[EngliPatrick]

I read through these forums listening to people talk about ESL and everyone is expressing their opinions and ideas. I think this is great! We all come from different backgrounds, areas of study, countries, levels of experience and knowledge. There seems to be a very eclectic group of individuals surfing through here.

While some of us might have studied and read a lot about ESL theory, others of us don't have the book-knowledge but have the experience working in the field. Many ESL teachers never meant to become teachers, they just happened to stumble upon it and found it was fun and/or they were kinda good at it. So, what kinds of ESL teachers do these two things create? Teachers with a lot of knowledge but no experience, and teachers with hardly any ESL-knowledge but have practical experience in the field.

There is no recipe or formula for being a good teacher so what are your thoughts on which is important and why?

I know what you're thinking...a 'good teacher' is one that possesses both of these skill-sets. But, that may not be the case, either. Many of us I'm sure had one or two friends back in college that was studying to become a teacher but you just never had the heart to tell them they weren't cut-out for that position. It is not de-facto that a teacher with the knowledge and experience equates to a 'good teacher'. Hell, I'm sure we can all think about a couple of teachers from our school days who fit that category.

So, what makes a good ESL teacher?

[puu_sawn]

I like this question.. it's ironic, because as a now "official" (tongue-in-cheek) ESL teacher I have begun to recently ask my students what they think makes a good teacher. The most common answer so far is "being prepared".