What are the qualities that make up of good teacher.

Good teachers are made up of a combination of hundreds of qualities that allow them do their
job effectively. There is no denying that all teachers have their own unique blend of these
qualities. Each teacher is different, but virtually every good teacher has some combination of
these twenty-five most essential qualities.

它的 points & elaboration 可以互相结合。

A good teacher is adaptable.-Making changes to lessons or activities on the fly because of an

unforeseen 无法预料 situation or problem. A teacher must be willing to change. If half the class
does not understand a particular concept, then you cannot move on and must quickly come up
with a better way to teach that concept.

A good teacher is creative.-Taking a concept and shaping a lesson that is unique, engaging, and
dynamic. A teacher must be able to create lessons that grab their students’ attention and make
them want to keep coming back for more.

A good teacher is caring. – Going the extra mile to ensure that every student is successful no
matter what. A teacher must figure out the personalities and interest of each student and
incorporate components that connect with each individual.

A good teacher is engaging 迷人. – The ability to grab the attention of a classroom full of
students and to maintain their attention throughout the entirety of class. A teacher must create
lessons that are fun, fresh, and energetic. You want your student to walk out of your class each
day looking forward to the next.

A good teacher is joyful. – Coming to class each day in a good mood, excited, and enthusiastic
about doing your job. If the teacher has a lousy attitude, the students are going to have lousy
attitudes. If the teacher is joyful, the students are going to be joyful.

A good teacher is organized.– The ability to keep things neat and in order allowing teachers to
access materials quickly and to make efficient transitions. Organization is a necessary quality for
every teacher. Teaching encompasses so much that those who are unorganized will be
overwhelmed and swallowed up.

A good teacher is cooperative.– The ability to work effectively with administrators, other
teachers, and parents for the good of your students. A teacher must be able to build cooperative
relationships with others around them even if they do not necessarily like them.

A good teacher is trustworthy. – The ability to get others around you to believe in you and what
you are doing. A teacher must gain the trust of both their students and parents. Any distrust will
negatively impact the classroom.
A good teacher is empathetic.-Being sensitive to a student’s struggles even though you may not
personally be able to relate to them. A teacher must put themselves in the student’s shoes and
see it from their perspective. This approach is often transcending in how to help the child
succeed.站在学生的角度思考

A good teacher is evolving. – A continuous process of year over year improvement and growth.
A teacher must continuously look for ways to improve themselves as well as individual lessons
or components of lessons.自我提升

A good teacher is kind.– The ability of a teacher to say and do things that uplifts, motivates, and
inspires. Kindness should be innate in all teachers. A mean spirit will turn students off, but a kind
spirit is invaluable.

A good teacher is passionate.– Teaching with enthusiasm and exuberance on a daily basis
because you love the content and your students. A passionate teacher connects with their
curriculum and their students which maximizes learning.

A good teacher is patient. – The ability to see the whole picture and to understand that the
school year is a marathon, not a sprint. A teacher must never give up on a student. They should
continuously try new strategies understanding that eventually something will work.

A good teacher is accountable.-Holding yourself to the same expectations and standards as you
hold your students. A teacher cannot have double standards. For example, if you do not allow
your students to chew gum in your class, then you should not chew gum either.

A good teacher is fearless.– Trying a new approach that may be outside the norm and may
receive criticism or scrutiny. A teacher must be willing to try anything within the parameters of
school policy to reach their students. They must also be ready to defend their approach to
criticism.

A good teacher is forgiving. – Quickly putting incidents with student, parents, or other teachers
behind you so that it does not impact your teaching. Teachers must be able to get past hurtful
actions or accusations quickly. They must not hold it against any student or let it impact how
they teach in the classroom.

A good teacher is generous.– Volunteering for extra assignments and/or giving money out of
your own pocket for classroom needs or individual student needs. Teachers do not make
enough money, but most teachers are willing to donate time and/or money to help out in areas
where a need is recognized.

A good teacher has grit.– The determination to overcome any obstacle in the way of obtaining a
long term goal. A teacher must possess the grit necessary to make the personal sacrifices
necessary to ensure that every goal is reached every year.
A good teacher is inspirational.– The ability of a teacher to get their students to buy into, believe
in, and to be motivated to become life long learners. A teacher should make a lasting
inspirational impact that follows a student throughout their life.

A good teacher is resilient.– Not allowing adversity 逆境 to stop you from accomplishing your
goals. A teacher must be resilient in overcoming the many obstacles that will present
themselves over the course of a year.

A good teacher is resourceful.– Finding a way to make things happen. A teacher must be able to
figure out how to get supplies and materials for their classroom when the funding is not
available and to reach a student who has no interest in learning.

A good teacher is vulnerable.– Allowing your students to gain insight into your life without
revealing a lot. Vulnerability allows students to relate to their teachers as they share in common
interests such as sports, television, etc.

A good teacher is dedicated.-Showing up every day and spending the necessary time to provide
your students with the best education. Teachers often arrive early and stay late. They work parts
of weekends and summer to ensure that they are prepared.

A good teacher is determined. – Finding any means necessary to reach all students no matter
the challenge. Teachers must be willing to do anything to ensure that all students receive the
education they need.

A good teacher is compassionate.-Recognizing that your students have problems outside of

school, and making the necessary adjustment to help them through those issues. A teacher
must take outside factors into consideration. For example, if a student has just lost a loved one,
the teacher should be sensitive to that and adjust accordingly.

Chapter 26. The Qualities of Great Teachers

by Mark F. Goldberg

Greatness in teaching is just as rare as greatness in medicine, dance, law, or any other
profession. Although the qualities that make great teachers are not easy to inculcate or
duplicate, understanding these qualities can give all teachers a standard of excellence to strive
for, and guide schools in their efforts to recruit and retain the best teachers.

To that end, I offer the following observations about the key characteristics of great teachers.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, and the characteristics do not appear in any particular order
of importance. In my more than 40 years in education, including 24 years as a public school
administrator who directly supervised more than 130 different teachers, these qualities
emerged as hallmarks of the best teaching.

Willingness to Put in the Necessary Time

You cannot achieve greatness by working from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Teaching, like every other
serious profession, requires time. Dennis Littky, an award-winning principal, said, “You can't be a
great teacher or principal and not work long, long hours” (personal communication, November
11, 1988). By investing time—to prepare for class, to go over student work, to meet students
outside of class, to talk to parents, to attend school meetings, and to serve on school
committees—a great teacher indicates to students that she or he sincerely cares about their
learning.

When well-known and respected teacher Thomas T. Lyons retired from Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts, after a 36-year career, the many tributes he received from former
students overwhelmingly focused on the time he spent with them (Rimer, 1999). Lyons
interviewed every youngster individually at the beginning of the school year. One student, Julie
Stephens, said, “Mr. Lyons must have invested at least 20 hours in me” just on one paper (p.
A6).

Most teachers belong to a teachers' association, union, or other organization that represents
their interests. Typically, some formal document or agreement specifies how many minutes per
day or hours per week they must teach; how much unstructured time they are entitled to; how
many meetings they must attend; and the compensation they must receive for additional work
beyond the usual load. Great teachers respect this agreement and acknowledge that it protects
their rights, ensures academic freedom, and spells out good professional working conditions.
But they don't hesitate to go beyond the contract voluntarily and often—for example, by
meeting with a student study group during the teacher's preparation period or after school—in
order to meet the needs of their students.

Love for the Age Group They Teach

My wife, who had a successful 32-year career in elementary education, had a natural affinity for
the early primary grades and grew increasingly uncomfortable with each grade above the 2nd.
She read children's literature for younger students with gusto, happily attended workshops to
master materials and methods to better teach primary math and science, and loved spending
time with young children. But teaching above grade 4, she was a fish out of water.

About 25 years ago, when the shift from junior high schools to middle schools took hold, I came
across many teachers who wanted to work with children of middle school age, 11 to 14, and
who took pleasure in the special challenges that those years posed. In many districts, the
frequent requests to transfer from junior to senior high school slowed or nearly stopped. Many
middle schools developed advisory groups and used a team approach to bring teachers and
students into closer contact. Teachers who had previously felt uncomfortable in junior high
schools thrived in the middle grades, and a cadre of great middle school teachers emerged.

Most teachers find joy in teaching because of their talent for relating to students in a particular
age group. Unfortunately, too many school districts transfer teachers on the basis of seniority
from one grade to another without recognizing the importance of fit. An important part of
greatness is the match between the teacher's skills and interests and the age of his or her
students. A great middle school English teacher might be an average 11th or 12th grade English
teacher.

An Effective Classroom Management Style

Great teachers need to find their own ways to “manage” a group of students. For instance, if a
student were to interrupt the class inappropriately, Lee Canter's Assertive Discipline approach
(Canter & Canter, 2002) would suggest consequences for failure to follow known and
reasonable rules; Alfie Kohn (1996) might suggest that the teacher ask himself or herself
whether the content or methods of the lesson contributed to the problem. The most effective
teachers draw from these well-known theories, but adapt them to their own personality.

Because great teachers develop and hone their own classroom management style, their
techniques vary. All, however, have at least the following common characteristics in their
classrooms:

Few behavior problems.

A culture of respect that flows in every direction: teacher to students, students to teacher,
students to students, and everyone to guests.

Immediate—or at least timely—teacher actions that usually work.

A clear, shared understanding of acceptable and appropriate behavior.

Positive Relationships with Other Adults

Too often, we underestimate the amount of time that teachers spend with other adults in a
school—other teachers, administrators, and parents. Great teachers work well with each of
these groups.

They depend on other teachers as a constant source of information, enrichment, and

sometimes solace 安慰. From study groups to faculty 全体教员 meetings to such rare
moments as receiving an award or attending the funeral of a student, teachers need to support
one another. Outstanding teachers quickly become identified as school leaders, whom other
teachers admire and turn to for advice or collegial sharing.

The best teachers also find ways to work harmoniously with administrators and to show
administrators how they can support teachers. For example, the teacher may point out areas of
the curriculum that need attention and coordinate or offer to serve on a committee to explore
solutions to a problem.

Great teachers also place a priority on keeping parents informed about their children's
progress, and they sensitively help parents understand their children's problems. These
teachers understand that the lack of a strong partnership between teachers and families may
undo many of their best efforts.

Consistent Excellence

Greatness in teaching requires consistently outstanding performance over the years. That does
not mean that the teacher never has a bad day, or even a bad week. In fact, most great teachers
have had a difficult year or two. One of the finest English teachers I knew had a tough year
adjusting to a new school, and a somewhat spotty year about seven years later when serious
family problems were weighing heavily on him. Over the 19 years that I supervised him,
however, he had 17 great years and two good years during which he showed remarkable
resilience and fortitude.

The best teachers get divorced, become ill, have problems with their own children, need to
attend to aging parents, and have other personal issues in the same proportion as other
professionals. They also have both mild and serious professional disagreements about new
curriculums, teaching methods, assessment techniques, and materials. But great teachers have
the good judgment required to balance these problems in a way that minimizes fluctuations in
classroom performance.

Some teachers are able to compartmentalize 区分 personal and other issues; others require a
short period of time off to handle vexing 使人烦恼的 problems. The best teachers consistently
find ways to integrate 结合 new methods in an ever-changing profession into their successful
practices. Dedication to their work, flexibility, and the willingness to grow are common to great
teachers in the face of difficulty and change.

Expert Use of Instructional Methods

Great teachers use a variety of instructional methods that they feel comfortable with; within the
same school, you'll find different teachers getting excellent results using such methods as mini-
lectures and interactive lectures, problem-based learning, cooperative groups, and multiple
intelligences approaches. No single teaching method or approach works best for every teacher
with every student.

We know, however, that research and experience strongly support some instructional
approaches over others. The best teachers select from the methods that are well researched
and widely practiced at their grade level or within their subject area, and become expert in
several that fit their style and the needs of their students at that time.

In-Depth Content Knowledge

Both progressive and conservative educators speak about the importance of content. From
Deborah Meier, the MacArthur award-winning advocate of small schools of choice, to William
Bennett, the former education secretary and critic of public schools, educators emphasize the
importance of knowing the subject you teach. Everyone agrees that great teachers possess a
solid command of content, whether their expertise lies in knowledge of reading in the early
elementary grades or a serious command of biology or mathematics at the high school level.

Because of the close connection between preparation time and content, the best teachers often
spend as much time preparing for a class as they do teaching it. Setting up a lab experiment for
5th graders, reading a short story three times in order to formulate good questions for
discussion, or working through 15 math problems and anticipating questions and obstacles takes
time and deepens the great teacher's mastery of content.

Capacity for Growth

Like any other profession, teaching undergoes constant change. The past 30 years have
witnessed a marked increase in education research and the emergence of solid information
about teaching and learning. Great teachers remain intellectually alive and open to responsible
change grounded in theory, research, and practice. Dozens of specific and well-researched
techniques are available today to help all learners—particularly reluctant learners and those
with disabilities. Since the late 1970s, all of the following areas of education knowledge (and
many others) have developed and become worth exploring: technology; character education;
rubrics; closing the achievement gap; standards; cooperative learning; diversity; assessment and
evaluation; multiple intelligences; reading instruction; curriculum reform; and bilingual
education/structured English immersion.

The much-used phrase “lifelong learner” really does apply. Although any great teacher must
judiciously decide what is worth pursuing and how to maintain high standards, only a Luddite
would ignore the potential of new methods for using technology, research on the most effective
strategies for reading instruction, or current cooperative learning approaches.

Of course, content knowledge is an important area of growth. Great teachers are always
learning more about math for elementary students, science for disabled students, or
Shakespeare for Advanced Placement students. In addition, outstanding teachers continually
grow by taking college and inservice courses, reading professional literature, and engaging
others in serious conversation about school issues. Often, the finest teachers serve on education
committees or become teacher experts who lead study groups or professional development
courses.

Steadiness of Purpose and Teaching Personality

Some people, particularly people outside the profession, expect teachers to “perform” in
classrooms and to maintain a high energy level. Great teachers, however, are not necessarily
performers. Instead, they hold students' attention through subject mastery, skillful lesson
design, actions that demonstrate caring, and an honesty that reveals their individual
personality.
After all, K-12 teachers conduct formal teaching for about 25 hours each week, 40 weeks each
year—plus individual conferences, hall duty, informal meetings, and other contacts with
students. No one can sustain a performance for that length of time. The great teacher is steady,
intelligent, concerned, interesting, and interested. The performers do not last long.

A Complex Act

No one can produce a complete and definitive list of the characteristics of great classroom
teaching, but I hope that this list provides a starting place. Knowing the qualities of greatness
can help teachers strive for the highest standards and help education professors, teachers, and
administrators jointly craft preservice training or inservice programs that build on these
qualities.

Teaching is a complex act. Danielson (1996) estimates that a teacher makes more than 3,000
nontrivial decisions every day. No list can capture the extraordinary subtlety 精明 involved in
making instant decisions about which student to call on, how to frame 设计 an impromptu 即
兴 question, or how to respond to an interruption. The late Madeline Hunter compared
teaching to surgery, “where you think fast on your feet and do the best you can with the
information you have. You must be very skilled, very knowledgeable, and exquisitely well
trained, because neither the teacher nor the surgeon can say, ‘Everybody sit still until I figure
out what in the heck we're gonna do next’” (Goldberg, 1990, p. 43).

Watching a great teacher at the top of his or her form is like watching a great surgical or artistic
performance. Although infinitely difficult and painstakingly planned, great teaching appears
effortless and seamless. One can easily believe that it is the simplest thing in the world—until
one tries to do it.

Canter, L., & Canter, M. (2002). Assertive discipline: Positive behavior management for today's
classroom (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Lee Canter & Associates.

Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Goldberg, M. (1990). Portrait of Madeline Hunter. Educational Leadership, 47(5), 41–43.

Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Rimer, S. (1999, July 31). Teaching as a torrent of bubbling information. New York Times, p. A6.

Part 1: Top 10 Qualities of a Good Teacher

Passion for teaching

There are numerous ways through which this quality can manifest 证明 itself. It is easy to know
when a teacher is passionate about teaching. While some teachers may portray it in the way
they teach in class, some teachers manifest this quality in not so clear ways - students have to
be observant and quiet to be able to notice it.

Love for children

For most people, this is a quality that is very much overlooked yet it is an equally important one
of qualities of a good teacher. Most teachers love teaching and even love the subjects they
teach, but very few remember to even mention how much they love their students. Most
teachers use fear and intimidation to manage their classes, which is the complete opposite of
motivating the students. It is important to care about the students to bring out the best in them.

Love their subjects

This is equally important. It is important for teachers to love the subjects they teach. It can be
amazing to sit and watch a physics or math teacher teaching the subject with so much passion,
especially if you do not get the concept. By loving the subject, they will take the time to come up
with the best ways to make the students understand and pass their exams.

Understand the meaning of school

School is much more than simply the number of classes and subjects a student takes. This is also
the place they spend the better part of their life. It is a place for growth, finding their identity,
exploration and where they can find their joy. Teaching and learning takes place beyond the
four walls of a classroom. It can happen in the playing field, coffee shop and even dining area.
The best teachers will equip their students with skills not only to pass their exams, but also to
make it easy for them when interacting with other students.

Willingness to change

This is one of qualities of a good teacher that can be overlooked. Teachers should not always be
looking to change students through teaching. They should also be open to change when
interacting with students. It is possible for a teacher to change from interactions with the
students.

Organization skills

This is a quality most teachers struggle with. It entails proper time and work planning. Organized
teachers will have an organized way of teaching and this rubs off on the students. It is,
therefore, important for teachers to have a structure for organization. This makes their work
and that of the students much easier.

Willingness to always improve

Even with many years of teaching, teachers should always remember that there is room for
improvement. Some teachers have confessed 坦诚 that all their teaching career life has been a
constant 不变 lesson for them as they learn of better ways to serve their students each day and
better ways of teaching and interacting. A good teacher is open to challenges and finds amicable
友好 ways of overcoming them.

Enough courage to face hard days

There are times when a teacher can go through a tough season, enough to make the faint
hearted want to quit. These days can leave a teacher’s ego bruised and disappointed. The best
teachers remember that these tough times do not last and that there are better days ahead. A
good teacher will get up and live to teach another day, even after a rough patch.

A lot of humility 谦卑

There are times when the teacher can forget that what they do is not about them but about
their students. Ego 自我 can make teaching the worst career since the teacher is likely to turn
teaching into a competition between the teacher and students. It is important to remember that
teaching is more of a group activity and it is possible to learn something new from your
students. A teacher does not always have to have the final say or all the answers.

Ability to collaborate with students

This ability is also included in good qualities of a good teacher. It is important for any teacher to
understand that they are part of a larger school community which goes beyond their
classrooms. For this reason, a good teacher works towards making the school a better place for
everyone. As the teacher perfects in class, they should also have positive impact in the school.

Part 2: Common Mistakes Made by Teachers

Lack of clear learning objectives

The key to making fair tests and coherent courses is for a teacher to write down learning
statements that are objective-explicit about what students should have the ability to do after
they have learned what their course outlines dictate. The teacher should also be able to make
use of the objectives as the core for designing assignments, lessons as well as exams.

Getting stuck in a rut

There are always new happenings in the teaching industry which provide opportunities and
incentives to be used to improve courses. While it is not smart to always revise courses
whenever new incentives are introduced, it is always a good idea to always look for good
improvement opportunities which can be utilized within the time available.

Failure in providing variety in instruction

The use of effective instructions can be a good way to mix things up in class. Instructions can
include the use of multimedia, board work, discussion, storytelling, individual assignments,
activities as well as group work. The more the variety used in class, the more effective the
classes will be.

Using PowerPoint shows

Sitting through lectures is already too much for students. There is no point in training them even
more by using PowerPoint slides to take them through lectures. These slides are a waste of time
and resources.

Qualities of a Good Teacher

Teaching is a practice that involves passing of knowledge to people considered ignorant in the
field of study that is being taught. A teacher can be a person of any age provided that the person
is well versed in a particular sphere. Nevertheless, the possession of knowledge does not always
mean that a person can be considered a good teacher. In this paper we will clearly display the
qualities of a competent teacher.

It is generally believed that teachers are easily found but getting a good teacher can be very
rare and difficult. Most of the school management knows what a difficult task it is to hire a
skillful teacher. Proficient teachers can be identified by the set of qualities that they possess 持
有. Firstly, a teacher has to be knowledgeable in the area that he/she is teaching. This does not
mean that a person has to be an expert, but the most essential skills will be apt 灵敏的 in
getting the point across to be perceived by the audience. This comes from the principle that
people cannot teach what they do not know. Additionally, a teacher requires the characteristic
of being patient. The students that are to be taught have different levels of knowledge and if a
teacher is not patient, a lot of misunderstandings may arise, thus portraying the teacher’s flaws
瑕疵.

Moreover, teachers must show a good command of confidence. This does not mean that they
should not admit when they are wrong. Confidence enables the student to learn in a more
comfortable environment. Besides, qualified teachers are able to portray mentorship. They
should be able to develop positive attributes in their students. For mentorship to flourish 兴旺,
maturity 成熟 has to be shown. Good teachers need to show responsibility however young
they are. This will enable them to perceive emotional fluctuations among students, thus
becoming able to know what teaching methods to use to achieve the set goals. A good sense of
humor of teachers helps relieve the tension between them and students. This would in turn
facilitate a free flow of information. Furthermore, teachers are required to have good
presentation skills. Teacher’s skills will help students to perceive information visually and
auditorily, hence making sure that their knowledge remains in the long-term memory for a
longer period of time.
Teachers are supposed to be respectful. Respect has been termed as a two-way traffic. If a
teacher shows a high degree of maturity and respect, then the students are able to emulate this,
thus fostering understanding of each other’s limits. This respect comes along with empathy that
enables teachers to react to student’s feelings. This would create a closely-knit community,
therefore fostering learning process. A teacher must be a good planner. The arrangement of
schedules and keeping to them allows teachers to give students extra time to conceptualize
ideas if it is needed. Following the syllabus is not the planning that is required. It goes beyond
this with the teacher keeping in mind the requirements of the programme. Good teachers are
always enthusiastic. Despite the administrative drawbacks that might work against them,
teachers have the interest of students at heart; consequently they should never lose the
enthusiasm of teaching. Recently, the world has seen growth of technology. In today’s age of
computers, a good teacher will be required to possess obligatory computer skills. This is
because PowerPoint presentations and some word processing documents would be needed in
teaching to make it easier.

In conclusion, a good teacher should have all the above-mentioned qualities. These are not only
qualities of an excellent teacher, but the basic indicators that a person is an expert.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?

A question that has become very familiar around the education department is about
what makes a good teacher. There are many excellent teachers around today but there are also
those that make a bad name for teachers. There are a lot of opinions about what makes a
teacher a good one. There are also those comments about what makes a teacher a bad one.
There are those people in America that believe that teachers should possess different
characteristics than others. All teachers have their own strategies about how a teacher should
teach. They all have their own ways about how to create a better environment for students to
better learn in. A lot of time has been spent thinking about the art of teaching as a result of the
ever-changing context of the profession. There are many factors that play a role in how people
perceive the subject of what makes a good teacher. For instance, the sizes of the classroom or
students differ from school to school. A lot of different opinions come from different schools as
a result of this. In different schools with different students there are differences in styles,
personalities, goals, and different interactions. Teachers have to play different roles to meet the
different needs of students. All of these factors play a huge role in how people perceive a
teacher. What really makes a teacher a good one?

What really makes a good teacher?

The majority of parents want 'qualified teachers' to teach their children, but, says Barnaby
Lenon, there's more to being a good teacher than classroom skills
By Barnaby Lenon9:35AM GMT 15 Jan 2015

A NASUWT poll last week found that the majority of parents wanted ‘qualified teachers’ to
teach their children. Unsurprising really, until you consider what that word ‘qualified’ really
means.

In independent schools, recognised as being among the best in the world, we are free to choose
our own teachers. In 2013, pupils in independent schools achieved 32 per cent of all A* grades
at A-level.

Our success lies in the quality and expertise of our teachers, yet some may not have a teaching
qualification. So what makes a good teacher?

They have four characteristics.

First, they love their subject and have excellent subject knowledge (the two go together). Last
year Professor Rob Coe and the Sutton Trust published research into the qualities of the best
teachers and this came top of the list.

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It is the reason that some schools are happy to appoint an excellent graduate in a subject like
physics even if they don’t have a teaching qualification. They are classified as ‘unqualified’, even
though they possess the most important quality of all.

Good subject knowledge matters not only because at the top of the ability range you need to be
able to stretch pupils but also because teachers with good knowledge tend to make lessons for
younger children more interesting. They have more substance to be interesting about.

Secondly, they need to have the right personality. Teaching is partly acting, and acting ability
helps greatly. Above all you need to be able to control a class, because without good discipline
nothing worthwhile can be achieved.

So that means good teachers are those whom pupils will respect - and slightly fear if necessary.
They are completely in control of what’s going on around them.
Pupils know the teacher will notice if they are misbehaving or if their work is incomplete or
copied from another child and will take action - punish the child, perhaps, or require the work to
be redone.

But the best teachers are not disciplinarians. They are a velvet hand in an iron glove. Pupils
come to know, over time, that they are warm and generous. But they are not to be messed with.
Discipline has to come first.

There are other personality traits that matter too. Good teachers are very hard working, putting
a huge effort into preparing lessons, marking work and giving extra time to children who need it.

They are able to manage stress. They are passionate about their school and their pupils, keen for
all to do well. They are highly organised, because switching in a few seconds from one class to
another, keeping track of individuals, remembering which extra duties they are down for,
managing record-keeping and databases - all this requires good organisation.

Thirdly, they need to have certain classroom skills. This is why all ‘unqualified’ teachers need
some training, both before they start and throughout their first year of teaching.

They need to be shown how to deliver a lesson with pace and interest, how to use digital
resources effectively, how to mark work and record those marks, how to write reports, how
best to teach tricky concepts, how to ask questions of pupils in the most effective way.

Finally, they need to have high expectations of their pupils. This is a characteristic of all the
best teachers. They are determined that every pupil will master their subject. This attitude
sets the scene for everything which follows.

Pupils who produce unsatisfactory work must be made to redo it until they achieve a good
level. Pupils will be regularly tested to see whether they have understood and learnt the
work; those who do badly will be retested.

Excellent teachers believe that it is pupil effort and teaching quality which determine how well
a child does, not the ability of the child. The less able children will get there in the end.

So these are characteristics of the best teachers. In terms of weighting, perhaps 30 per cent is
subject knowledge, 30 per cent is personality, 30 per cent is level of expectations, 10 per cent
classroom skills. Of these, only the last need be the subject of teacher training.

Sixteen Qualities Of A Good Teacher

1. Knowledge of the subject matter

You can’t teach what you don’t know. All teachers need not be experts in their fields, but
possessing knowledge is important. Teachers must continue building their understandings of
their subjects throughout their careers.

2. Patience

No teacher should be expected to have much patience with individuals whose lack of discipline,
immaturity, or indolence interrupts the work of other students. Patience with students who are
trying to learn, however, is part and parcel of the teaching profession. Impatience with sincere
students is an indication of the teacher’s own shortcomings.

3. Intellectual curiosity

All good teachers are intellectually curious and naturally driven by their interests in keeping
abreast of changes in their fields.

4. Confidence

Good teachers are confident in their abilities to sense where students are in the learning process
and in their students’ abilities to learn material that is presented in a logical and graduated
fashion.

5. Compassion

Talented teachers are able to work with students with varying levels of maturity and knowledge.
A college professor I know once made the following statement about his experience as a
teacher: “Each year teaching is more challenging for me, because I grow a year older and the
students stay the same age. The widening age gap forces me to stretch in order to reach them.”

6. Achievement

Experienced teachers have clear thoughts on what their students should know at the end of the
term, and they understand what they must do along the way in order to reach those goals.

7. Planning

Teachers must have plans and stick to them. This goes deeper than rigidly following a course
syllabus. Effective teachers sense when students need more time to absorb the material and,
within limitations, are willing to give it to them.

8. Awareness

Teachers in elementary and secondary schools must have eyes in the backs of their heads. They
need to be aware of everything that happens in their classrooms and in adjacent hallways.
Teachers who are awake are able to stop nonsense before it starts and keep students on track.

9. Mentorship
Teachers often serve as mentors to their students. The desire to influence students positively is
a core motivation of many teachers when they enter the teaching profession.

10. Maturity

In no profession is maturity more important than in teaching. Students experience emotional

ups and downs, and insightful teachers are able to sense the changes and respond to them
appropriately. Teachers must be pillars, consistently encouraging students to grow as human
beings and to develop academically.

11. Community involvement

Maintaining good community relations is part of being a teacher, and teachers’ contact with
parents, administrators, and community leaders enhances their effectiveness in the classroom.

12. Organization

One-on-one tutoring is easy compared to leading a classroom of students in a single direction.

Teachers must be able to manage students’ multiple personalities and organize their subject
matters so that a maximum number of students benefits from their presentations.

13. Vision

Teaching encompasses far more than passing information from teachers to students. Teachers
should be illuminators who provide their students not only with interesting and useful material,
but also with visions of where they might end up if they learn well.

14. Context

Every subject has a context, and teachers are responsible for providing it to their students. Since
no one learns in a vacuum, teachers must show their students how the information they are
learning might be used or might lead to the development of some other useful skill.

15. Mission

Perhaps the most important thing teachers communicate to students and to the community is a
sense of satisfaction with their choice of teaching as their life mission. Teaching at its highest
level is a calling, and good teachers feel it to their cores.

16. Enthusiasm

Excellent teachers never lose enthusiasm for their profession. They might become temporarily
burdened by administrative hassles or isolated problems, but their underlying engagement with
their work is unwavering. Students feel this energy, and teachers who project it are much more
successful than those who do not.
These are the salient qualities of excellent teachers. If I’ve missed something, please feel free to
add your thoughts in the comment box below.

Radiologic Technology, Nov-Dec 1997 v69 n2 p167(3)

Reflections on what makes a good teacher. (Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year winners)
Anne T. Rodgers; Deanna S. Cross; Barbara G. Tanenbaum; Elwin R. Tilson.

Abstract: College professors named Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation offer
insights on the qualities of inspired teaching. Good teachers have desire, a positive attitude, and
take risks. Keeping students off balance can discourage complacency and maintain interest. A
good teacher knows what motivates each student, and works with the student as a partner in
learning. A good teacher is also competent, creative and caring.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1997 American Society of Radiologic Technologists

The past few columns have focused on a number of new techniques that educators can use to
improve classroom teaching. Simply using the latest techniques, however, does not assure
excellent teaching or enhanced learning. A teacher who means well but does not understand
the totality of the learning process can use all the new techniques in the world and still be
mediocre. Excellence in teaching is not just good technique.

What, then, makes a good teacher? That's the question the Carnegie Foundation asks annually.
Every year, the Carnegie Foundation identifies a few college professors who are considered the
best in their disciplines. Each of these teachers is invited to compete for the Carnegie Professor
of the Year Program and is asked to submit an essay on what constitutes good teaching. This
year, 20 of the essays were compiled into i book titled Inspiring Teaching: Carnegie Professors of
the Year Speak.[1] The essays are divided into four categories: teaching characteristics, teaching
practices, teaching philosophies and teaching teachers. Two of the essays -- one by an English
professor and the other by a professor of nursing -- have special meaning for radiologic science
educators.

Qualities of Good Teachers

Peter Beidler is the Lucy G. Moses Professor of English at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
His essay, titled "What Makes a Good Teacher?" lists 10 qualities Beidler believes are vital to
success in the teaching profession.

Most important, says Beidler, is the desire to be a good teacher -- one who succeeds in every
aspect of teaching, just as teachers recognize students who really try to be good students,
Students also recognize teachers who really want to be good teachers. "Faking it" usually
doesn't work beyond the second day of class (even if we've all had those 8 a.m. classes on
Fridays when we really had to fake it).

Second, good teachers take risks. One of the former professors at our institution was known to
the students as "Dr. Yellownotes." This faculty member had been teaching from the same
lecture notes for so many years that the paper on which they were written turned yellow and
the notes had to be kept in plastic covers to keep them from disintegrating. Not surprisingly, Dr.
Yellownotes was not respected by his students because he never took risks and never varied. At
the other end of the spectrum, Beidler describes an experiment he tried one semester. He didn't
assign a textbook for a writing class, instead asking the students to write their own textbook on
writing. His students recognized the risk he was taking and worked hard to assure that both they
and he succeeded.

A third quality of successful teachers is their positive attitude. Beidler believes that the teacher
who falls into the trap of cynicism or victimization will never be positive about teaching. Good
teachers meet all challenges with a positive attitude.

Fourth, good teachers never have enough time and never finish their work, but they don't
complain about the long hours because they love what they do.

Fifth, good teachers think of teaching as a form of parenting. Beidler says that teachers use
principles of good parenting in many situations, including caring about their Students' welfare,
knowing when to be firm and when to give in, and apologizing when necessary. Good teachers,
like good parents, know their students' problems, insecurities and potential.

Sixth, successful teachers give their students confidence. They realize that what the students
learn is less important than the learning process itself. Learning instills confidence.

Seventh, a good teacher is able to keep his or her students off balance. Complacent students are
bored students. Teachers encourage learning when they try new techniques and introduce risks.

Eighth, good teachers try to motivate students by working within their own incentive system.
Teachers who know their students' likes, dislikes, problems and personal issues are more likely
to be able to "push the right button" and motivate students to learn. Every cohort wave of
students has its own characteristics and unique incentive system. The good teacher stays aware
of trends and uses this information to modify motivational techniques. According to Beidler,
good teachers "try to understand what makes students tick these days, and then they build on
that knowledge to make them tock."

At first reading, the ninth and 10th qualities of good teaching seem to contradict each other.
The ninth quality, according to Beidler, is "don't trust student evaluations of your teaching," but
the 10th quality is "listen to your students."

Beidler makes an interesting distinction between the two. First, he notes that student
evaluations can be deceiving. Good teachers tend not to believe the positive evaluations and
agonize over the one or two mediocre ones, continually trying to improve their teaching.
Mediocre teachers do the opposite -- they trust the good evaluations and brush off the negative
ones. Beidler believes strongly that the best teachers are those who listen to what their
students say about good teaching in general rather than about any one particular teacher. For
example, in surveys, students almost universally state that the best teachers are those who are
available, accessible, approachable and, most importantly, are excited about what they teach. A
teacher who models his or her teaching style on the characteristics valued by students will be a
successful educator.

The Four `Cs' of Good Teaching

Sally Phillips is a professor of nursing at the University of Colorado Health Science Center. Her
essay included in Inspiring Teaching: Carnegie Professors of the Year Speak is titled
"Opportunities and Responsibilities: Competence, Creativity, Collaboration, and Caring."

In her essay, Phillips questions why students continue to attend colleges and universities at a
time when most books and journals are available online; interactive data files provide text, voice
and images; and almost any information is available to anyone anytime through archived
sources, newsgroups or e-mail. Her answer? Students continue to enroll in universities because
of the teachers.

Faculty members serve as models, colleagues and mentors who guide students on a lifelong
journey of growth and learning. To be effective guides on this journey, Phillips believes teachers
must possess four specific characteristics:

* First, teachers must be competent 能干. They must stay current not only in their chosen
profession, the profession of teaching, but also in the subject matter they teach. If the
competent teacher can be described as an "expert learner," then the students he or she
teaches can be thought of as Junior learners." By staying active in an array of professional,
legal, ethical, political and policy activities related to the subject being taught, students learn
to be professionals in the broadest meaning of the term. Professionals are people who
continue their involvement with the subject matter after the formal coursework ends.
Competent teachers encourage active learning, because active projects beyond lecturing instill a
passion in students to continue to be involved beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

* Second, good teachers must be creative. Phillips notes that the mass media have shortened
the attention spans of most students, but also have made them creative users of technology.
She suggests that it is not too much to ask for comparable qualities of excitement and creativity
from teachers. For example, courses should never be taught the same way twice. Phillips is a
strong advocate of reciprocal learning, a concept in which students take personal responsibility
for their own learning. One way to help teachers and students move away from passive learning
and toward reciprocal learning is by using case studies. In the radiologic sciences, case studies
are excellent teaching tools that can range from film critique sessions to grand round
presentations to clinical problem-solving sessions.

The creative teacher also encourages a breadth of thought. In a technical field such as health
care, teachers should be interested in more than just what students know. They should be
concerned about student beliefs, values and relationships. Phillips suggests bringing books, films
and articles about health care into the classroom to help students think beyond the physical
aspects of medicine and "examine the larger human dimensions."

* The third characteristic of successful teachers, according to Phillips, is their ability to

collaborate with students and treat them as partners. Learners expect to be treated as adults.
When they deal with clerks, bankers or coworkers, they expect a reciprocal relationship based
upon respect. Why should they expect anything less from a teacher? Teachers and learners who
enter into a partnership both benefit from the participatory learning environment. Collaborative
techniques in the teaching environment include:

* The development of "learning contracts," which allow students to have a stake in the
development and outcome of the course.

* Determining which teaching methods enhance or inhibit student learning.

* Brainstorming about evaluation methods.

* Establishing a mutual agreement on conduct and expectations for students and the teacher.

* Phillips' fourth "C" of good teaching is perhaps the most basic: A good teacher cares. Any
human relationship -- whether husband and wife, worker and supervisor, patient and health
care provider or teacher and student -- requires caring social interactions. If these interactions
are nbt present, the students will try to create them. No matter how competent, creative or
collaborative a teacher is, learning seldom occurs unless the teacher cares.

Part of caring is establishing and maintaining trust. For teachers, one way to build trust is by
allowing students to get to know them. Teachers who share insights about themselves give their
students an appreciation for their knowledge, expertise and experiences. "Opening up" in the
classroom can be an effective way of letting students know that they are valued, respected and
trusted by their teacher.

Another way to express caring and improve classroom interactions is to network within the
professional community. Teachers can introduce students to other professionals, involve them
in discussion groups and professional activities, and encourage them to network with each other
and with practicing professionals. By bringing students into the professional milieu, a good
teacher exhibits caring behavior and shows respect for his or her students.

Phillips concludes her essay by noting that until recently, students had to go through teachers
and an institution of higher learning to access information. Today, computers have opened the
information vaults to all, dramatically altering the role of the teacher. According to Phillips, the
mission of today's teacher should be to "assist and guide students in their personal discovery of
knowledge and synthesis of information." To do so, all teachers must practice the four "Cs" of
good teaching.

Conclusion

Inspiring Teaching: Carnegie Professors of the Year Speak is full of insightful essays that will give
any educator reason to pause and reflect upon their chosen profession. We highly recommend
this book to all educators, not only as vocational reading but also as a reminder of what makes
the teaching profession so worthwhile.

References

[1.] Roth J & ed. Inspiring Teaching: Carnegie Professors of the Year Speak. Boston, Mass: Anker
Publishing Co; 1997.

This column is edited by faculty of the School of Health Professions, Armstrong Atlantic State
University, a unit of the University System of Georgia.

Anne T. Rodgers, Ph.D., M.T. (ASCP), is a professor of medical technology.

Deanna S. Cross, Ph.D., R.N., is an associate professor and coordinator of the nursing program.

Barbara G. Tanenbaum, Ed.D., R.D.H., C.H.E.S., is a professor and head of the department of
Dental Hygiene.

Elwin R. Tilson. Ed.D., R.T.(R) (QM), is a professor and the clinical coordinator of radiology
sciences.

What makes an ideal teacher

What makes an ideal teacher. Give your opinion

(Qualities of a good teacher)

An ideal teacher is a friend as well as a teacher to his students. A good teacher should also be a
good friend.

In the classroom, he looks grave and solemn but he is a man of sweet and soft temper. He
sometimes appears rather old and sometimes young and bright but he is always, active and
alert. He is like and respected by all who know him. When he finds any of his students lazy, he
admonishes him, for he wants them all to do their work satisfactorily. He explains the lessons in
much detail, and does his best to answer any questions possibly raised by his students. He is
indeed a patient man; he continues to explain to his students the points that they do not
understand until they are perfectly familiar with their lessons. He takes great trouble in
correcting papers, and is very strict in giving marks. In the classroom, he always keeps the
dignity of a teacher.

But outside the classroom, he becomes the student’s best friend. He is an adviser to the clubs
organized by the students, and also helps them manage their sport teams. When a student is in
trouble, he comforts him and tries to help the latter solve any problems he may have.

A good teacher should not only mind the academical work of his students but should also
encourage them to take part in sports and games so as to keep themselves fit. He always sets a
good example himself so as to influence his students.

He keeps in touch not only with his students but with their families as well. The purpose in doing
so is to obtain the assistance of parents in educating the students. He tries to learn about the
family condition of the students. Those whose family conditions are good, he urges them to
study hard in order to further their study in the universities but those who have no means to
carry on their study at a higher level, he advises to switch over to other branches such as:
commercial course, business school, military career, and so forth. He thus increases the
efficiency of their work, and guides them at the appropriate moment in their choice of a
profession.

The teaching profession has many responsibilities, yet it is full of hardship. Personally, when I
am grown up, I will engage in educational activities that is, I shall be a teacher myself, for
education is full of life. The students you teach are like fruit-trees you plant. It is very interesting
to plant seed and to see it sprout, grow leaves, put forth flowers and bear fruits. In like manner,
it is a great spiritual comfort to think that you are contributing an important and useful part to
the future of your country. For this reason, I find the work of teachers both interesting and
hopeful and I will become ideal teacher so as to lend the younger generation on the path of
knowledge.

Essay topics: what are the characteristics of a good teacher? use reasons and examples to
support your response.
Submitted by zeezoo on Mon, 07/22/2013 - 12:20

Everyone can be a teacher but a good teacher required a very specific characteristic in order to
graduate a knowledgeable generation, a generation of future in which they help to improve
their country and the whole world. Some of these characteristic are, knowledgeable, sense of
humor, friendly.

Teaching is an important occupation that helps to create a profession and creative generation.
The teacher must be knowledgeable in order to improve his teaching skill to his student, since
the teacher is the barrier that assist the student to transform from the darkness to the light.so
he must teach from the heart not just from the book, and that’s depend on how much the
teacher is knowledgeable and eager to arrive the information clearly to the student, in order
to create generation of future. For example when I was in the college, I remember a chemistry
class very well, my doctor have a large amount of information and he never getting bored to
teach us all what u have, with his amazing style, at this moment I remember all thing about
this class.

On the other hand, the teacher must have sense of humor, that way can be easily arrive the
ideas to their student, and the student will not bored when the teacher give a class, so the fun
way that the teacher follow it in giving his lesson will have a very positive impact to their
student. For instance, in my school my history teacher has a specific way in order to telling us
the lesson about war ii, it just like a funny story.

Finally, the most important characteristic for a good teacher is friendly, so the relation not just
to be like a person how share the information to another, but also a friendly relation, so can
the student trust his teacher and share with him their problem without hesitation.

To conclude, the good teacher must know how to teach and what he teaches, and the
importance one is how to deal with their student, since he is a light that shine their path, but
that required a specific characteristic.

Lesson #1: Good teachers share one special quality

HAL URBAN

If I asked you to name your favorite teachers from kindergarten through graduate school, it
would be easy to answer, wouldnt it?

Good teaching is as much about passion as it

is about reason .... It's about caring for your

craft, having a passion for it, and conveying

that passion to everyone, most importantly to

your students.

- Professor Richard Leblanc

Award-winning teacher,

York University, Ontario

Who were your favorite teachers?

If I asked you to name your favorite teachers from kindergarten through graduate school, it
would be easy to answer, wouldn't it? It would also be an enjoyable question to answer because
it would bring back so many fond memories of wonderful people who've touched both your
personal life and your professional life. You would be thinking about people who not only taught
you things of value, but inspired you as well. Quite possibly they inspired you to become a
teacher.

My classmates and I were asked this question on my first day in the teaching credential program
at the University of San Francisco many years ago. It was a great way to begin my pursuit of a
career in teaching -- thinking about people in the profession who had the most positive
influence on me. We were asked to write down our answers. I thought of Sister Mary Margaret
and Sister Mary Anne, who taught me in elementary school. I thought of Mrs. Padgett and Mrs.
Kofford, English teachers, and Mr. Kutras, a history teacher, in high school. Then I thought of Dr.
Lincoln and Dr. Campbell, history professors, and Dr. Kirk, an English professor, who taught me
in college. Then came this question: "What do they all have in common?" My hand went up first,
and Dr. McSweeney (another great teacher) called on me. I said, "They all loved what they were
doing. They had great enthusiasm for teaching." All of my fellow graduate students nodded their
heads in agreement. One of them, to punctuate the point, said "Exactly!"

That was apparently the answer he expected. He said, "I ask that question every year, and I
always get the same answer." He went on to explain that he opens with that question because
it's guaranteed to get things off to a good start, and it gets future teachers to think about what
separates the great teachers from the not-so-great. He said, "We all remember our favorite
teachers -- the ones who had passion and enthusiasm, the ones who loved and enjoyed what
they were doing. We want each of you to become that kind of teacher. Always remember those
special teachers. Make your career a tribute to them." It's a statement I never forgot once
during my thirty-five years in the classroom.

Having fun while working hard

There are other words that are similar to enthusiasm and passion. They also describe our
favorite teachers. Here are a few of them:

There's yet another important word that goes with all of the above in describing the best
teachers. The word is FUN! Good teachers, along with working very hard, almost always have
fun. Have you ever noticed how much they smile while they're teaching? One of my greatest
colleagues once said, "I don't know of any other job I could do and have this much fun. Just
think, I get paid for coming here every day and having fun." Like most teachers, he didn't get
paid nearly enough for what he did, but the other rewards that come from good teaching more
than made up for it.

There's another aspect of fun that's equally important. If the teacher's having fun, there's a
good chance the students are also. Students of all ages appreciate a teacher who's having a
good time. Hard work and dedication are not exclusive of having fun. In fact, one of the valuable
things I learned during my student teaching was that the harder I worked outside of class getting
ready for it, the more fun I had inside the class. When students say that a teacher is "fun" or
teaches a "fun class," they don't mean it's all fun and games in which no teaching or learning is
going on. They simply mean that the teacher enjoys what he or she is doing, and that it becomes
an important part of the atmosphere of the classroom. In the teaching profession hard work and
fun go together.

I'm not claiming that every day in the classroom is going to be nothing but sunshine and smiling
faces just because you come in all fired up with enthusiasm. But I am saying that you increase
the odds of teaching effectively and having cooperative students every time you do. People in all
professions have their bad days, whether they're in business, sports, technology, service work,
entertainment, construction, education, or any other. Having a bad day once in a while is part of
life. Believe me, I had my share of disappointments. But a passion for what you're doing can
keep those days at a minimum.

Enthusiasm releases the drive to

carry you over obstacles and adds

significance to all you do.

- Norman Vincent Peale

Enthusiasm spelled out

Teaching is not a job for sissies. We have to be tough both physically and mentally simply
because the job is so demanding. There are also times when we need to be tough on the kids.
Not mean, but tough. We need to let them know that we're not afraid to make them work. We
need to hold them accountable, and they need to know that we will.

Near the end of my career as a classroom teacher I was asked to speak to a group of graduate
students in education at Santa Clara University. All of them were working toward their California
teaching credential. Some were taking the beginning courses in the program, while others were
doing their student teaching. I told them I was happy to be there because they had three
wonderful qualities: youth, idealism, and enthusiasm. I told them the key to having a successful
and rewarding teaching career would be in maintaining all three. I said, "No matter how old you
get you can still maintain your youthful spirit. If you can do this, you should also be able to
maintain your idealism and your enthusiasm."

I asked them if they'd met any burned out and cynical teachers yet. They all assured me they
had. I asked them if they'd heard comments like this in a nasty tone of voice: "Oh, yeah, you're
young and idealistic now, but just wait until you've been teaching as long as I have. Then we'll
see how excited you are." Again, I was told that they'd heard comments like these often. I did
everything I could to assure them that it doesn't have to be that way. I never lost an ounce of
enthusiasm for teaching, even in my thirty-fifth year, and I had many outstanding colleagues
who felt the same way. It was their continued enthusiasm for teaching that made them so
successful year after year.
While preparing for the Santa Clara presentation I started playing around with each of the ten
letters in the word enthusiasm, and had a lot of fun coming up with other words that paint a
picture of what successful teachers do. The graduate students loved it. One of them, skilled in
computer graphics, made a small ENTHUSIASM! poster, which included all the words. She
printed out one for each of her classmates and sent a copy to me. Here are the other words:

Energetic - Let's face it. Teaching is a high-energy job. The lifeless need not apply. The students
we spend the day with have energy to spare, and we need to be able to keep up with them. Stay
in shape and take your vitamins.

Not boring - Here are the four most frequent complaints I heard from students about teachers:

"He has no control over the class."

"I'm not learning anything from her."

"He's so mean."

"She's so boring."

I'll address the issues of control, learning, and being mean in other chapters of this book. Let me
address the boring issue here. Simply put, it's impossible to be boring and excited at the same
time. If you're genuinely excited about what you're doing there won't be any complaints about
being boring.

Tough - Teaching is not a job for sissies. We have to be tough both physically and mentally
simply because the job is so demanding. There are also times when we need to be tough on the
kids. Not mean, but tough. We need to let them know that we're not afraid to make them work.
We need to hold them accountable, and they need to know that we will.

High standards - Good teachers consistently maintain high standards in two important areas.
The first is classroom management -- establishing a culture that's conducive to teaching and
learning, one that's built on a foundation of mutual respect. The other is academics -- letting
students and their parents know that we take seriously the responsibility of helping the next
generation acquire the knowledge they'll need to function well in society.
Understanding - By this I mean understanding what's going on in our students' lives --
developing empathy for them. It's a lot harder being a kid now than it was when we were
growing up, and we need to acknowledge this. We should make every effort possible to learn
what's going on in their lives, what affects their learning. It's also important for us to remember
our own days as students. What was it like on a bad day? When were we distracted? When were
we at our best? How did our best teachers treat us in both good and bad times?

Sense of humor - Simply put, you'll die in the classroom without one. An important aspect of
enthusiasm for teaching -- as well as for life -- is the ability to see and enjoy the funny things
that surround us daily. While everyone likes to laugh, it's been proven that kids laugh about ten
times more than the average adult. Teachers, more than anyone, need to understand this.
Laughter makes every classroom a better place. This doesn't mean that you have to be Robin
Williams every day. It just means that you should never miss an opportunity to laugh with your
kids and at yourself. Laughter is the shortest distance between people of all ages.

Imagination - Albert Einstein said imagination is more important than intellect. Most certainly,
this applies to the teaching profession. You could have a Ph.D. from Harvard and be a renowned
expert in your subject area, but if you can't present your material creatively you'll bomb. Keep in
mind that good teaching is an art. It requires some degree of imagination and resourcefulness.
Always look for new and better ways of making your material interesting. It will be more
enjoyable for you and for your students.

"If you want to make a point with your students, put it into a story. They'll tune out a lecture,
but they'll always listen to a good story." All good teachers -- along with good preachers,
speakers, and writers -- are good storytellers. Everyone loves a good story.

Always prepared - Someone once asked me what the most demanding and time-consuming part
of teaching was. Without a second's hesitation, I answered in one word: PREPARATION! Nothing
is more important to a teacher. It would have absolutely terrified me to walk into a classroom
without being fully prepared. In fact, I usually suggest that teachers be over-prepared. At the
same time, we need to be flexible. Good teachers are able to capitalize on those serendipitous
moments when they occur, no matter how solid their lesson plans are.

Storyteller - In my first year of teaching one of the best teachers at my school gave me some
advice that was invaluable, and I've been passing it on for more than forty years. He said, "If you
want to make a point with your students, put it into a story. They'll tune out a lecture, but they'll
always listen to a good story." All good teachers -- along with good preachers, speakers, and
writers -- are good storytellers. Everyone loves a good story.

Motivated - "Real motivation comes from within." That's the title of Chapter 11 in my first book,
Life's Greatest Lessons. Good teachers understand this. They keep a fire burning inside rather
than wait for someone else to light one for them.

In addition, they help their students become motivated. This happens because good teachers
are also good salespeople -- they sell ideas. They help their students understand why it's so
important to pass on knowledge, and help them see education, not as an obligation, but as an
opportunity to improve the quality of their lives.

Two types of teacher enthusiasm

If you took a survey among the best teachers you know and asked them what they enjoy the
most about their jobs, a large percentage of them would give you two answers. I know this
because I conducted such a survey during the years 2006-2007. While attending conferences
and visiting schools throughout the country I informally interviewed more than two hundred
teachers at all grade levels. Among the many questions I asked, these were the most important
ones: "Why are you so enthusiastic about your job? What do you like most about teaching?"
Almost all of them gave me the same two answers.

1 - Enthusiasm for the kids

If you do any reading about the history and philosophy of education, you'll find that great
teachers of the past all agree that learning is usually the result of a good relationship between
the teacher and the student. Good teaching is personal.

Good teachers love their students. They may not love every kid at every moment, but in general,
they enjoy being with young people who are full of energy and always on the edge of discovery.
These teachers have a special knack for connecting with them, for helping them open their
minds.
If you do any reading about the history and philosophy of education, you'll find that great
teachers of the past all agree that learning is usually the result of a good relationship between
the teacher and the student. Good teaching is personal. This was pointed out during one of my
first graduate seminars in a course called Philosophy of Education. Our professor, Dr. Tom
McSweeney, shared with us two of his favorite old sayings about the relationship between
teachers and students. He claimed then, as I do now, that they capture the essence of effective
teaching:

"Kids don't care how much you know

until they know how much you care."

You could have a bachelor's degree from Yale, a master's degree from Stanford, and a doctorate
from M.I.T. You could have written a scholarly book that won the Pulitzer Prize. You could be
considered the world's foremost authority in nuclear technology. The kids could care less. All
they want to know is: Can you connect with them? Do you understand them? Do you really care
about them? And no matter what ages they are, they'll know the answers to all of these
questions after spending only a few days with you in class. Good teachers are servant leaders.
Let your students know -- and show them -- how much you care.

"If you can reach 'em, you can teach 'em."

Our students are no different than we are when it comes to wanting a basic human need met.
They want to feel as though they count. They don't want to be regarded by the teacher as
students who sit in particular desks. They want to be regarded as human beings whose lives and
feelings and aspirations are important. There are many ways in which teachers can fill this need
that all students have. I'll be discussing some of them throughout this book, especially in
chapters four and six.

2 - Enthusiasm for teaching

Among teacher variables, enthusiasm has the

most powerful and positive impact on student

learning.

- Toni Kempler

If you ask one hundred great teachers what their most important professional quality is, almost
all of them will answer "dedication," "passion," "zeal," "enthusiasm," or "love of teaching." They
won't talk about their degrees or how much they know. They'll talk about how genuinely excited
they are about their jobs. If you ask one hundred people who aren't even in the field of
education what the most important quality of a good teacher is, they'll give you answers that
are almost identical to those of the teachers. They remember their best teachers as the ones
who loved their jobs.

The results were remarkably similar. Research does bear out that enthusiasm is a special quality
that all great teachers share.

In other words, we all seem to have this "gut" feeling that when it comes to good teaching,
enthusiasm is the key element. But we need to remember that within the field of education
there's an important group of people who keep us honest and on our toes by constantly asking
these kinds of questions: Has it been researched? Do the findings support your theory? I'm
happy to answer YES -- teacher enthusiasm has been researched. And I'm even happier to
answer YES -- the findings do support our theory.

Toni Kempler, quoted above, earned her PhD in Education and Psychology at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor. As I write this she's a Professor of Education at Rutgers University, and is
one of those important people referred to above who conducts meticulous research in the
interest of good teaching. She and two of her colleagues conducted a study in which they set
out to measure the importance of teacher enthusiasm. Their results were published in The
Journal of Experimental Education, spring, 2000. The title of their article is, "What's Everybody
So Excited About?: The Effects of Teacher Enthusiasm on Student Intrinsic Motivation and
Vitality."

Through the miracle we call the Internet I found more than forty other studies conducted within
the last ten years on teacher enthusiasm. The research involved teachers and students at all
grade levels from elementary school to graduate school. It was conducted through experiments,
surveys, observation, case studies, and interviews. The results were remarkably similar.
Research does bear out that enthusiasm is a special quality that all great teachers share.

It is important that teachers be able to commun-

icate a sense of excitement about the subjects

they teach.

- David Ausubel

Educational psychologist

Not only does teacher enthusiasm help make a course

more enjoyable and entertaining for students and

the teacher, it has also been shown to help the learner

retain larger amounts of information.

- W. D. Coats

Educational psychologist

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without

it nothing great was ever achieved.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you love what you are doing

you will be successful.

- Albert Schweitzer

Hal Urban. "Lesson #1: Good teachers share one special quality." chapter one in Lessons From
The Classroom: 20 Things Good Teachers Do. Saline, MI: Great Lesson Press, 2008, 1-10.