The Traits of Effective Teachers

It is not so much what is poured into the student, but what is planted, that really counts.
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    Effectiveness in the field of education is measured in objective ways. For some, student success is the indicator; for others, survival is sufficient. Teachers who gain effectiveness as a matter of adaptation to the environment seem to enjoy teaching, in any capacity.

    An effective teacher, first, has a sense of perspective. He must see the scope of learning, from the tiniest of tasks accomplished in a ten minute timeframe to the repercussions of words or actions into decades. Short-term goals and long-term goals interlock to form a recognizable pattern. He must allow for disappointment and setback, knowing that the microhappenings of a classroom, or a school year, are overshadowed by a larger purpose. At the end of the day, he can evaluate how far he has taken each student, not only toward a destination, but also away from where that student began. He has the wisdom to learn from mistakes, knowing that the brick of each lesson rests upon the last, and lays the foundation for the next, so that the architecture of his experience creates his abode. With that reflective perspective, he also teaches his students a philosophy: A mistake is a learning experience. Perspective allows him tolerance of his students and of their growth processes. It also compels him to make an impact in the short time he is permitted. Perspective controls outbursts of temper, angry words, and the tendency to make mountains of molehills.

    Second, a teacher should be passionate about learning and teaching. A great teacher models the internal combustion of ideas and beliefs and its results, the energy and motion of learning.Passion is what a middle-aged man remembers about his 8th grade science teacher. It is the elusive quality that equalizes the inner age of teacher and student. It is what remains through the years and makes the faces of veteran teachers even more luminous. It enables students to shift their goals, revise their beliefs, rethink their behaviors. A passionate teacher creates passionate learners.

    Third, an effective teacher should be an expert in his field. He should research, revise, and renew information continuously. He should read about, consider, and discuss the trends and studies occurring. The work and thought of others can become guideposts in his own journey. He should never become stagnant or static in his evolution as an educator or as a student. This awareness and respect for the changing landscape of teaching is crucial for improvement. Even if the curriculum from last year worked and was effective, this year's curriculum can be made better. There are things he didn't know last year that he knows now. To be an expert does not simply mean that knowledge is accumulated, but that it is assimilated and becomes part of practice.

    Finally, a teacher must be a capable manager, of time, resources, bodies, commitments, and information. A teacher is often overwhelmed and frustrated by the demands of the classroom and management skills are essential. He must be a juggler with a dozen balls in the air and he must manage them with finesse, appearing collected and in control. The ability to manage, or even sometimes a facade, reassures the students, the parents, the administrators that everything is in good hands. If management is shoddy and is done irresponsibly, the consequences can be devastating.

    Effective teachers are professionals who take their role seriously and who laugh at themselves. They are engaged and engaging. They share knowledge and they gain knowledge. They adapt, grow, and become more flexible, not more rigid. They are pioneers and they walk in the footsteps of those who taught before them. Effective teachers make it all work. Effective teachers also make it all play.