How does one classify teachers, in terms of their typical personal traits? What makes a teacher qualified? Messages posted by registered users on China Forum may inspire a new outlook on teachers.

On September 4, a registered user on China Forum, 'lxguy,' left a message titled 'types of teachers,' and classified teachers into five categories: friendly teacher, lenient teacher, funny teacher, strict teacher and perfectionist teacher. Forum user 'Man26' added another type - honest teacher - saying, 'He (an honest teacher) might appear strict and tough, but in the end he will help the student more than the funny, lenient teacher who lets them go unprepared for life.'

Another user, 'confucious,' disagrees with that kind of classification. He thinks that attaching too much emotional value to a teacher as a professional is abusing emotion, saying, 'An ogle from a female doctor is not going to make the medicine taste less bitter.' He believes what matters most of a teacher is whether he is competent in making the transaction so that the buyer can benefit from the payee’s service.

View the full text of the debate, please click here.

The messages are as follows:

Types of Teachers: [Lxguy]

The types of teachers in this world are many. Some teachers are strict, some are lenient and some others are in the middle way, neither lenient nor strict. I this write up, we will tell you about different kinds of teachers and various teacher's categories. We have classified teachers into the following categories:

Friendly Teacher

A friendly teacher acts like a friend for his/her students. Teacher friend combines both the guidance of a teacher and the understanding of a friend. We all, at some point of time, aspire for an understanding teacher. Such a teacher acts like our friend, philosopher and guide. If we have our teacher as our friend, we will never wander from the true path of our life. Every teacher should have some friendly traits in him/her. Such a teacher is more close to the students and a better educator.

Lenient Teacher

A lenient teacher is one who is not very fussy. An easygoing teacher takes things as they come. They do not crib about things such as doing homework on time or sitting quietly in the class, etc. But this does not mean that you can do anything in the class of a pampering teacher. There are limits to leniency shown by a teacher. We should not take undue advantage of such a teacher. If the teacher is not being too harsh, we should respect that and behave properly.
Perfectionist Teacher

An ideal teacher is one we respect from our heart. He/she acts, as a guide to the students, but at the same times does not push them too much. A perfect teacher motivates the students and boosts their morale. He/she tries to encourage the students and refrains from criticizing them. Such a teacher prefers to give positive motivation to students. His/her comments are always constructive.

The perfect teacher is our friend, guide, educator, confidante, all rolled into one. One such teacher builds the whole life of the students. Everyone in this world should get an ideal teacher. They won’t have to look back in their lives ever.

Strict Teacher

A strict teacher is very tough on students. He/she always insists on adhering to deadlines. A perfectionist teacher dislikes any mistakes or carelessness on the part of the students. Students have to be extra cautious under such a teacher. Strict teacher is like a disciplinarian, always keeping students on their toes. Students who have a very strict teacher always live under constant deadlines.

However, such a teacher fails to touch the hearts of the students. He/she always remains a teacher and fails to become a confidante of the students. Students never respect such a teacher. They accept him/her teacher only out of compulsion. He/she can never earn the love of his/her students.

Funny Teacher

A funny teacher is like a god sent to the students. Such a teacher always wants to see his/her students smile. They try to bring a smile on the lips of their students. They are not clumsy. Rather, they are witty. A humorous teacher lifts the sadness out of his/her student's life. They are like stress-busters in our life. They help us in forgetting all our sorrows.

However, it does not mean that this kind of teacher is not serious about studies. He/she does encourage his students, but in the healthy way. They teach the students without burdening them. They are not fixated on deadlines. But, they do not also tolerate a playful attitude towards studies. Such teachers lead to the development of students in a healthy way.

All the classifications for teachers are based on some typical personality traits of the teachers. For ex - some teachers constantly criticize the students, some act like friends, some are fun to be with and so on. The above categories will provide with some insight into the teacher's personality.

Don't forget the honest teacher: [Man26]

Don't forget the honest teacher, a teacher who tells the student where he is good, and where he failed.

He might appear strict and tough, but in the end he will help the student more than the funny lenient teacher who lets them out unprepared for life.

An ogle from her is not going to make the medicine taste less bitter: [confucius]

If you buy a water melon from a peddler, you would agree that a smile from him is not going to make the melon taste sweeter. If you get some medicine from a chemist, you would agree that an ogle from her (surely we have to assume that she's quite pretty and you are a male) is not going to make the medicine taste less bitter.

Your emotion does not count when you judge sweetness or bitterness. That is the truth of a transaction.

So what about a teacher as a professional? What is the profession of a teacher? A teacher teaches. What is the activity of teaching? The activity of teaching is to transfer the knowledge he claims to be in his procession to a person who is willing pay some money or time to learn it from him.

Can friendliness of your teacher make what he sells to you more trustworthy than it is? Certainly not.

Can leniency of your teacher make what he sells to you truer than it is? Certainly not.

Can perfectionism of your teacher make what he sells to more perfect than it is? Certainly not.

Can funniness of your teacher make what he sells to you more pleasing to you mind than it is? Certainly not.

Can seriousness of your teacher make what he sells to you more formal than it is? Certainly not.

Can honesty of your teacher make what he sells to you closer to the truth than it is? Certainly not.

So what matters is really whether he is competent to make the transaction so that the payer can benefit from the payee by what he has paid for. Don't try to attach too much emotional value to a teacher as a professional. Otherwise you are abusing your emotion.

By People's Daily Online