The 12 qualities great teachers share

By Valerie Strauss Its the question of the year: What makes a great teacher? Heres one effort to sort out the qualities that all great teachers have. I suspect that any effort to create a efinitive list is oome to fail !ecause great teachers are as ifferent as the stu ents they teach. But heres a list to start" an please #rite #hat you think is missing. $his #as #ritten !y %hris &ehmann" the foun ing principal of the Science &ea ership 'ca emy in (hila elphia. ' version of this appeare on his #e!site" (ractical $heory. He #rote this some years ago #hen he #as teaching at Beacon School" a progressive pu!lic high school in )anhattan. By %hris &ehmann What makes a great teacher? Sort of an important question" right? Ive seen teachers #ho #orke for hours on their lessons" #ho #ere scholars in the fiel fail misera!ly" an Ive seen teachers #ho" if you give them five minutes !efore they #alke in to glance over their material" they coul run a class for an hour on any topic un er the sun. In the en " #hat makes a great teacher? I #ish I ha a magic eight*!all that allo#e me to figure this one out" !ut its something Ive really given a lot of thought to... an I think #hat follo#s are at least some interesting #ays to think a!out the profession. So #hat makes a great teacher? 1) Passion for teaching. $his can manifest itself so many #ays. Im the +,ump aroun the roomkin of teacher" an sure" that comes from a lot of passion" !ut some of the !est teachers Ive kno#n have ha a passion that stu ents ha to !e quiet to catch onto. 2) Love of kids. .ou laugh" !ut its true/ Ive seen people come in an talk a!out teaching an talk a!out ho# much they love their su!,ect an kno# a!out their su!,ect" !ut they never mention the ki s. Worse" #e ha an intervie# once #here the teacher clearly kne# his stuff" !ut he !asically a mitte that his classroom management style #as fear an intimi ation. 0ot #ho I #ant teaching ki s I care a!out. 3) Love of their subject. 'gain... pretty important. I spent four years ropping !y )ike $hayers classroom !ecause to #atch him e1plain physics or calculus #as" for me" to un erstan ho# you coul have a passion for something that #as al#ays a mystery for me. 2reat teachers not only love their su!,ect" !ut they love to share that ,oy #ith stu ents.

4) Understanding of the role of a school in a child s life. High school is more than the sum of the classes the ki s take. Its a time to gro#" e1plore" try on i entities" fin ,oys that might ,ust last a lifetime. Sometimes the !est teaching #e o happens on !asket!all courts" in the halls after a class" at a local coffee shop or in a rama stu io. $he !est teachers kno# that they are teachers for much more than the time they are in the physical classroom. 34 ' #illingness to change. $his one gets overlooke sometimes" I think. Ive #ritten a!out this !efore" !ut it !ears repeating. We talk a!out ho# schools shoul !e transformative for ki s" !ut I think they can !e ,ust as transformative for teachers. If you e1pect ki s to !e change !y their interaction #ith you" its got to !e a t#o*#ay street. !) " #ork ethic that doesn t quit. Its a har " raining ,o! that #ill eman all that you can give sometimes. .ouve got to !e a!le to have some !alance in your life" !ut there are very fe# teachers #ho can !e effective !y cramming everything they nee to o into the hours allocate !y the average teachers contract. 5'n for the recor " the over#helming ma,ority of the teachers Ive met put in hours #ell a!ove an !eyon the contract.4 $) " #illingness to reflect. .ouve got to !e a!le to ask #hy things #ent the #ay they i ... !oth on the goo an the !a ays. 'n you have to !e a!le to a mit #hen the reasons it #ent !a #ere !ecause of #hat you i " not #hat the stu ents i . 56qually important is the un erstan ing that often things go right !ecause of #hat the ki s !rought to the ta!le" not !ecause your lesson plan shoul !e !ron7e .4 $eaching requires a #illingness to cast a critical eye on your practice" your pe agogy an your self. 'n it can !e !rutal. %) &rgani'ation. )y personal 'chilles heel" an one of the things Im al#ays #orking to improve. )y (alm (ilot helpe " really. But I hate paper#ork an official looking ocuments" an it kills me. I am ama7e at the people like 8ale &ally #ho seem to get his papers han e !ack !efore the ki s han them in or seems to !e a!le to put his han s on every unit hes ever taught #ithin a moments notice. 9i s kno# #hat to e1pect" they kno# hes going to !e organi7e an have a structure to his class... an hes still creative an spontaneous an interesting. I can only imagine ho# much !etter of a teacher I !e if the structure of everything I i #as ,ust a little more organi7e . () Understanding that being a )great teacher* is a constant struggle to al#a+s i,-rove. I think Ive ha some moments of great teaching in my career" !ut I also still see all the holes in my teaching ** sa ly" often times mirroring holes in my self ** an I still #ant to get !etter... !ecause I think Ive got a long #ay to go to !e a great teacher every ay. 'n even if I get !etter at everything I see as #eaknesses no#" I can only imagine #hat ne# challenges #ill face me on that ay. 1.) /nough ego to survive the hard da+s. $he tough ays #ill leave you curle up un er a esk" convince that you cant teach or the #orl is too har for these ki s or the #ork is too much or #hatever the pro!lem #as that ay... you have to have enough sense of self to survive those ays.

11) /nough hu,ilit+ to re,e,ber it s not about +ou. Its a!out the ki s. If your ego rules your classroom" if the class turns into +me vs. them- or if you cant un erstan that a si1teen year ol might !e a!le to tell you something you ont kno#" then ont teach. :r at least" ont teach high school. 12) " #illingness to #ork collaborativel+. Sure" there are some great teachers #ho close the oor to their classroom an o #hat they #ant" !ut I think you sen a strange message to the ki s that #ay sometimes. $eachers are part of a school community" an even #here that community can !e fla#e 5an lots of schools are4" a great teacher shoul !e #illing to #ork to make the community a !etter place