Everyone looks for qualities in a person that engages us. These qualities are what lead us to find our ideal type of person. We all have different preferences that are most suitable for our idea of a picture-perfect individual. This idea is also be applied to our everyday authorities. I can recall a teacher who had two of these qualities. She is still one of my favorite teachers to this day and her having these traits are what probably lead her to be one of my favorites. The qualities I would find in an ideal teacher is being humorous, relatable, and understanding.

Humor, we all have different aspects of it. This is why we say, “You share my sense of humor!” Of course, not everyone is going to have the same humor. Yes, a teacher cracking a laugh at the same banter I also happened to chuckle to is a great indication they share that sense of humor with me. In fact, I can recall a time in my elementary school years that is a great example of this. Back in the fourth grade, I had a teacher named Mrs. Schleip, who was usually referred to by other students like myself as the “fun teacher.” This story takes place at the iconic field trip, Eagle Bluff! In which one of the best parts about the site was the ropes course. The ropes course is an obstacle in which the main objective is to get through the tightrope by walking. They provide everyone with the best safety equipment as well. At the end of it, there is a zip line that takes people back to the ground. While Mrs. Schleip was ziplining down, we all had this mischievous plan of tossing leaves at her while she was making her way back to the ground. Which come to think of it now wasn’t the worst thing but nonetheless, the plan was successful. After getting all the leaves off of her hair she jokingly made the statement, “Whoever threw those leaves are now expelled”, chuckingly after it. This was definitely one of her classic jokes in my opinion. This memory left me with the mindset that one of the best qualities I find in a person is humor.

Most of us could agree that one of the greatest feelings in the world is meeting a stranger and then instantly clicking with them due to shared traits and or relativeness. I believe that relating to someone with even only a few of the traits or hobbies that I share can make for a more enjoyable experience with them. I’ve had teachers who’ve shared at least one of my traits and it made for an even more delightful encounter. A teacher I believe had shared similar perspectives to me was Mrs. Davisson. From my viewpoint, it seemed as if we had the same angle on mental illness. She would often talk openly about her ADHD and I found that admirable. The subject on mental illnesses shouldn’t be as taboo as we sought it out to be. It is way more common than we even think. I can recollect one of the times in class where we had to do a poem in the style of “If You’re Not from the Prairie”, by David Bouchard. Someone in the class wanted to do a poem about anxiety. Mrs. Davisson immediately offered help for the poem they were writing. She often would speak out about her beliefs and opinions on certain subjects that I agreed upon and that is what made her fit my definition of being relatable.  Her being relatable made me try and seek out other people like her, those who also took similar viewpoints to me, but of course, I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t.

Last but not least one of the best qualities I find in a teacher is being understanding. We all like hanging around people we can turn to whether it is for help or something just as simple as a talk. When I say the word “understanding”, I mean it in the sense of caring for someone and not letting them do bad decisions, but also understanding situations from their point of view. Once again, I have another story that leads to the context of this word. In fourth grade, I had an incident that did leave me crying at the end of it. At the time I tried my best to hold in tears but when I do that we all know that feeling of the lump in the throat and at that moment, that exact familiar feelings struck me. While this was happening she handed papers around for everyone but eventually stopped when she got to my desk and saw my glum expression. She began to ask what was wrong but being the person I was at that time I tried to play it off like nothing was happening. This was pretty hard to believe though because at that moment I lost it and bawled my eyes out. After that, she pulled me out into the hall while everyone was working on their papers and we began to have a talk about all that had happened. I told her everything and after that, she comforted me and I felt a whole lot better. This is the most prominent example that comes to my head when I think of a story time that fits with the word, “understanding.” The story popped into my mind the second we were asked about this quality. It was a nice, feel-good moment and I hope to share this kind of moment with others in the future as well.

These are the three qualities I would find in an ideal teacher. I’m almost certain most of us had someone pop into our head when we think of an authority who shares our ideal traits. One day, I hope that everyone can find someone that could define our idea of a picture-perfect individual, teacher or not. Even if they only come close to defining it. Just like the teacher I had who is still one of my favorite teachers today. Even if that never happens, we can always enjoy the appreciable traits they were already gifted.