Jacob Lyda

2/12/17
Vision of an Effective Educator
Teaching is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. For many students, their teacher is the
face of education, the avenue through which they learn to learn. As a teacher, it is important to
realize this position comes with a responsibility to be effective. Childrens futures often depend
on it. Teachers have a responsibility to approach every day with passion, professionalism, and
consistency.
A passionate teacher is student-focused. An effective educator must be a good listener,
communicating interest and engagement to students and parents through attentiveness.
Stakeholders value education when teachers value them. A passionate teacher also exhibits
enthusiasm for learning. Content mastery is critical, and educators must constantly seek
knowledge. Continuing education is often an important part of this, but enthusiasm for
education must be demonstrated outside of the formal classroom setting as well. Teachers
must be learners.
In addition to being a learner, a teacher must be a professional. If students are expected to
show up on time, a teacher should show up early. Teachers are often the only professional a
student will frequently interact with in their formative years, so it is important professionalism is
modeled in habit and dress. A teacher should always be dressed appropriately for the occasion,
should exhibit good taste and manners, and should display those behaviors they wish their
students to obtain. This includes setting firm boundaries in all student-teacher interactions.
Teachers should be allies, but not intimate friends. Boundaries should be consistently enforced
in both face-to-face settings and online. All standards should be clearly communicated to both
students and parents.
In addition to promoting professionalism, and teacher must produce professional quality
work, with a student-centric focus. Accurate data must be maintained in order to assess student
progress and understanding. Using this data, educators should create differentiated lessons
that respond to the needs of the entire class and align with relevant standards. Students should
be monitored through both formative and summative assessments and provided with constant
feedback. The curriculum should be consistent in quality, expectations, and alignment with
established standards.
Consistency is critical throughout education. Effective classroom management is impossible
without it. Class rules, expectations, and consequences should be posted and communicated
clearly to both students and parents. Once communicated, standards should be consistently
enforced, or a teacher loses credibility. For many students school is a safe zone, and the
classroom environment should reflect that. In order to facilitate this sense of security a teacher
must remain aware of issues both within and outside of the room. Maintaining awareness of
issues facing the student body allows a teacher to be proactive in classroom management
rather than reactive. A teacher must engage students to avoid disruptions.
Consistency, professionalism, and a passion for education all combine to create an effective
educator. These are qualities best communicated through action, better demonstrated than
discussed. With the tremendous privilege of teaching children, of influencing young lives,
 Jacob Lyda
2/12/17
comes the responsibility to strive for excellence and exhibit those qualities desired in students.
An effective educator recognizes this responsibility, and accepts it.