This is a good one.
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What makes a good teacher?
By Mark Eley
June 17,1997
I ponder this question as I look back over my twenty-one years as a student, and my five years as a classroom teacher. I also bring with me observations I have done of so-called "master" teachers, colleagues whose classrooms I have had the opportunity to visit. I have read research, journal articles and media articles, attended workshops, and watched videos attempting to gain strategies that would help me become a "good teacher". I think I can answer two different ways, from my head and from my heart.
My head has some very concrete descriptors of what a good teacher is. In fact, I have probably used several parts of this answer in interviews. A good teacher must first and foremost be a child advocate. Inside and outside of the classroom, a good teacher fights for what is right for children. Decisions that a good teacher makes are based primarily on how that decision will effect his or her students. This also demonstrates a certain unselfishness on the teacher’s part. Kids come first!
A second characteristic of a good teacher is their respect for others. They respect their students, and their classroom management and interactions show it. They respect the parents and community members, and are always professional in their interactions. They respect their colleagues and staff members, and do not talk about them behind their backs. A good teacher is a person of integrity.
A third characteristic of a good teacher is that of a life-long learner. They are knowledgeable in their profession and in their subject area(s), and continue to grow in that knowledge. A good teacher is well read, and makes decisions based on current research regarding best practice.
Fourth, a good teacher is a good communicator. He or she is someone who not only delivers a message well, but is also an active listener. Again, an unselfish attitude in listening to students and parents is very important.
Finally, a good teacher emphasizes that students be responsible for the own learning. They set goals together with their students, and then act as facilitators to help those students attain those goals. They celebrate successes, and encourage those still working along.
Well, at least that is what my head says. My heart replies, 'Phooey!" There is a part of me that believes that the question, "What makes a good teacher?" can't be answered.
Can we really define all of those things that make a good teacher? Even if I go down a checklist one hundred pages long and meet all of the criteria, will I really be '"good"? Maybe we should look at what a teacher accomplishes. Would that give us a clear understanding of what a good teacher is? I believe the answer is "No".
To find (or define) a "good" teacher, we must look to individual people at individual moments in time. For example, I believe I was a good teacher for many of my students last year, but not all. Some of those students might label me as a good teacher. Some of their parents might do the same. I, however, would not give myself that label, partly because of those students for whom I was not a good teacher.
As teachers, we must always be examining ourselves, getting feedback from students, parents, colleagues, and administrators, and coating that with an understanding that we are mere mortals, to help us find that "good teacher" in ourselves.
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"What makes a good teacher"