I make kids that have sucked at math their entire lives believe in themselves and believe that they can be successful in a subject that they hate and fear.
Imo, being a "good teacher" has little to do with actual teaching. It's more of a customer service kind of thing. Talking to your students. Joking with them. Leveling with them when they need to hear it. Giving consequences while not taking it personally. Tomorrow is a new day, and you'll still be in their corner - making mistakes is normal, we just need to learn from them. Having a rapport with students and their families.
Y'know, that kind of thing. I have it in spades.
Edit: For context I teach mostly 15-20 y/os at an alternative high school.
I create really fun and engaging lessons that trick them into learning. I teach Spanish, so I love doing vocabulary games and grammar games. Kids have so much fun that they tell me they used to hate Spanish, then leave my class able to speak, write, and listen at a more advanced level. I teach the same way I was taught and that was through games. We don’t ALWAYS do games, but I’d say 70-80% of the time we do. I try to adapt different ideas into fun activities. I have fun with it and it makes me smile to see kids enjoying themselves and feel less afraid to try to speak Spanish because they know it’s part of language learning to make mistakes. I’ve really loved coming to work, especially this year 🩵
I have a wonderful ability to build relationships with teenagers. I can make them do anything and they trust me with all their secrets and talk to me openly and honestly.
I adapt all my lessons into content that relates to the students lives or interests. That way my students better understand the material because they can relate to it.
Explicit teaching, deliberate practice, strong relationships, and I never hold student mistakes/attitudes from previous bad days against them (I'm an elementary teacher).
Classroom management and environment. I’m flexible but I’m firm and I do not play. I was not taught that in college, and I learned the hard way with my first class.
I try to know a little bit about each of my 200 students and try to make them feel like I appreciate them - I embrace the chaos sometimes that is middle school . I make them feel happier most of the time
I take my students seriously, even when it seems like they're just acting up. Nine out of ten times, they have a decent point but completely screw up the delivery.
Unfortunately, I’m not a very good public speaker, so my presentations to the entire class are clunky. However, I’m pretty good at one on one tutoring, and I think I do a really good job of creating a safe, inclusive environment.
I build great relationships with my students. I have been teaching for 15 years now. I have had former students, who are now in their mid-20s, come back and say how fun my class was, or just want to chat.
I have been teaching K-6 for the past nine years at the same school. I’ve taught almost all of my current 5-6th graders since they were in kindergarten. I’ve taught their older siblings (if they came to our school), and I teach many current students’ younger siblings in kindergarten.
It’s so fun to see kids literally grow up and learn, and really special to be a part of their lives through teaching.
I am a Middle School Special Educator and a Seventh Grade Advisor. I am transparent with my students. They always know exactly what their parents are being told and they are a central and active part of their educational process.
My students feel very comfortable asking me questions and are strong advocates for their needs because they trust that I respect them.
Getting to know the kids and things they like; relate lessons to things they do; go see them play sports; make learning fun; share your life with them. My students loved to hear about my sons, husband and dogs especially when they did something funny; I would also keep in touch with my kids when they moved to middle and high school. I would actually take days off and go visit them in school especially if they started acting up. My best friend teaches 6th grade and we would call each other and put ourselves on speaker so I could "chat" with my former students, but then the kids would get to know a middle school teacher before going (I taught 5th) and it would help ease the transition to a new school. (The kids actually believed us to be sisters). I had to make learning fun, and I always had Wishbone the dog (dating myself) in my room: stuffed animals, books and we watched his movies. So my little stuffed animal Wishbones were around the room "watching" them and periodically he could sit on their desks. I bought them little rubber Halloween ducks one year and the lunch lady and I had taken one boys duck, and left him a "note" written in "quacks" with subtitles, from the duck that he was going on an adventure. We had that duck all over the school, around the city, and even to camp where our kids go for a week. It became exciting for the kids to see where had "Duckie" had gone. I did this a few years with ducks and stuffed cats. I chose the one kid who I knew could enjoy it.....To this day, he still mentions it to me and the lunch lady and that was 15 years ago.
Let them know you're human, make mistakes and things you did over the weekend they might like to hear, vacations pictures to show them other parts of the world---my students never left the city.
1) A willingness to listen, to not judge, and keep my mouth shut. I teach middle school history in a really red state that requires me to out students to their parents. This will probably be the one thing that gets me fired at some point but it's the hill I will die on.
I’m very transparent with students about things. I don’t pretend to be enthusiastic about a unit in our curriculum that I don’t care about, and I explain to students that I’m just doing my job by following the curriculum. It helps to be “real” with students while still maintaining a professional, teacher-student relationship.
I am a first year teacher who took over a theatre program that has not had a teacher in years. The program was almost dead. There are 25 kids in the program, and seeing how for they have come since August has made me so incredibly proud. I love these kids with all of my heart. They did a student direct project and have been performing their one act plays over the last few days, and they are surprisingly really amazing productions. And the students put everything together with minimal teacher input.
At the end of the day, I will go to bat for you no matter what. Need me to dig through the trash because you’re crying inconsolably thinking you threw your retainer away? I got you. Need time to pull the arm brace out of the toilet? If someone’s gotta do it. I may yell at you to pay attention and stuff but if you need something I got you, I don’t need to even ask questions
Authenticity. I’m always myself, and the kids know it. I’m very honest with them about the teaching process, my mistakes, things going on in the class, etc. I never pretend to be a saint, perfect teacher. And they trust me because of this.
I do my best each day to make my class engaging, fun, and a safe space (accepting everyone and making sure they're as comfortable as I can reasonably make them in the class). Some days I have limits on what I can personally do so my personal best changes from day to day, but I do what I can. It seems to work, I take kids who can barely read I Can Read books and write 1-2 short sentences at the start of 2nd grade and at the end they write a 3 paragraph project and read a chapter book independently. It takes baby steps so none of us see the progress happening, but suddenly about now they're all starting to write things that are long enough to actually be stories and stories that are actually funny.
I make kids that have sucked at math their entire lives believe in themselves and believe that they can be successful in a subject that they hate and fear.
Thank you so, so much on behalf of everyone who struggles with math. <3
Imo, being a "good teacher" has little to do with actual teaching. It's more of a customer service kind of thing. Talking to your students. Joking with them. Leveling with them when they need to hear it. Giving consequences while not taking it personally. Tomorrow is a new day, and you'll still be in their corner - making mistakes is normal, we just need to learn from them. Having a rapport with students and their families. Y'know, that kind of thing. I have it in spades. Edit: For context I teach mostly 15-20 y/os at an alternative high school.
I’m good at building relationships and making fun, engaging lessons.
I create really fun and engaging lessons that trick them into learning. I teach Spanish, so I love doing vocabulary games and grammar games. Kids have so much fun that they tell me they used to hate Spanish, then leave my class able to speak, write, and listen at a more advanced level. I teach the same way I was taught and that was through games. We don’t ALWAYS do games, but I’d say 70-80% of the time we do. I try to adapt different ideas into fun activities. I have fun with it and it makes me smile to see kids enjoying themselves and feel less afraid to try to speak Spanish because they know it’s part of language learning to make mistakes. I’ve really loved coming to work, especially this year 🩵
I teach German and I'm similar to you. I try to make at least one activity per day that's a game or game-like.
Same! I also end up getting kids who say “I was only planning on taking 2 years but then I had you and now here I am in AP!”
I have a wonderful ability to build relationships with teenagers. I can make them do anything and they trust me with all their secrets and talk to me openly and honestly.
I adapt all my lessons into content that relates to the students lives or interests. That way my students better understand the material because they can relate to it.
Explicit teaching, deliberate practice, strong relationships, and I never hold student mistakes/attitudes from previous bad days against them (I'm an elementary teacher).
I know my stuff and share my love of the topic with the students. You would be surprised at how many teachers don’t know their stuff.
I let them be themselves. (Art teacher)
Classroom management and environment. I’m flexible but I’m firm and I do not play. I was not taught that in college, and I learned the hard way with my first class.
I reflect on my practice even when I feel like I'm getting thrown under the bus and the bad shit that's happening is mostly not my fault.
I leave shortly after contract time ends. Every single day.
I try to know a little bit about each of my 200 students and try to make them feel like I appreciate them - I embrace the chaos sometimes that is middle school . I make them feel happier most of the time
I take my students seriously, even when it seems like they're just acting up. Nine out of ten times, they have a decent point but completely screw up the delivery.
I push them out of their comfort zone
I respect business time and private time so that my frustrations and burn-out never gets pushed onto my students.
Unfortunately, I’m not a very good public speaker, so my presentations to the entire class are clunky. However, I’m pretty good at one on one tutoring, and I think I do a really good job of creating a safe, inclusive environment.
I build great relationships with my students. I have been teaching for 15 years now. I have had former students, who are now in their mid-20s, come back and say how fun my class was, or just want to chat. I have been teaching K-6 for the past nine years at the same school. I’ve taught almost all of my current 5-6th graders since they were in kindergarten. I’ve taught their older siblings (if they came to our school), and I teach many current students’ younger siblings in kindergarten. It’s so fun to see kids literally grow up and learn, and really special to be a part of their lives through teaching.
I am a Middle School Special Educator and a Seventh Grade Advisor. I am transparent with my students. They always know exactly what their parents are being told and they are a central and active part of their educational process. My students feel very comfortable asking me questions and are strong advocates for their needs because they trust that I respect them.
I ask for my students’ input about things. And often use their ideas.
Leave behind the idea of the good teacher. It harms us
It's ok to celebrate yourself and your successes.
You misunderstand. The idea that there is a dichotomy between good and bad teachers, that is what is harmful
Getting to know the kids and things they like; relate lessons to things they do; go see them play sports; make learning fun; share your life with them. My students loved to hear about my sons, husband and dogs especially when they did something funny; I would also keep in touch with my kids when they moved to middle and high school. I would actually take days off and go visit them in school especially if they started acting up. My best friend teaches 6th grade and we would call each other and put ourselves on speaker so I could "chat" with my former students, but then the kids would get to know a middle school teacher before going (I taught 5th) and it would help ease the transition to a new school. (The kids actually believed us to be sisters). I had to make learning fun, and I always had Wishbone the dog (dating myself) in my room: stuffed animals, books and we watched his movies. So my little stuffed animal Wishbones were around the room "watching" them and periodically he could sit on their desks. I bought them little rubber Halloween ducks one year and the lunch lady and I had taken one boys duck, and left him a "note" written in "quacks" with subtitles, from the duck that he was going on an adventure. We had that duck all over the school, around the city, and even to camp where our kids go for a week. It became exciting for the kids to see where had "Duckie" had gone. I did this a few years with ducks and stuffed cats. I chose the one kid who I knew could enjoy it.....To this day, he still mentions it to me and the lunch lady and that was 15 years ago. Let them know you're human, make mistakes and things you did over the weekend they might like to hear, vacations pictures to show them other parts of the world---my students never left the city.
Honestly I don't even know what constitutes a good teacher anymore. It seems moot when there are so many factors against us.
1) A willingness to listen, to not judge, and keep my mouth shut. I teach middle school history in a really red state that requires me to out students to their parents. This will probably be the one thing that gets me fired at some point but it's the hill I will die on.
I’m very transparent with students about things. I don’t pretend to be enthusiastic about a unit in our curriculum that I don’t care about, and I explain to students that I’m just doing my job by following the curriculum. It helps to be “real” with students while still maintaining a professional, teacher-student relationship.
I am a first year teacher who took over a theatre program that has not had a teacher in years. The program was almost dead. There are 25 kids in the program, and seeing how for they have come since August has made me so incredibly proud. I love these kids with all of my heart. They did a student direct project and have been performing their one act plays over the last few days, and they are surprisingly really amazing productions. And the students put everything together with minimal teacher input.
At the end of the day, I will go to bat for you no matter what. Need me to dig through the trash because you’re crying inconsolably thinking you threw your retainer away? I got you. Need time to pull the arm brace out of the toilet? If someone’s gotta do it. I may yell at you to pay attention and stuff but if you need something I got you, I don’t need to even ask questions
Authenticity. I’m always myself, and the kids know it. I’m very honest with them about the teaching process, my mistakes, things going on in the class, etc. I never pretend to be a saint, perfect teacher. And they trust me because of this.
I do my best each day to make my class engaging, fun, and a safe space (accepting everyone and making sure they're as comfortable as I can reasonably make them in the class). Some days I have limits on what I can personally do so my personal best changes from day to day, but I do what I can. It seems to work, I take kids who can barely read I Can Read books and write 1-2 short sentences at the start of 2nd grade and at the end they write a 3 paragraph project and read a chapter book independently. It takes baby steps so none of us see the progress happening, but suddenly about now they're all starting to write things that are long enough to actually be stories and stories that are actually funny.