May 23, 2007

Below is our newsletter for the week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers sharing our thoughts and ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you and your classroom.

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Weekly Tip: Qualities of an Outstanding Teacher

Recently someone asked me to list the qualities of an outstanding teacher. I thought about it for a while, trying to determine the best way to answer this question. There are many good teachers out there who work very hard at their job. What sets an outstanding teacher apart? Below are my thoughts on the qualities and actions that make a teacher outstanding:

• Flexibility

• Determination

• Persistence

• Humor

• Confidence

• Leadership

• Positive Interpersonal Skills

A good teacher can take anything from a book and teach it. An outstanding teacher, however, teaches students HOW to learn, making lifelong learners out of each and every individual in the classroom.

An outstanding teacher:

·         builds relationships with students, parents, and other teachers.

·         is a student of human behavior and uses experiences to learn more about what makes people 'tick'.

·         focuses on the student rather than the content so that the content makes sense to the student.

·         knows that he/she has as much to learn from the students as they have to learn from her.

·         puts each student in the driver's seat rather than the passenger seat.

·         is memorable to his/her students long after they’ve left the classroom.

I can think of three truly outstanding teachers from my own school days – Miss Cowart, 2^nd grade, who took the time to listen to my stories; Mr. Morris, 6^th grade, who made history come alive; and Mrs. Ray, HS English Teacher, who fired my passion for writing and teaching.

Most of us have memories of outstanding teachers. We remember that person who stood behind us with an encouraging word, who took a chance and believed in us when others didn’t, who took the time to make what we were learning meaningful.

Teaching is much more than passing along facts and basic skills. It is the opportunity to open new vistas for others, to share a passion for learning, to reach the unreachable and see the look of true understanding appear. This is why we’re here.

During the summer take some time to rest, reflect, and prepare yourself. Think about the kind of teacher you strive to be. Are you there yet? Like everything else in life, it is a journey. Some are farther along than others, but we are all working towards the goal of being an outstanding teacher in the lives of the children who enter our classroom. I encourage you to take some time this summer to think of at least one way you can continue on your journey towards this goal.

What qualities do you see in an outstanding teacher? Please email me and I’ll add it to our Idea Share in the next newsletter!

Newly updated, Survival Kit for New Teachers contains advice and tips from veteran teachers geared specifically for elementary teachers. This handy resource helps teachers organize ideas, maintain a positive classroom environment, motivate students, communicate with parents, and manage their classroom and students. New updates include information on learner differentiation and understanding/implementing Bloom's Taxonomy along with other tips and ideas for the classroom. Also includes a chapter with advice for obtaining a classroom teaching job. Click HERE to learn more about this book! Also Available as an eBook!