My Image of a "Good" Teacher

My image of a good teacher is multifaceted.  First and foremost, a good teacher is qualified in her content area and is passionate about her job.  The teacher knows and understands the material that she is teaching and is able to answer questions on the material.  If the teacher does not know the answer, then she acknowledges this fact and researches the information for the next class. 

A good teacher is structured and organized.  This means that the teacher prepares her lessons in advance.  In this way, there is not an inordinate amount of time that the students are idle (and bored) during the instructional period, while the teacher decides what to do next.  Structure and organization also help with classroom management.  A good teacher maintains control of the classroom and, by doing this, provides an environment that is conducive (not disruptive) to learning.  The teacher follows through with disciplinary actions when classroom rules have been broken, so her credibility will not be tarnished. 

A good teacher prepares lessons that are interesting for the students, by including humor and relevant activities.  She teaches to all of the children in the classroom by incorporating different instructional methods into the daily lessons.  She challenges the students and has high expectations for students of all abilities.  An exceptional teacher is understanding and works with each child as an individual, without any preconceived notions about the child.  In addition, a good teacher will assess the students in valid and reliable ways.

Finally, a good teacher is a role model.  She respects her students and listens to them.  She apologizes when she has made an error.  She reflects and learns from her past teaching experiences, so that her teaching style will improve with time.

The drawings on page 8 of the Phillips and Carr book were difficult to read.  The theme of these drawings seems to be that good teachers should have the personal characteristics that will help them be liked by their students.  Many of the drawings list personal traits like flexible, creative, and fun as being traits of a good teacher.  These themes might be useful for teachers to remember when they are trying to plan and carry out instruction, but I do not think they are appropriate in describing a good teacher.  These themes are dangerous because they do not consider the quality of education that the students are receiving.

When I compared my image of a good teacher with the teacher drawings on page 8 of the Phillips and Carr book, there were two similarities between our views.  We both agreed that good teachers should be organized and should be passionate about what they do.  In contrast, the rest of my qualifications described improved instructional methods and exemplary teacher behavior shown by good teachers, as opposed to character traits that enable students to like their teachers.

One of my attributes, that the teacher should reflect and learn from her past teaching experiences in order to improve her teaching style over time, might be associated with research.  The words “reflect and learn” in this attribute could be associated with analysis or decision making with regards to improving the instructional process.  Theoretically, I could associate the concept of research with good teaching, but I tend to think more of reflection, than research, for day to day improvements in the classroom.