Passion

Passion is what I consider to be the single most significant teacher disposition that affects student learning, to which I relate most other dispositions. A passionate teacher demonstrates excitement, enthusiasm, and optimism for his subject. Without this, there can be no hope for the student to reflect that passion. Without optimism, a student will not want to learn, and without excitement and enthusiasm, a student will be bored. W.B. Yeats says, "Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." A lack of passion leads teachers to attempt to fill a child's brain with fact, probably to be forgotten after the test. But with passion, a teacher can light a fire in the student, ignite in the student, a passion to learn himself. This can also work in reverse. A student can be interested in a subject at the start of the class. But, if the teacher is not passionate about his subject, the student can quickly loose interest and willingness to learn. The bottom line? A teacher who teaches with passion can be a bad teacher, but no teacher that teaches without passion can be an affective teacher.