Describe a teacher from your past that you remember.
You should say:
- what class the teacher taught you
- how old you were then
- what the teacher’s special qualities and characteristics were
and explain why you still remember this teacher.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
I remember Mr. Stuart who was an extraordinary teacher in my grade 7. He taught us Botany when I was in grade 7. I was then around 11 years old.
He was a remarkable teacher in terms of his teaching style and personality. He was quite elegant and distinctive in his dressing style and had a very charming and smiling face. While most of the other teachers sparked their tough personality, Mr. Stuart was very friendly and amiable. He was very punctual about the classes and I have never seen him missed a class! He reached the classrooms 5 minutes prior to the schedule and waited for the clock to tick the hours. He then recapped the lessons he taught last day and then asked us to question him. Only then he moved on to the new lectures. He told us lots of stories and those were all related to our study. He had been a successful teacher to reach the heart of the students. While we hated some of our teachers for their personality sometimes, I don’t think there was a single student in our class who did not love Mr. Stuart.
Botany was not a subject I was interested in at that time. I was quite sure I might get the lowest number on this subject. However, this particular teacher and his brilliant way of teaching made me interested in this subject. I remember him because he was a good person, an excellent story teller and an ideal teacher for us. Because of his influence in the classroom, most of us did exceptionally well on this subject. I still think that we need more teachers like him in our schools who would be close friends to the students as well as great teachers and mentors.
Sample Answer 2:
I have graduated from the University of Zimbabwe and still can remember those days clearly. Mr Steven King was my teacher at the university. He inspired me a lot and I have learnt a good number of real-life issues from him. I am really happy that I got the chance to describe him.
Mr King is highly educated and skillfully trained to teach the complex issues of biology. In fact, he was the professor of molecular biology at the university. But he was more than a teacher to me and all other of his students. His teaching method was dissimilar than the conventional form of teaching. He rarely used books on the class rather he loved to teach with using sheets. Sometimes, he prepared multimedia presentations as well. The classes when he played the video documentaries on various issues were really enjoyable.
I was 17 and it was in the first year of my university. Fortunately, I got the chance to get admitted in my desired subject under science category. One of the course was named as the ‘Basics of Molecular Biology’ and Professor King was responsible for teaching us the course. His course outline was interesting. He took written exams only at the end of the semester while the other teachers took exams almost in every day of their class. In this age, it is really difficult to appear on exams on a daily basis. Comprehending the issue, Mr King took measures and won the hearts of his students. Besides, almost everyone of us scored good grades in the end of the semester on his course while the scores could not climb up in the other courses where we had to appear for tests frequently.
If I talk about the qualities of Mr King, firstly I should mention about his benevolence. He was very gentle in nature and never behaved badly with any of his students. Hence, he was the most popular teacher in the entire department. Besides, he also helped every student in their academic needs. In fact, he never refused to provide support to his students while the other teachers were not as much cooperative as like him. But on the other side, Mr King was strict on some issues. If he realised that any student is exploiting his flexibilities, he would take stern actions against them. As a result, everyone was careful about his studies. He also used to give me different useful advice to his students.
I have passed the university about nine years ago. But still, I can remember my mentor for some of his extraordinary qualities. He took care for each of the students like their father. Whenever the students (including me) needed any assistance, they moved to him and came out with a smiling face. I have also taken many of his supports and discovered that he was cordial indeed. He did all the necessary things for me and even wrote recommendation letters for my higher studies in a foreign university. Sometimes he offered coffee and chocolates which were really entertaining. The most important matter is that I have never seen such a devoted teacher in my entire life like Mr King. So, he is still in my memory and will stay there forever.
Rounding off questions:
Q. Do you want to be a teacher someday?
Q. Why do we remember some people differently than others?
Part 3 – Two-way discussion:
Q. What kind of person makes a good teacher?
Q. Why people choose to become teachers?
Q. Do you think education will change in the future? How?
Q. How does technology affect education?
Similar Cue Card Topics
Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:
- Describe a teacher you like.
- Describe a teacher who had a great influence on you.
- Describe someone from your hometown.
- Describe a teacher whom you liked.
- Describe a teacher from your school.
- Describe a person who had a great personality.
- Describe an ideal teacher you know about.
- Describe a teacher who influenced you in your education.