Students, meanwhile, also expect to be able to learn from the teacher. Some even think that teachers can make them smart, an expectation which can not be discounted. Although intelligence is primarily a result of a student’s diligence and genes perhaps, a teacher’s input is a major contributing factor.
This is where teacher competency comes into the picture. For a teacher to be able to facilitate learning, he must be competent. Now what is competency? Competency is “the ability to perform a particular skill or to demonstrate a specified level of knowledge” (D. Sadker & M. Sadker, 2005, p. G-2). A competent teacher therefore is one who not only facilitates learning but does so in a specified, and shall we say exemplary, level.
There are a lot of characteristics or qualities that make a competent teacher, all of which are related to the dimensions of one’s personality – intellectual, physical, social, ethical, and emotional (Zulueta, 2006). However, there is no standard which can be considered as the universal set of characteristics a teacher must have in order to be called competent. these qualities are dynamic in that what works for one teacher may not work for another, or what is effective for a student may not be as effective for another, or what applies now may not be applicable years from now.
Lack of knowledge on a subject and inability to answer a question is such a horror to think of. Teachers fear it too. It must be understood that learning is a continuous process and no one, not even a teacher knows the answer to everything. Some students are ruthless. they like to test the extent of a teacher’s knowledge. Teachers must be prepared for such events. Although there may be times that he will not be able to answer a question without further research, these instances must be kept to a minimum.