Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

　　Teacher’s ability to relate well with his or her students is more important than the ability to give them knowledge.

　　Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

　　(Agree)

　　Some people think a teacher’s ability to give the students knowledge is one of the most important qualities of a teacher. In this day and age, however, I teacher unable to relate to his or her students will never be able to get their attention and command their respect, which are two very important aspects of teaching.

　　These days, teachers have to know not only how to get their students’ attention but also how to keep a hold of it in order to teach them. The world has changed very much in the past decade, and students these days are not interested in the same things they were into ten or twenty years ago. For example, we live in an age dominated by electronics, particularly computers. Most students my age know how to use all of the latest gadgets. Unfortunately, many teachers are technologically inept, so they have difficulty relating to students that way. Most of them never incorporate technology into their classes. Instead, they just lecture, which makes their classes boring. Some of them, however, use computers for things like PowerPoint presentations, which really helps to get most students’ attention. Teachers that can relate to their students in areas like technology are definitely more able to keep their students’ attention.

　　Teachers must also be able to command the respect of their students in order to relate well to them. They must be strict in their classes yet should also know when their students, for whatever reason, are unable to study their best. For example, I have had several teachers who have been very strict and made their classes difficult. However, I always respected those teachers. The reason is that they knew when they were pushing the students too hard. When we were tired from having too many tests, they would not give us homework, or they would teach a fun lesson for us. Also, in the case of some teachers, I knew I could talk to them about any personal problems I had. I felt that these teachers would understand my problems and would therefore be able to give me some advice. Since these teachers could relate to their students so well, the students respected them more than they did other teachers.

　　In my experience, my best teachers have been the ones who have been able to relate well to their students. By doing so, they could get their students’ attention in class and command their respect. Teachers that cannot relate well to their students tend to have more difficulties with their students in class.