The first is the ability to respond and adapt planned lessons to meet the needs of the

learners.
A great teacher should know how to use their subject expertise in a way that connects with

the students level of understanding to foster genuine enthusiasm for the subject.
Teacher ability to relate to students. They recognize them as individual learners and are

therefore able to make the subject feel relevant to what is going on in their lives
The best teachers are able to strike an appropriate balance between opportunities to work
independently, to use focused collaboration in groups or pairs and for direct input from the
teacher. There is no ideal lesson formula, what is important is that the balance of activities
works to achieve the learning outcomes.

qualities that make someone an outstanding teacher.

Patient. Teachers must have the patience to handle the same questions and issues over
and over again.

Knowledgeable. If you do not have a solid understanding of the material, youll have a
difficult time teaching it to someone else. Teachers must have comprehensive knowledge of many
different topics.

Committed to life-long learning. The field of education changes frequently.

Teachers must be prepared to keep up with all of the latest developments.

Good personality. Not everyone has a natural personality for working with children.
Teachers must be able to connect with their students in an appropriate fashion.

Innovative. Teaching programs cannot possibly prepare future teachers for all of the
challenges that they will face on the job. Teachers must be able to think on their feet.

Flexible. Anything can change in a classroom or with the course of the school day, often
with very little warning. Teachers must be prepared to adapt accordingly.

Organized. Teachers must juggle a large amount of curriculum as well as countless other
aspects of a classroom from management to bulletin boards.

Natural leader. In addition to leading students, teachers also find themselves leading
their co-workers in meetings and on committees.

Mature. Teachers must always get the upper hand and maintain a high level of maturity
when managing any number of situations with students.

Good listener. Students will not be invested in a classroom experience if they do not feel
that the teacher is listening to them.

What Sets Strong Teachers Apart

Regardless of their backgrounds, these teachers and other great teachers in challenging schools whom I've read
aboutincluding Esme Codell (2009), Salome Thomas-El (2003), Erin Gruell (1999), and celebrated author and
former teacher Frank McCourt (2006)all have a lot in common.

1. They have the correct mind-set.

They believe their students can learn; have high expectations; are willing to give extra help; find ways to make
schoolwork interesting, relevant, and comprehensible; and use diverse instructional strategies (Codell, 2009). They
believe it's their job to provide students with high-quality instruction (Kafele, 2009).

2. They have good classroom-management skills.

At the beginning of the school year, they make their expectations clear. Instead of pushing students into the "prison
pipeline," they enforce rules fairly, don't show favoritism, don't overreact to minor situations, and don't allow any
student to prevent others from learning (Thompson, 2010). Ms. Samuels had such strong classroom-management
skills that less effective teachers often sent their "problematic" students to her.

3. They create a classroom environment that is based on mutual respect and make their
classrooms a safe learning community so that students can concentrate on schoolwork.
Ms. McKoy's students admired her so much that they wanted to behave in her classroom. Both her principal and
other teachers told me that she has a special gift for nurturing students, especially black boys. "I love all of my
students," Ms. McKoy told me, "but there's just something special about the boys. I want to reach them to the same
extent that the teacher who went out of her way to help me when I was a child did."

4. They strive to form positive relationships with their students by making it clear that they have
students' best interests at heart.
Gruell (1999) and McCourt (2006) convinced students that developing good writing skills would benefit them. Codell
(2009) began and ended each day with activities that showed students she cared about their overall welfare.

5. They use assessment data to improve their teaching.

For example, after doing a beginning-of the-school-year assessment, Codell (2009) realized that students lacked
basic decoding skills, so she created phonics-based lessons. Because of her willingness to give students what they
needed, her students' standardized test scores improved dramatically.

6. They are realistic.

They understand that even when they do their best, some students will misbehave; reject their efforts to form positive
relationships; and complain of boredom and act apathetic, no matter how interesting, comprehensible, and relevant
they try to make the curriculum. Nonetheless, effective teachers continue to focus on what they can do, instead of on
what they can't control, and they keep doing their very best (Thompson, 2010).

ESSAY

A teacher with flexibility is able to adapt their methods to best serve students with
varied learning styles. Flexibility also means recognizing when a particular activity is
not working in the classroom, and being able to change on the spot to a more
successful method.
The foundation of effective teaching in secondary education is content mastery. While
teachers cannot be expected to know every minute detail about their subject area, it
stands to reason that they must have a strong grounding in the content and a desire
to learn more about it.
Students are not always able to convey their academic needs in the classroom.
Teachers must make themselves available to their students through additional office
hours or alternate forms of communication (such as email) so students will feel
comfortable bringing up concerns or questions.
Ultimately, students respond best to teachers who demonstrate a genuine concern
for them, academically and personally. Students are willing to work harder when they
believe what they do is important, not only to them, but to others.
The most important trait a teacher demonstrates in the classroom is respect. By
treating students fairly, listening to student input, and deliberately giving students
responsibility for their own success, teachers show that they respect students as
people with valid ideas, concerns and goals.

Outstanding teachers are clear and organized

Outstanding teachers have fully prepared lessons, with clear objectives that
are also obvious to students. They are in the classroom early and ready to
go with teaching by the time students arrive.

Outstanding teachers use a repertoire of teaching strategies to

engage students
The first 5 minutes of a lesson really counts; and it usually sets the tone for
how the rest of the lesson will go. Outstanding teachers use a variety of

teaching strategies to entice their students in the first few minutes of the
lesson.

Outstanding teachers develop positive relationships with their

students
Seeking mutual respect and trust is a goal of an outstanding teacher. They
are warm, pleasant, approachable and tolerant of student differences. They
are consistent and fair.

Outstanding teachers adapt their lessons for individual

differences
Not all kids are the same or learn in the same way or in the same time, each
and every one of them is unique.

Outstanding teachers assess and evaluate student learning to

identify what they learned and what they have not yet learned
Outstanding teachers ask themselves: what knowledge, skills and values did
my students learn? What am I going to do to help my students learn
concepts if they didnt, or extend those students that need it? Outstanding
teachers constantly evaluate how their students are progressing and use this
information to direct future learning experiences.

Outstanding teachers constantly develop their management

skills

Preventing student management problems from occurring in the first place is

the goal of an outstanding teacher. Outstanding teachers make their
expectations very clear to students and can anticipate problems and if they
do arise react accordingly to prevent further disruption.

Outstanding teachers are reflective teachers

Outstanding teachers want to improve to become a more effective teacher.

Great Teacher

1. A great teacher respects students. In a great teachers classroom, each

persons ideas and opinions are valued. Students feel safe to express their feelings

and learn to respect and listen to others. This teacher creates a welcoming
learning environment for all students.

2. A great teacher creates a sense of community and belonging in the

classroom. The mutual respect in this teachers classroom provides a
supportive, collaborative environment. In this small community, there are rules
to follow and jobs to be done and each student is aware that he or she is an
important, integral part of the group. A great teacher lets students know that they
can depend not only on her, but also on the entire class.

3. A great teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. This

person is approachable, not only to students, but to everyone on campus. This is
the teacher to whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or
even to share a funny story. Great teachers possess good listening skills and take
time out of their way-too-busy schedules for anyone who needs them. If this
teacher is having a bad day, no one ever knowsthe teacher leaves personal
baggage outside the school doors.
4. A great teacher sets high expectations for all students. This teacher
realizes that the expectations she has for her students greatly affect their
achievement; she knows that students generally give to teachers as much or as
little as is expected of them.

5. A great teacher has his own love of learning and inspires students with
his passion for education and for the course material. He constantly renews
himself as a professional on his quest to provide students with the highest quality
of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies
or incorporating new technologies into lessons, and always seems to be the one
who is willing to share what hes learned with colleagues.

6. A great teacher is a skilled leader. Different from administrative leaders,

effective teachers focus on shared decision-making and teamwork, as well as on
community building. This great teacher conveys this sense of leadership to
students by providing opportunities for each of them to assume leadership roles.

7. A great teacher can shift-gears and is flexible when a lesson isnt

working. This teacher assesses his teaching throughout the lessons and finds new

ways to present material to make sure that every student understands the key
concepts.

8. A great teacher collaborates with colleagues on an ongoing

basis. Rather than thinking of herself as weak because she asks for suggestions
or help, this teacher views collaboration as a way to learn from a fellow
professional. A great teacher uses constructive criticism and advice as an
opportunity to grow as an educator.
9. A great teacher maintains professionalism in all areasfrom personal
appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Her
communication skills are exemplary, whether she is speaking with an
administrator, one of her students or a colleague. The respect that the great
teacher receives because of her professional manner is obvious to those around
her.

While teaching is a gift that seems to come quite naturally for some, others have
to work overtime to achieve great teacher status. Yet the payoff is enormous for
both you and your students. Imagine students thinking of you when they
remember that great teacher they had in college!