What is meant by a marginal teacher?

Answer 1

When trying to understand an unfamiliar phrase, break it into the separate words with their meanings.

Marginal means related to being at the edge or margin of something.

A margin is the space along the edges of an area.

A teacher is one who instructs, formally at a school.

So let's return to marginal and consider an example: a piece of paper.

The middle area of an 8.5 by 11 inch paper gives plenty of room to write or type. A margin is only a fraction of the whole, and provides no room for the very important writing.

Let's use an example of wetlands. An area floods and is soggy with water even without rain. But on the margins, there are places where it is not so wet. It could even be dry.

*Something being marginal is not necessarily "bad", but the margin spaces are neither the thing nor is it not the thing. A margin is still part of the piece of paper, but it is not the most important part of the piece of paper. A marginal wetlands is neither fully wet...nor fully dry. It's in-between, even mediocre in some examples. If something is "marginally good" it is only slightly better than being bad or awful.

So a marginal teacher is a teacher, by education and certificate. But the person is not a very good teacher. He or she is not very competent, even if the person passed the tests.

It would be clearer to say a "marginally poor teacher", a "marginally inept teacher", or a "marginally incompetent teacher", because that is what is being implied.

Other examples:

• It was a marginally tasty meal. - Means it was not very tasty.
• She showed a marginally unfriendly smile. - Means her smile seemed fake; she wasn't very friendly.
• Her kind words and welcoming hospitality erased her marginally unfriendly smile. - Means her smile said unfriendly, but her words and actions proved she was very friendly.