essay of great teacher

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The Heart of Teaching: What It Means to Be a Great Teacher

Kindness, empathy, and a focus on building community are among the qualities of a great teacher.

What does it mean to be a great teacher? Of course credentials, knowledge, critical thinking, and all other faculties of intelligence are important. However, a great teacher should be much more than credentials, experience, and intelligence.

What lies in the heart of a great teacher?

You are kind:  A great teacher shows kindness to students, colleagues, parents, and those around her or him. My favorite saying is “kindness makes the world go around.” It truly changes the environment in the classroom and school. Being a kind teacher helps students feel welcomed, cared for, and loved.

You are compassionate:  Teaching is a very humanistic profession, and compassion is the utmost feeling of understanding and showing others you are concerned about them. A compassionate teacher models that characteristic to the students with her or his actions, and as a result students will be more open to understanding the world around them.

You are empathetic:  Empathy is an important trait to have and to try to develop in ourselves and our students. Being able to put yourself in someone’s shoes and see things from their perspective can have a powerful impact on our decisions and actions.

You are positive:  Being a positive person is not an easy task. Being a positive teacher is even harder when we’re always met with problems with very limited solutions. However, staying positive when it’s tough can have a tremendous positive impact on the students and everyone around us. Looking on the bright side always seems to help make things better.

You are a builder:  A great teacher bridges gaps and builds relationships, friendships, and a community. Teachers always look to make things better and improve things in and outside of the classroom. Building a community is something a great teacher seeks to do in the classroom and extends that to the entire school and its community.

You inspire:  Everyone looks at a great teacher and wants to be a better teacher, a better student, and even a better person. A great teacher uncovers hidden treasures, possibilities, and magic right before everyone’s eyes.

This piece was originally submitted to our community forums by a reader. Due to audience interest, we’ve preserved it. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own.

Essay on Teacher for Students and Children

500+ words essay on teacher.

Teachers are a special blessing from God to us. They are the ones who build a good nation and make the world a better place. A teacher teaches us the importance of a pen over that of a sword. They are much esteemed in society as they elevate the living standards of people. They are like the building blocks of society who educate people and make them better human beings .

Moreover, teachers have a great impact on society and their student’s life. They also great importance in a parent’s life as parents expect a lot from teachers for their kids. However, like in every profession, there are both good and bad teachers. While there aren’t that many bad teachers, still the number is significant. A good teacher possesses qualities which a bad teacher does not. After identifying the qualities of a good teacher we can work to improve the teaching scenario.

A Good Teacher

A good teacher is not that hard to find, but you must know where to look. The good teachers are well-prepared in advance for their education goals. They prepare their plan of action every day to ensure maximum productivity. Teachers have a lot of knowledge about everything, specifically in the subject they specialize in. A good teacher expands their knowledge continues to provide good answers to their students.

Similarly, a good teacher is like a friend that helps us in all our troubles. A good teacher creates their individual learning process which is unique and not mainstream. This makes the students learn the subject in a better manner. In other words, a good teacher ensures their students are learning efficiently and scoring good marks.

Most importantly, a good teacher is one who does not merely focus on our academic performance but our overall development. Only then can a student truly grow. Thus, good teachers will understand their student’s problems and try to deal with them correctly. They make the student feel like they always have someone to talk to if they can’t do it at home or with their friends.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Impact of Teachers on a Student’s Life

Growing up, our parents and teachers are the first ones to impact our lives significantly. In fact, in the younger years, students have complete faith in their teachers and they listen to their teachers more than their parents. This shows the significance and impact of a teacher .

When we become older and enter college, teachers become our friends. Some even become our role models. They inspire us to do great things in life. We learn how to be selfless by teachers. Teachers unknowingly also teach very important lessons to a student.

For instance, when a student gets hurt in school, the teacher rushes them to the infirmary for first aid. This makes a student feel secure and that they know a teacher plays the role of a parent in school.

In other words, a teacher does not merely stick to the role of a teacher. They adapt into various roles as and when the need arises. They become our friends when we are sad, they care for us like our parents when we are hurt. Thus, we see how great a teacher impacts a student’s life and shapes it.

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What makes a great teacher?

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team | Updated: December 12, 2023

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What makes a great teacher? Teaching is one of the most complicated jobs today. 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. With all these qualities required, it’s no wonder that it’s hard to find great teachers.

Here are some characteristics of great teachers

• Great teachers set high expectations for all students . They expect that every student in their class can and will achieve, they set big goals , and they don’t give up on underachievers.
• Great teachers have clear, written-out objectives. Effective teachers have lesson plans that give students a clear idea of what they will be learning, what the assignments are and what the grading policy is. Assignments have learning goals and give students ample opportunity to practice new skills. The teacher is consistent in grading and returns work in a timely manner.
• Great teachers are prepared and organized. They are in their classrooms early and ready to teach. They plan “exhaustively and purposefully… and maintain focus .” They present lessons in a clear and structured way. Their classrooms are organized in such a way as to minimize distractions.
• Great teachers engage students and get them to look at issues in a variety of ways. Effective teachers use facts as a starting point, not an end point; they ask “why” questions; they look at all sides and are objective ; and they encourage students to predict what will happen next. They ask questions frequently to make sure students are following along. They try to engage the whole class, and they don’t allow a few students to dominate the class. They keep students motivated with varied, lively approaches.
• Great teachers form strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them as people. Great teachers are warm, accessible, enthusiastic , and caring. Teachers with these qualities build relationships with their students . They stay after school and make themselves available to students and parents. They are involved in school-wide committees and activities, and they demonstrate a commitment to the school.
• Great teachers are masters of their subject matter. They exhibit expertise in the subjects they are teaching and spend time continuing to gain new knowledge in their field. They present material in an enthusiastic manner and instill a hunger in their students to learn more on their own.
• Great teachers communicate frequently with parents. They reach parents through conferences and frequent written reports home. They don’t hesitate to pick up the telephone to call a parent if they are concerned about a student.

What the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) laws mean for teacher quality

The role of the teacher became an even more significant factor in education with the passage of The No Child Left Behind law in 2002.

Under the 2002 law, elementary school teachers needed a bachelor’s degree and had to pass a rigorous test in core curriculum areas. Middle and high school teachers needed to show competency in the subject area they taught by passing a test or by completing an academic major, graduate degree, or comparable course work. Schools were required to tell parents about the qualifications of all teachers, and they had to notify parents if their child was taught for more than four weeks by a teacher who was not highly qualified. Schools that did not comply risked losing federal funding.

Although the law required states to have highly qualified teachers in every core academic classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, not a single state met that deadline.

The U.S. Department of Education then required states to show how they intended to fulfill the requirement. Most states satisfied the government that they were making serious efforts, but a few states were told to come up with new plans.

In 2012, the Obama administration granted flexibility to states on NCLB requirements, and The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law in December 2015. Transitioning from NCLB to ESSA began the following year.

ESSA lessened the NCLB-era focus on standardized testing so teachers had more time to teach. ESSA gave teachers a greater voice in educational decisions , but the “Highly Qualified Teacher” (HQT) regulations were removed. Some researchers expressed concern that the guidelines’ aim to replace “ineffective teachers” is too vague and undefined to be implemented usefully.

How parents can advocate for qualified teachers

Currently there are an estimated 350,000 teacher positions that are either unfilled or occupied by teachers who are not fully qualified . We know that high-quality teachers make all the difference in the classroom. We also know that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find them and keep them. Many teachers experience “burn out” — up to 30 percent of teachers leave their job after five years .

What the experts recommend for the future of quality teaching

The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) has become part of Leaning Forward , which made several recommendations for ensuring that every classroom has a qualified teacher as part of their What Matters Now research, recommendations, and efforts to improve teaching and learning across the country. Among the recommendations were the following key points:

• Develop rigorous qualifications for teachers.
• Train evaluators to assess teachers and provide meaningful feedback.
• Ensure the highest-need schools have access to excellent teachers.
• Encourage and reward teacher knowledge and skills.
• Provide financial support to educator recruitment programs.

Implementing these recommendations is a slow process dependent upon legislation as well as increased funding from the federal and state governments, and a will to implement changes at the school district level. Parents can work together to keep the superintendent, their school board members, and their state legislators focused on the goal of having a high-quality teacher in every classroom.

Resources on teacher quality

Give Kids Good Schools This Internet-based campaign, a project of the Public Education Network, makes it easy for parents and community members to lobby government officials to take action to improve the quality of teachers.

Resolving Conflict With Your Child’s Teacher A concise resource from Scholastic on effective ways to deal with differences in opinion between yourself and your child’s teacher.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards This organization provides information on voluntary advanced national certification for teachers. Learn more about the program and how you can encourage teachers in your school to obtain National Board Certification.

McEwan, Elaine K., 10 Traits of Highly Successful Schools , Waterbrook Press, 1999 This book provides concrete tools and an abundance of resources on how to evaluate teachers and schools.

Bennett, William J., The Educated Child , Simon & Schuster, 1999 What is a good education? In this guide, in addition to learning the signs of a good school and warning signs of a bad teacher, you’ll learn what good schools teach and what you can do to improve your school.

Intrator, Sam M., Stories of the Courage to Teach , Jossey-Bass, 2002 This book is a collection of short, eloquent essays written by teachers from the heart. Full of passionate stories, the essays reveal why teachers teach and the challenges they face.

What Makes a Good Teacher? by Zagyváné Szűcs Ida Universal Journal of Educational Research 2017

“ What Makes a Great Teacher? ” by Amanda Ripley The Atlantic , February 2010

“ What Makes a Great Teacher? ” by Erin Young Phi Delta Kappa , February 2009

“ What makes a good teacher? ” British Journal of Educational Psychology , November 2018

“ Teacher Effectiveness in the Every Student Succeeds Act: A Discussion Guide “, Center on Great Teachers and Leaders at American Institutes for Research, November 2016

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Essay About Being a Teacher: Top 5 Examples and Prompts

If you are writing an essay about being a teacher, here are some examples to give you inspiration.

Without a doubt, teaching is one of the most important professions one can have. Teachers give children the lessons they must learn to face the future and contribute positively to society. They can be considered the gateway to success stories such as Oprah Winfrey , Adele , and John Legend , all of whom have cited their teachers as major inspirations to their careers. 

Many educators would say that “teaching is its own reward.” However, it may be difficult to see how this is the case, especially considering the fact that being an educator entails massive amounts of stress and pressure. Teaching has actually been reported to be one of the most underpaid jobs , yet many teachers still love what they do. Why is this?

If you want to write an essay about being a teacher, whether you are one or not, you can get started by reading the 5 examples featured here. 

1. Reflections on being a teacher … by Darren Koh

2. teaching in the pandemic: ‘this is not sustainable’ by natasha singer, 3. why i got rid of my teacher’s desk by matthew r. morris, 4. stress is pushing many teachers out of the profession by daphne gomez, 5. doubt and dreams by katheryn england, top writing prompts on essay about being a teacher, 1. what makes teaching so fulfilling, 2. what can you learn from being a teacher, 3. why do people become teachers, 4. should you become a teacher, 5. how have teachers helped you become who you are today.

“Although strictly speaking, based on the appointments I hold, I really do not have time to do much of it. I say teach, not lecturing. The lecturer steps up to the lectern and declaims her knowledge. She points out the difficulties in the area, she talks about solutions to problems, and she makes suggestions for reform. The focus is on the subject – the students follow. The teacher, however, needs to meet the students where they are in order to bring them to where they have to be. The focus is on the student’s ability.”

Koh writes about how he teaches, the difficulties of teaching, and what it means to be a teacher. He helps his students hone their skills and use them critically. He also discusses the difficulty of connecting with each student and focusing their attention on application rather than mere knowledge. Koh wants students to achieve their full potential; teaching to him is engaging, inspirational, and transparent. He wants readers to know that being a teacher is rewarding yet difficult, and is something he holds close to his heart.

“‘I work until midnight each night trying to lock and load all my links, lessons, etc. I never get ahead,” one anonymous educator wrote. ‘Emails, endless email. Parents blaming me because their kids chose to stay in bed, on phones, on video games instead of doing work.’”

Singer writes about the difficult life of teachers trying to balance in-person and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of the standard class routine, being a teacher during the pandemic has entailed the burden of handling students who opt for remote learning. They are faced with additional struggles, including connection issues, complaining parents, and being overworked in general- it’s as if they teach twice the number of classes as normal. This is exhausting and may prove detrimental to the American education system, according to the sources Singer cites. 

“What it means to me is that I am checking (or acknowledging) my privilege as a teacher in the space of the classroom and in order to facilitate a more equitable classroom community for my students, erasing one of the pillars of that inequity is a step in the right direction. I am comfortable in my role as the head member in my classroom, and I don’t need a teacher’s desk anymore to signify that.”

Morris, an educator, writes about what teaching means to him, highlighted by his decision to remove his teacher’s desk from his classroom. Being a teacher for him is about leading the discussion or being the “lead learner,” as he puts it, rather than being an instructor. His removal of the teacher’s desk was decided upon based on his desire to help his students feel more equal and at home in class. He believes that being a teacher means being able to foster authentic connections both for and with his students.

“Teachers want to help all students achieve, and the feeling of leaving any student behind is devastating. The pressure that they put on themselves to ensure that they serve all students can also contribute to the stress.”

Gomez writes about the stress that comes with being a teacher, largely due to time constraints, lack of resources, and the number of students they must instruct. As much as they want to help their students, their environment does not allow them to touch the lives of all students equally. They are extremely pressured to uphold certain standards of work, and while they try as hard as they can, they do not always succeed. As a result, many teachers have left the profession altogether. Gomez ends her piece with an invitation for teachers to read about other job opportunities. 

“Then I re-evaluate what I want for myself, and what it is that keeps me working towards my dreams. Through the goals I’ve set for myself, I can maintain focus, move past my self-doubt and succeed. By focusing on my goals, I can make a difference in the world directly around me.”

Taken from a collection of short essays, England’s essay is about why she so desperately wishes to become a teacher. She was previously able to work as a teaching assistant to her former elementary school teacher, and enjoyed imparting new knowledge unto children. Even in moments of self-doubt, she reminds herself to be confident in her dreams and hopes to be able to make a difference in the world with her future profession.

When it comes to teachers, we often hear about either “the joy of teaching” or the immense stress that comes with it. You can explore the gratitude and satisfaction that teachers feel toward their jobs, even with all the struggles they face. Read or watch the news and interviews with teachers themselves.

Research on the skills and qualifications people need to be teachers, as well as any qualities they may need to do their job well. What skills can you get from teaching? What traits can you develop? What lessons can you learn? 

Despite the seemingly endless barrage of stories about the difficulties that teachers face, many people still want to teach. You can explore the reasoning behind their decisions, and perhaps get some personal insight on being a teacher as well. 

Based on what you know, would you recommend teaching as a job? If you aren’t too knowledgeable on this topic, you can use the essay examples provided as guides- they present both the positive and negative aspects of being a teacher. Be sure to support your argument with ample evidence- interviews, anecdotes, statistics, and the like.  

Teachers, whether in a school setting or not, have almost certainly helped make you into the person you are now. You can discuss the impact that your teachers have had on your life, for better or for worse, and the importance of their roles as teachers in forming students for the future.

Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

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50 Great Teachers

5 great teachers on what makes a great teacher.

Anya Kamenetz

When we began our 50 Great Teachers series, we set out to find great teachers and tell their stories. But we'll also be exploring over the coming year questions about what it means for a teacher to be great, and how he or she gets that way.

To get us started, we gathered an expert round table of educators who've also done a lot of thinking about teaching. Combined, these teachers are drawing on over 150 years of classroom experience:

• Ken Bain is president of the Best Teachers Institute and author of What the Best College Teachers Do. He taught U.S. history on the college level for nearly 50 years — at the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, New York University and elsewhere.
• Troy Cockrum is director of innovative teaching for a K-8 school in Indianapolis. He hosts a podcast on the flipped classroom, and is the winner of a 2013-2014 Jacobs Educator Award for using technology to support innovative learning.
• Eleanor Duckworth is a research professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a former elementary school teacher with an approach to teaching and research grounded in her study with psychologist Jean Piaget.
• Renee Moore is a high school and community college English teacher, a National Board Certified teacher, a member of the board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and co-chair of its certification council. She also blogs for the Center for Teaching Quality.
• Jose Vilson is a math educator for a middle school in New York City. He's a blogger and the author of This Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education .

What qualities make a great teacher?

Renee Moore: The Hebrew word for teach has, among its meanings: to aim or shoot like an arrow, to point like a finger, to flow like water. The word reminds me of what parents do when we teach our child to ride a bike. The first time, we may ride with her or turn the pedals. Next time, we steer while she pedals. Finally, the moment comes when we balance her, aim her down the sidewalk, push her off and let go. Great teachers do that: They start or move the minds of their students along a path, prepare them for the journey and propel them into the future. And they do it consistently and passionately.

Ken Bain: ... I think we have to avoid the temptation to define everything in terms of what the teacher does to the student. Sometimes, as the title of a wonderful book put it, we teach best with our mouth shut.

I think about the way my youngest grandson is learning to ride a bicycle. It actually isn't the way Renee describes. Rather, his parents bought him a balance bike when he was barely 3 years old, and simply gave it to him. He then figured out how to balance himself on it entirely on his own. ... Sometimes, great teaching happens when we simply provide the resources and challenges and get out of the way.

Eleanor Duckworth: Getting people to think about what they think, and asking them questions about it, is the best way I know how to teach.

How do you know that you're having an impact?

Jose Vilson: The kids tell me, whether I want to hear it at the time or not.

Moore: I've taught my entire career in the rural Mississippi Delta, in small schools in small towns. As we used to say at Bread Loaf [the writing school of Middlebury College in Vermont, where Moore earned a master's degree in literature], I "inhabit the consequences" of my work. After 25 years, I'm surrounded by my former students, their families, and I'm now working with some of their children. I've had so many come or write back to tell me the impact I had on their lives. Among my most precious things are letters, handmade plaques and signs, and other gifts from grateful students. One wrote me from jail just to say, "Mrs. Moore, it's not your fault ... "

What kind of training and experience makes a great teacher?

Bain: I know I'm going to get pushback on this, but I think one of the major problems we face in cultivating great teachers is that we don't pay enough attention, especially in K-12, to the learning of the teacher. We should help them develop the dynamic powers of their minds and should continue to do so throughout their lives.

Second, we should help them develop an understanding of some of the major ideas coming out of the research and theoretical literature on what it means to learn, how the human mind works, and all of the personal and social forces that can influence learning. This is a dynamic field with lots of important research and ideas emerging almost constantly, and the training and experience of a great teacher has to include the opportunity to explore, understand and apply the ideas and information that is emerging.

Finally, great teaching includes the ability to give good feedback and to make assessments.

Vilson: It really depends on the environment around the teacher. ... With more experienced staff, it's important to get beyond the humdrum PDs [professional development opportunities] and get into something truly transformative, which is hard to find. That's why so many of us have to seek out PD opportunities both on and offline on our own time, past the meetings and opportunities provided by our school.

Moore: There is so much in teaching that would be best learned through apprenticeship, rather than the current system of leaving most new teachers to trial-and-error their way through. The teachers who become great or master teachers seek out the help and PD they need, as Jose mentions, but I agree with the work of Deborah Ball and others that we know enough about teaching that we can, and should, be much more systematic in sharing that collective wisdom with our newest members.

Also, Ken is correct about the importance of being able to assess student learning and give timely, appropriate feedback. The current overemphasis on test preparation and other misuses of standardized testing have taken much of this critical professional skill out of the classroom and away from teachers.

How has the definition of great teaching changed over time? How do you expect it to change in the future?

Vilson: The definition hasn't changed much over time, but the stereotype of it certainly has. The idea of raising test scores, being young and bringing a new set of ideas is different from the elder statesmen and women that comprised most of my ideas of great teaching growing up. Great teaching seems to reflect whatever the mode of education reform we're in at the time.

Bain: I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree here. I think there has been an enormous change in the way we define great teaching. In the old days, we often defined it in terms of performance on the part of the teacher. I'm afraid those old definitions still persist in the minds of some people. We had certain notions about great performances in the classroom, and we looked for those performances. In the emerging definition of great teaching that I've been suggesting here, some of us are now thinking of it in terms of learning and the facilitation of learning.

Moore: And I disagree with Ken. Great teachers (and the students and parents they serve) have always defined great teaching in terms of the long-term effects on their students. ... Your response suggests that the impetus for deeper learning on the part of teachers has come from the top (e.g., higher ed researchers) down to classroom teachers, when in fact, the greatest movement has been among teachers ourselves.

Bain: I'm really not suggesting a top-down model at all. I'm just recognizing that the research on human learning over the last half-century in particular has had an enormous influence on how we define teaching and how we understand what it takes to cultivate someone else's learning. Some important aspects of that research have been done by classroom teachers on all levels, so I'm not seeing much room for a "Us" and "Them" or top-to-bottom way of understanding this.

Who should not be a teacher?

Moore: Anyone who cannot listen or learn from others, including his or her students.

Vilson: Anyone who can't take critique and isn't willing to center their visions on the students.

Troy Cockrum: Someone who is not passionate for why they are in education. Students are not widgets. You can go to a job every day producing or designing widgets and do a good job at it even if you aren't passionate for what you do. Students deserve more. Students should be treated and respected as individuals, and only a passionate educator can do that.

Who, in your life, has embodied great teaching?

Duckworth: I danced ballet for six years, but I quit when I was 15 because I thought it wasn't a serious way to spend one's life. I was a very serious young woman. When I was 58, I finally got the courage to try again. Margie Gillis [a modern dancer and choreographer] was a great teacher of mine.

My first workshop with her was a weeklong class that had people ranging in age from 16 to 72 and in experience from total beginner to New York professionals. There were 35 people in the class, and it was a peak experience for everybody. She gave us exercises — such as, cross the floor as delicately as you possibly can — which we all did at whatever level we could, and we did them side by side. It was really extraordinary teaching.

Moore: I've been blessed to have had several great teachers in my life, starting with my father, who first taught me to love learning itself. Among my schoolteachers, the great ones included: Mrs. Bailey, a tall, elegant black woman who was the principal of our elementary school. She was one of the first educators I encountered who genuinely believed every child could learn, and would inspire us to attempt things we thought impossible. Another was Dixie Goswami, the director of the writing program at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, where I earned my M.A. Dixie not only taught us how to write, but also the tremendous transformative power of literacy for us and our students. Well into her 80s and still teaching, Dixie continues to inspire me (and push me) to make a difference, not just a living.

Vilson: If we just focus on my time as a teacher, the best ones I know include Mrs. Ruff, a sixth-grade teacher whose classroom management was based on civil rights and empowerment. [Vilson also named Moore and suggested her for this round table].

How important is it to share some of the background and experience of your students?

Moore: Having some common experiences or understanding of my students' backgrounds was always helpful to me in my work with high school students because I taught in 100 percent African-American schools. The black students needed to see that it is possible to master the use of standard English without turning into a white person. But when I began teaching at the college level, I realized it was also important for the white students to have a highly accomplished African-American English teacher, because so many of them needed that model to counteract what they had been taught and told all their segregated lives.

What in your personal experience or biography helped make you a better teacher?

Cockrum: I come from a media production background. While that express experience may not have made me a better teacher, the need in the field to be innovative, creative and technologically advanced has given me the needed skills to bring those to education.

Vilson: Everything, but especially growing up in a poor neighborhood and gaining access to private education, because I brought some of the ethos and expectation from my upbringing to my classroom.

Moore: I agree with the others on this, and have often said that teaching is the consummate profession. A highly accomplished teacher draws on everything s/he knows and has ever done to do the creative, dynamic work that is teaching. Among the experiences that helped me most were my background as a freelance journalist, and as a parent (I've raised 11 children — was a 30-year-old mother of four when I started teaching).

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Duckworth: I was Piaget's student in Geneva. From Piaget I got the theoretical view that no one can know exactly what meaning somebody else has made. Words can express it to some extent, but you can't assume anybody is making the same meaning as you are, and everybody has their own path.

The other thing I got from them was the way of talking to kids. I learned from [Piaget's research partner Barbel] Inhelder about getting kids interested in what you want to talk about, and not giving them any hints.

How do you improve on the job?

Cockrum: I attend four or five conferences a year, sometimes more. Presenting at conferences also provides me the opportunity to reflect on my own practice. I'm connected online through Twitter and other social media, to keep myself connected to my PLN [personal learning network]. I make sure to balance my face-to-face professional development with my online professional development. I model for my students the act of being a constant learner.

What's the most important lesson you learned when you were just starting out?

Vilson: Stop taking things so personally, Jose. And if you break down emotionally one day, rest up the rest of the afternoon, go to sleep early, and get into school early the next day. Don't take the day off unless you're absolutely sick or something important is happening.

Cockrum: I had a student come to me during her break period very upset. She vented about a problem she was having and really struggling with. I kept trying to interject advice to help her solve the problem. Finally, she said, "Mr. Cockrum, I don't want advice, I just want someone to listen." I regularly remind myself: Students just need someone to listen. While advice can be helpful, the most beneficial thing I can provide in most situations is just to listen.

Bain: I'd just say that we have to learn constantly, about our students, their learning, our subjects, their society and lives, and so forth, and we just have to take advantage of all the opportunities we have to learn. All of the things that my colleagues have mentioned are important, but I'd emphasize three: Read, listen and talk. Read everything you can about learning and about your subject. Engage in conversations with other people who are also exploring the questions, ideas and information.

What's the biggest piece of advice you would share with an aspiring teacher?

Duckworth: One of the important qualities is to be able to listen well. And a teacher needs to believe in their students.

Moore: Network, network, network. Connect yourself to great teachers, and stay connected. I've been a networked teacher from the start of my career. In recent years there has been an exponential growth in the number and quality of teacher networks. Most of these are grass-roots, vibrant and vital. Some great examples include: Center for Teaching Quality's Collaboratory, English Companion Ning , Classroom 2.0 , K12Online Conference , and hundreds of teacher-initiated and -maintained Twitter chats (#engchat, #sschat, [social studies], #scichat, #tlpchat [teach like a pirate] ...). Find the regularly updated list HERE .

Effective Teachers’ Skills and Qualities Essay

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The term stakeholder that refers to the educational process means people who provide well-being and success for a school and its students. Teachers, administrators, personnel, parents, and even students are all stakeholders. However, it goes without saying that teachers are the most important part of education.

Firstly, it is important to understand the essence of good teaching. Great teachers have a combination of many qualities. It is believed that such qualities as warmth, planning, and self-discipline determine a good teacher. Although a good teaching demands deep knowledge of subject matter and erudition, these characteristics are not number one. According to Slavin (2006, p. 3), “effective teachers not only know their subjects, but they can also communicate their knowledge to students.” It cannot be denied that it is crucial for teachers to follow instructions and rules. Nevertheless, teaching is a creative profession especially considering that every student has a unique personality, and it is very important to find a special approach to every individual and teach children in accordance with their personal abilities. What is more, one of the most necessary characteristics of great teachers is attentiveness. Due to this, good teachers develop close relationships with their students that, to some extent, help children to succeed not only in school but also in their future lives.

To sum up, some people say that teaching is not a profession, and it is a vocation. They assume that teachers are born that way and have some extra abilities. Although there is a sound idea in this statement, it is essential not to forget that to be a great teacher, a human has to get a degree in education and acquire necessary teaching skills.

Reference List

Slavin, R 2006, Educational psychology: Theory and practice , Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

• Characteristics of an Effective Teacher
• Teacher Self-Efficacy: Significance and Improving
• The Attitude to Vocation as the Theme of Michael Dorris “The Benchmark”
• Max Weber: Economic History, Theory of Bureaucracy, and Politics as a Vocation
• How to Recognize an Informational Web Page: Nursing Informatics
• Self-Management for Enhancing Teaching and Learning
• Role, Responsibilities and Boundaries of a Teacher in Terms of Teaching Cycle
• Team Collaboration Between Teachers in Schools
• Why I Enjoyed a Particular Teacher
• Three Basic Ethical Considerations in Educational Practice
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, January 17). Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-teachers-skills-and-qualities/

"Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities." IvyPanda , 17 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/effective-teachers-skills-and-qualities/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities'. 17 January.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities." January 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-teachers-skills-and-qualities/.

1. IvyPanda . "Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities." January 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-teachers-skills-and-qualities/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Effective Teachers' Skills and Qualities." January 17, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-teachers-skills-and-qualities/.

Home / Essay Samples / Education / Teacher / What Sets Apart Great Teachers: Essential Qualities

What Sets Apart Great Teachers: Essential Qualities

• Category: Life , Education , Sociology
• Topic: Skills , Teacher , Teacher-Student Relationships

Pages: 2 (1034 words)

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Introduction

What is a teacher, what is the purpose of a primary school teacher, what is a good teacher, what are the teacher expectations for their pupils.

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