise or advice on each one.

She is strict when it is needed. Late homework, untidy work and copying are not tolerated. But her anger never lasts and never hurts. She corrects the mistake, not the child.

She teaches us much more than mathematics. From her I have learnt to be punctual, to keep my work clean, to help a classmate without making fun of him or her, and to keep trying when a problem does not come out right the first time.

A teacher like her is rare. When I grow up, whatever work I do, I hope to do it with the same honesty and care that she brings to her class every day.