Top 11 traits of a good teacher by Alan Haskvitz
"Some say that my teaching is nonsense. Others call it lofty
but impractical. But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense. And to those who put it into
practice, this loftiness has roots that go deep."
-- Lao-Tzu
First, there is no hard and fast list that tells you who is a
good teacher or who is not a good teacher. However, there are
traits that excellent teachers have in common. These are not the
usual qualities such as being a good friend or having a nice
personality. These are what researchers from around the world
have found when they watched those teachers whose students
excelled once they left that teacher's classroom. Of course, not
every teacher is going to be a skillful teacher for every child
and a child spends only about 8 percent of the year in school,
which means that regardless of the quality of teacher, a
supportive home environment is essential to excellent learning.
1. Be unsatisfied
The first trait of a high-quality teacher is that he or she is a
good learner. They are always eager to learn new things, expand
their knowledge base, experiment with better ways to achieve
success. They are lifelong learners and they produce lifelong
learners. So, the first trait is to be unsatisfied with what is.
In other words, the best teacher is always a student.
2. High expectations
High expectations are the second trait of outstanding teachers. I
once had a principal who said having high expectations created
failure. In other words, the principal did not want to set high
goals for fear of parent complaints. In reality, setting high
standards brings out the best in students and creates in them a
feeling of accomplishment. They become self-reliant, learn to
delay gratification, and fit more readily into adulthood where
competition is inevitable. High standards are not impossible
standards. Setting high expectations may require making the
student uncomfortable, much like taking the training wheels off a
bicycle. In other words, good teachers encourage risk taking and
accept errors.
3. Create independence
Thirdly, highly effective educators are adept at monitoring
student problems and progress. They remediate when necessary and
differentiate as needed. To do this they use their time well.
They are not the center of the classroom. The students are
encouraged to look for help and answers on their own. They are
passionate about not teaching, but facilitating learning. As
such, they are promoting their own obsolescence. Just as a fine
manager has a team in place that can operate well without him or
her, a good teacher creates in a student a sense of self that
lasts a lifetime. They promote a deeper understanding of concepts
and work habits than just learning the curriculum suggests. In
other words, they create independence.
4.Knowledgeable
Fourth, they possess a deep knowledge of the subject matter and
are able to manipulate, simplify, and individualize this data
more easily because they are a master of it. To gain this they
are not just hard workers, but have a passion for the subject.
They are able to empathize with students who might not like that
subject and turn that lack of enthusiasm around by presenting the
facts from a different angle. In other words, their bumper
sticker reads, "This teacher stops for new ideas."
5. Humor
Fifth, first-class teachers have a good sense of humor. They make
jokes and accept jokes. They are not comedians, but they are
entertaining. They tell stories, point out silly things, bring
joy to difficult situations, and are not afraid of laughter. They
use humor to connect to their students. In other words, excellent
teachers keep the students' attention without fear.
6.Insightful
The sixth trait is to provide quick and accurate assessment of
student work. Tests and other projects are evaluated in a timely
manner. The student work may not be filled with red marks or gold
stars, but it is returned with the understanding of what was
right and what could be improved. Without constant evaluation a
learning child cannot make the progress of a student who is
guided. A helpful teacher does not discourage original thinking,
but it must be proven. At all times, the best educator is looking
for the student's reasoning, rather than the answer. In other
words, for the insightful teacher, student assessment assesses
the teacher's performance and provides ideas of what changes both
need to make to improve.
7. Flexible
Seventh, the best teachers use the community as their resource.
They see education as more than what is done in the classroom.
They belong to civic groups, participate in organizations, and
use their contacts to enhance student learning. For example, they
bring in guest speakers, seek donations from the community as
needs arise, and allow their students to display their work for
the citizenry to critique and enjoy. They use technology as an
extension of the community and find new resources to make their
lessons more attractive. They use a newspaper and current events
to open a child's mind to what is happening in the world and at
all times they search for a teachable moment
(any instance where a child expresses an interest in something
that could be used to stimulate their learning). This includes
both negative and positive items and is the main reason lesson
plans are never mentioned as a trait of good teaching. Superior
teachers abandon them to follow more encouraging leads. This is
why educators and education is so misunderstood by those who feel
children are cans of soup, all alike and open, ready for
knowledge to be poured in and sealed. Excellent teachers
encourage student input and use the community to make for more
invigorating teaching. In other words, a quality instructor is a
master of flexibility.
8.Diverse
Eighth, a first-rate teacher provides an array of methods to
learn. They integrate the lessons among several subjects; they
use research papers, artwork, poetry and even physical education
as part of the learning process. For example, when a child is
studying an explorer the teacher shows them how many miles per
hour they walk, how to create a graph of the calories they would
need, make a map of the trip with legend, write a journal of what
they saw, draw pictures of the flora and fauna, and make a
presentation of what the student felt was the best and worst part
of the discovery. In other words, the proficient educator offers
children a diverse array of avenues to pursue excellence.
9. Un-accepting
Ninth, a quality teacher is un-accepting. They do not accept pat
answers. They do not accept first drafts. They do not accept
false excuses. They are not the easiest teachers because of this
trait. Education is, in essence, the disciplining of the mind. A
student who knows the rules knows what to expect and knows what
is right. The best teachers are those that have appropriate
standards and that build good habits. In other words, a superior
teacher understands what a child needs now and in the future.
10. Un-conforming
The tenth, and perhaps most interesting trait, is that a quality
teacher keeps children off balance. The student is not bored, but
challenged. When a child who has a skillful teacher comes home,
they talk about what they did in class. They are riled up, they
are motivated, and they know they need to be ready for the
unexpected. A high-quality teacher can be dressed up in an
outfit, show a video, take them to the library, have them work on
a project, create lessons for one another, work on a computer,
proofread a classmate's work, and invent a game to play at
recess, all before noon. One day is seldom like the next. There
is continuity, but diversity is everywhere.
11. A communicator
Of note is that not one research paper said a trait of good
quality teachers were their bulletin boards, tidy rooms, easy
grades, and ability to write neatly or dress well. All the traits
dealt with the ability to trigger learning, and thus the most
important trait of all is the ability to communicate.
If you read below, you’ll find some traits of good
teachers as expressed by young people around the world.
From Indonesia:
A great teacher smiles to his/her pupils even when they screw him
up.
A good teacher shows the whole wide world to the students.
From India:
One who help his students in all respects. He makes his students
able to live better life. He teaches students to take decisions
in all the conditions.
From Croatia:
A really good teacher should be child in his soul . . .
From Ireland:
It is fundamental that a teacher cares about humanity in general.
From Chile:
A good teacher is someone who can learn from his students, who
can learn with them, and for them.
From Egypt:
To win their confidence should be the teacher's first aim though strictness has to be in its place.
From Germany:
A good teacher, of course, has to be humorous. A teacher has to
enjoy what she does!
Has to remember how it was when he/she was a child
From Pakistan:
A guide.
A real friend is someone who knows all about you and still he
loves you. A good teacher is a good friend.
Good teaching is keeping yourself in the shoes of your students.
From Malaysia:
One who doesn't 'teach' but instead is willing to 'learn' with
the child and from the child.
From Mexico:
The teacher is to the students what the rain is to the field.
From Chad:
A good teacher should answer all questions, even if they are
stupid.
From Jamaica:
To become a good teacher, you not only teach the children, but
you also have to learn from them.
From Nigeria:
A good teacher must be prepared to be foolish if that will help
his pupil attain wisdom.