What makes a good teacher?
Or coach, facilitator, trainer?
This post is part of a series by @edpsychprof where I share edited highlights from my K12 guide to education along with additional thoughts and commentary.
Ah, the art of teaching! It is both a science (in the sense that it can be learned) and an art (in that some aspects of teaching cannot be taught but are a creative response to unique situations). The best teachers are incomparable gifts to those lucky enough to have one in their life. But skill at teaching is something that can be learned and strengthened.
Teacher quality has been a buzzword in K-12 education for a long time. One of the purposes of the increased emphasis on testing students in the U.S. was to target teachers who are not effective. But evaluating teachers based on their students’ test scores is deeply problematic, as there are many factors affecting students’ test scores outside of the teachers’ control, and, more importantly, the validity of these tests are under question. In fact, recent research shows that teachers who show increases in their students’ test scores are more likely to have a negative effect on their students’ emotional well-being.
So, what should you look for in a good teacher, or coach, or trainer? The list below highlights ideals that that good teachers should strive to achieve, according to research and my own extensive experience in schools. Now, teachers, myself included, are human. We all have off days and can get cranky. But good teachers do strive to be caring professionals and to grow and learn. These ideals are worth striving for, and like a map, they indicate the desired direction good teachers should be heading.
1. Caring. First, at a minimum, teachers must be caring. Learners, to thrive, need to feel safe and that the teacher is on their side. Students thrive in warm, positive, caring learning environments. The teacher is the one who sets this tone for their class. Teachers must care about all of their students in the sense of willing their good: seeking to foster the best outcomes and not cause harm to their students. Without this, real transformative learning is much less likely.
2. Authoritative. From the parenting styles literature, we get this odd word that reflects an important balance held by both good parents and good teachers: They are both responsive and demanding. What I mean by this is that they listen to their students, are student-centered, are fair, kind, and deeply respectful towards their students, and they also challenge their students, encouraging them to go beyond what is comfortable, to stretch themselves, to try harder or in new ways. They set limits and norms in the class to ensure that the class functions well and safely. If the teacher is warm and kind but doesn’t challenge students or set limits, that’s a “permissive” teacher, and your student may be happy but will be less likely to excel in that class. There also may be more chaos in the classroom and possibly mean or unsafe behavior by other students. If the teacher is too demanding and overly strict and unresponsive to students’ voices or needs, students may be more likely to dislike school, feel unmotivated to learn, or develop negative self-perceptions that may persist years later.
3. With-it. A “with-it” teacher is aware of what is going on in the classroom at all times. They establish norms for class routines so that students know what to do. They know who is avoiding work, when someone is being teased, who is dominating classroom discussions. A with-it teacher knows when it’s time for a break. They are like a good orchestra conductor; they keep the classroom running smoothly and safely, keeping everyone in harmony.
4. Impartial. Even though teachers may have implicit preferences for some kids over others, good teachers never let it show, and go out of their way to treat every student with dignity and respect, without showing favoritism. Good teachers use systems to keep their favoritism in check, such a job wheel that rotates so that each student gets to experience each job. I used to keep a seating chart with sticky notes on a clipboard, one on top of each students’ name. Then, when I caught a student doing something good, I’d write it down on the note and hand it to the student. The trick was that I couldn’t give students a second note until I had used all my notes on the clipboard, which forced me to notice at least one good thing in each of my students on a consistent basis.
5. Equitable. Being treated equitably doesn’t mean being treated equally. One teacher I had the privilege of observing demonstrated this with her students by asking if there was a student who had a cut or scratch on their arm to come up and get a Band-Aid®. Then, she would tell them, “Anyone else have a place where they need a Band-Aid®? The students would then come up and show her their hands, feet, or legs, but the teacher would place the bandage on each student in the same place as the one the first student received. Students would get upset by the lack of fairness, which allowed her to use this example to demonstrate that treating them all equally isn’t the same as treating them equitably. Then she told them that in her class, she treats students according to their needs, and though sometimes this may not seem like equal treatment, it is equitable. And her classroom really was run that way. Students with emotional issues were allowed to take time outs at their discretion in the reading corner. Students with learning difficulties had differentiated homework assignments. She provided multiple accommodations for students to help them thrive in her class.
6. Sense of wonder. Good teachers cultivate a sense of wonder at how the world works and about how children think. They encourage this sense of wonder in their students too and are willing to listen to them with interest in their ideas and ways of seeing the world. Under these teachers’ guidance, the world seems bigger, more mysterious, and more enchanting.
7. Humility. Good teachers are humble and willing to admit to students, parents, and administrators when they are wrong or when they make a mistake. They seek out help when they don't know something and invite student input into classroom decision-making.
8. Committed to professional development. Good teachers take their job seriously as professionals. They take advantage of opportunities for professional development, ask for help when they are struggling, and keep an open mind to how they can grow and change, all in the service of helping their students learn and grow. They seek to be better teachers today than they were yesterday.
9. Coach over lecturer. Good teachers are coaches, not tyrants. They scaffold and support students, helping them in the “Goldilocks” learning zone, where the work is neither too easy nor too hard for them. A good teacher provides learning experiences that are appropriately differentiated to each students’ strengths and growth areas. Just like a basketball coach who might make some players practice free throws more than others, while being stricter with some players and more lenient with others, so too do good teachers adjust their instruction and guidance to each student to best help them thrive, trying new or different approaches when old ones are not working.
10. Resilient and courageous. It takes courage to teach according to one’s principles these days, especially when so much of the system is opposed to life-giving instruction. Good teachers need to have the courage to challenge unjust policies, to advocate for their students, and to be resilient when faced with difficult students, parents, colleagues, or administrators.
11. Mastery-oriented. Though the term “growth mindset” is overused these days, I think it’s perfectly appropriate when applied to teachers. You really do want to find a teacher who has a mindset that all kids can learn and who is mastery-oriented in their instruction. This means that they are less focused on students getting certain grades and more focused on students’ growth. And no student is excluded from their consideration. They truly believe that each one of their students can learn and improve. Good teachers see it as their responsibility to help children learn, and they don’t blame students or parents for the lack of students’ success.
12. Able to really see their students’ potential. To me, this is the art of teaching. Great teachers are those that see where their students are in the present moment—all of their issues, problems, and underdeveloped areas—but also see what students can be. They see students’ strengths, opportunities for growth, talents, inner goodness, and uniqueness. And by their efforts, they guide students in the direction of that vision. Those are the teachers we remember.
13. Saints, scientists, servants: The Montessori approach holds that good teachers “must be prepared to wait patiently like a servant, to watch carefully like a scientist, and to understand through love and wonder like a saint*.” Those three qualities—saints, scientists, and servants—succinctly captures the qualities stated above.
*https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Maria_Montessori
I would love to hear stories of your favorite teachers. What qualities did you most appreciate about them?
