What Makes a Good Teacher?

My daughters have had eight different teachers in their nine years of school (they both had the same third grade teacher). When I think back about each of them, I find that I can't even remember Sara's Kindergarten or 1st grade teachers. I wasn't very involved in the school, worked too much and didn't even make time to go on field trips. Luckily, by the time Emily got to Kindergarten my outlook on being an involved parent changed. I made it a point to visit the school more often, have lunch with the kids and go on every field trip possible. For the last four years I like to think that I've been a pretty good "parent of school-aged children".

So....I've gotten to know the kids' teachers pretty well over the last four years. I've come to realize that 1) not every teacher is perfect for every kid, 2) there are many different teaching styles and each can be effective and 3) kids will rise to the challenge that is laid before them.

What makes a good teacher? We'll skip the obvious....they have to love children and they have to want to see children reach their potential. I mean, if they can't check those two boxes they need to go be mailmen or something. Here's my list....in no particular order.....gleaned from my own observations of (mostly) my own kids:

1. Excellent communication skills are vital - kids AND parents need to know what to expect, what is expected and how the kid is doing in respect to meeting those expectations.
   
2. Teachers must be students too - as teaching methods change, as social climates shift and the environments in which kids are living in evolve, it's critical that the best teachers change, shift and evolve right along with them. What worked 10 years ago (or 6mos ago) may not be as effective today.
   
3. Awareness of the little things is crucial - when Emily got glasses in Kindergarten it was a total non-event. I never talked to her teacher about it.....I just assumed that she would wear them all the time. It wasn't long before I got an email from her teacher asking me whether Emily had glasses just for reading or for use all the time. The fact that she would even be aware that Em had gotten glasses then taken the next step of making sure she understood when and why the glasses were to worn was stunning to me.
   
4. Good teachers create competition and recognize those that win. One of the girls had a teacher that made Accelerating Reading points a serious contest. Every week, the top three point getters were listed on the take-home homework sheet for the world to see. The pride that my daughter felt in seeing her name on that list and the ensuing determination that drove her to work to be there EVERY week gave me a child that could read, spell and comprehend things WAY WAY WAY better then I could have ever imagine. **Caution....Carolyn commentary** Enough of the 'everyone's a winner and we shouldn't recognize one child over another' bunk. Rewarding kids for mediocrity results in, oh I don't know, kids that think mediocrity is a goal. Keep that bleeding heart liberal crap away from my school!!!!!
   
5. Ok, back to point. The last thing I'll mention is that a great teacher HAS to be honest. Don't tell me that my child is doing 'just fine' if there are two really critical things that they need to improve upon. If my child talks so much that moving her next to the computer wouldn't slow her down (cuz she'd just talk to the computer.....), then tell me! I can fix that!! I've had teachers give me good, honest, constructive feedback on my girls and it's helped ME be the partner in teaching that I want to be.

So, now you tell me!! What do YOU think makes for a GOOD TEACHER?