Qualities of Great Teachers

What makes a teacher, great?

Before giving an answer to this question, let's agree on the role of an educator is invaluable and teaching is not an easy job. Teaching requires patience, creativity, and a lot of hard work. It also requires dedication and passion for educating children. On the other hand, it is wonderful and rewarding to make a difference in the children's lives. It is a joy seeing them learn and grow.

In the field of education, there are many studies, study after study showed that the quality of the teacher is the most important factor determining the quality of the education a child receives. The quality of teachers are determined by a certain set of characteristics.

In an article entitled, "Ten Qualities of a Good Teacher", the author Danielle Gagnon shared the thoughts of the education faculty and students at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) on the qualities of effective teachers. They all believe that a good teacher can make a great impact on everything in students' lives from their classroom learning to their long-term success.

A study from the American Economics Association (AEA) found that improvements in teacher quality positively impact everything from the quality of colleges students attend to students’ future salaries, the quality of their neighborhood and even their future participation rates in 401k savings plans (AEA PDF source).

Danielle Gagnon

According to Gagnon, good teachers who make this great impact possess some qualities include skills in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy and patience. Add to these qualities other characteristics of effective teaching such as the ability of engaging students, valuing real-world learning, exchanging of best practices and a lifelong love of learning.

In another article entitled, "What Makes a Great Teacher?", Great Schools Staff identified more skills that teaching demands:

It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and standards; enthusiasm, a caring attitude, and a love of learning; knowledge of discipline and classroom management techniques; and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people.

Great Schools Staff

Even though, Great School Staff stated in the article that demanding all these qualities makes it difficult to find great teachers, nonetheless, great teachers are still out there and easy to spot on regardless of the setting.

I am privileged enough to observe classrooms in various settings and learn from great teachers what great teaching looks like. Throughout the Administrative Leadership Program at Alverno College and my current role as a school admin at Noor Sunday School, I am privileged enough to observe classrooms in various settings. I learned and continue learning from great teachers what great teaching looks like.

Once I walk in any classroom, I am able to tell if this classroom is being taught by a great teacher. The characteristics of this classroom usually include, the atmosphere or culture is generally happy. It is safe and ridicule-free. If a student does not know the answer, the teacher explains the question in multiple ways until the student understands it.

The teacher knows all students and their families well and interacts with students in a humble attitude. The teacher has a sense of humor and laughs when a student says something funny but knows how to direct discussion quickly around the lesson being taught. Students are engaged the entire time and seem enjoying what they are learning. In other words, they are having fun being in class.

From the teacher-students interaction, it is easy to tell that the teacher is liked by students. The bond between the teacher and student is notable and strong. The classroom is neat and safe. Students' work is displayed on the walls in a creative way.

In addition to that, being open to feedback is another great quality of great teachers. They do not get offended when some areas for improvement are observed or mentioned. They listen because they are sincere in willingness to improve themselves to become better at teaching.

In the meantime, they are open to receiving feedback from their own students. They are aware that students' opinions will help them adapt their teaching and become more effective.

In the following TED video, the speaker described how he used students' feedback in improving himself as a teacher. He also shared useful tips on how to be a great teacher. This video is worth watching.

I hope I was able to explain what makes a teacher great. If you like this article, please share and subscribe!

- Tahany A.

Resources:

What makes a great teacher?

10 Qualities of A Good Teacher