What Makes a Great Teacher?

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Introduction

Did you ever have a great teacher in school?

You know, not just someone that happened to teach your favorite subject, or one that gave you the best grades or the least amount of homework; but a great teacher. Someone who taught her class with so much passion and expertise that you almost absorbed it. In her class, you did not just learn the information you needed to pass, but the passion needed to love and remember the subject far into the future.

My high school English teacher was (and still is) that teacher in my life. She instilled in me a love for and knowledge of English that carried me through college and beyond.

I went to a small school. I mean small. As in “my graduating class was only three people” small. So she had to put up with me for several years as she taught me grammar, writing, and research. She watched me develop from a poor middle schooler who struggled to write a 500 word essay into someone who writes 1,000 word blog posts in his spare time for fun.

Since I’ve started writing again, I think back to my high school English classes often because I want to know why that teacher affected me so strongly that I write about her six years later. What made her a great teacher?

What Makes a Teacher Great?

Great teachers do more than just give information. They connect, motivate, and empower students to take action and to fall in love with learning. In his book What Great Teachers Do Differently, Todd Whitaker discusses seventeen characteristics that set great teachers apart from the poor and the average. I won’t share all seventeen (you’ll have to read the book for that), but I would like to share four that are especially relevant to your journey toward personal growth and continual learning.

Great teachers set high expectations

But don’t all teachers set high expectations for their students? Yes. That is not what makes a teacher great. The difference is that a great teacher sets even higher expectations for herself. She takes responsibility for well-being and success of her students, and she realizes that their success starts with her.

If a great teacher wants her students to learn, she needs to be knowledgeable. If she wants them be engaged during the class, she needs to make class engaging. If she wants them to be passionate about the subject, she needs to be passionate about it as well.

Accepting responsibility is an essential difference between more effective and less effective employers, teachers, principals–even parents.

Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently, 40

A great teacher may not be able to change a student’s home life, work ethic, desire to learn, or natural giftings, but she can control one key variable in her classroom–herself.

Great teachers focus on their students first

While a great teacher aims to make herself better, she does that with her students in mind first. Because she knows that their success depends on her consistency and passion, she focuses on bettering herself for the sake of her students.

When she is in the classroom, her vision extends far beyond it. She sees the potential of each student to influence the school, the workplace, or the world. A great teacher realizes that she is teaching for more than just her classroom. This means that she is willing to adapt to changing needs and environments in order to best serve her students. She resists the natural human urge to make herself the center of her vision, instead choosing to make her students her priority.

Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do

For a great teacher, nothing is random. She structures her class in a way that is sustainable and repeatable. She positions herself to allow for the best classroom engagement and least amount of disruption. She notices what is and is not working and makes adjustments as needed. Most importantly, she does not waste time fighting recurring battles to prove that she is in charge. She simply adjusts the natural operation of the class to avoid that fight next time.

Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If plans don’t work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust accordingly. 

Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently, 81

Great teachers care for their students

Lastly, and most importantly, a great teacher cares about her students. She treats them in a way that makes them feel respected and valued. She does not belittle them or ignore them. Instead, she embraces and empowers them. A great teacher realizes that the key to a student’s understanding isn’t always the logic of the subject, but the emotion of it.

When a teacher’s sensitivity to students increases, so does the opportunity to reach them.

Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently, 116

She uses emotion to motivate students to take risks and try new things. She inspires them to think broadly and explore new opportunities. And finally, she uses emotion to connect with her students personally, causing them to care about her class because they care about her.

Great Teachers and Self-Education

I’m sure by now you are wondering, “Why are you writing about the qualities of a great teacher on a site about learning outside of school?” That’s a valid question with a pretty important answer. I write this because teachers are not confined to schools and classrooms.

In my article debunking myths about self-education the first myth I addressed was “self-education is all-by-yourself education.” That could not be further from the truth. We are always learning with other people, and, most importantly, we are always learning from other people. Even though we are not in school, we are surrounded by teachers; and at some point we will all be teachers as well.

Throughout his book, Todd Whitaker focuses on two driving themes that make teachers great–taking responsibility for ourselves and treating every person with dignity and respect. These two traits are vital for self-education is well. Here are a few ways you can apply these principles on your journey to personal growth and continual learning.

Set high expectations for yourself

After you finish school the consequences for learning (or failing to learn) a topic decrease dramatically. Even if you have someone teaching you, you usually don’t have to worry about failing a test or repeating a class. You have to keep yourself accountable to be successful.

First, write down your goals. Be specific. Try not to make your goals so broad that they are hard to take steps toward. Part of this should be a “due date” to accomplish each goal. Take this blog for example. If I wrote down my goal as, “I will write a post for my blog,” it would be entirely too broad. However, if I narrowed (and possibly separated) that goal it could look like, “I write and publish an article on great teachers by Friday.” Now it is specific, and I have a definite due date in mind.

Second, create an action plan. What steps are necessary to accomplish your goals? These could be in the form of sub-goals or individual steps that need to happen before you can check it off your list. For instance, in order for me to publish an article, I have to set aside time to research, write, edit, and format it.

Act with purpose toward your goal

If you are guiding your own learning, you must be intentional in moving toward your goal. Plan your days and try to avoid tasks without a purpose. This doesn’t have to mean a minute-by-minute breakdown of your day, nor does it mean non-stop productivity. Instead, your rest and leisure time should be intentional.

One habit I have been trying to break myself of is mindlessly opening social media. It has become my natural go to when I don’t have anything else keeping my attention at that very moment. One thing that has helped is only opening social media when I have a purpose in mind. “I’m going to post this picture on Instagram,” or “I’m going to see if there are any interesting discussions in this specific Facebook group.” These direct my usage and give them purpose and boundaries to keep me moving toward my goals.

Have a broad vision that extends beyond yourself

Your life will be shallow if you are only focused on yourself on this journey. Remember, great teachers have control over one variable–themselves. However, they use that control for the benefit of others. This is the intersection of personal responsibility and treating others with dignity and respect. This will be different for everyone, but it is important. How broad is your vision? Do you learn simply to have more skills and knowledge? Eventually, you will fill up.

You should learn so that you can teach.

As you grow in your knowledge and passions you should be willing to teach it to others. You may think “I don’t know enough to teach someone yet,” but remember where you were when you started. What do you wish you would have known about your hobby/passion/profession in your first month that you know now. Once you have learned something, you have the capacity to teach it to someone else. They will be grateful for it and you will become more confident in your abilities.

Will you be a great teacher?

Read all seventeen traits that set great teachers apart in Todd Whitaker’s book, What Great Teachers Do Differently.