10 ways to be a great teacher...

I recently read a blog post by one of my favorite bloggers, Vicki Davis. Vicki is known by many as "@coolcatteacher." The title of the blog post is 10 ways to be a terrible teacher. After reading the list I found myself agreeing with many of Vicki's points. In an effort to be reflective, I thought about flipping the blog post around and considering ways to be a great teacher...


Here are my 10 ways to be a great teacher:

10 - Great teachers pick and choose their battles. If everything is really important and a top priority, then nothing is really important or a top priority...

9 - Great teachers are rarely behind their desk and are rarely sitting down. Great teachers know that the real work gets done in the trenches, and the trenches are located out in the classroom alongside the students...  

8 - Great teachers are not afraid to apologize and admit to their failure or mistakes. Great teachers understand the importance of taking risks in the classroom, and more importantly great teachers include students in making decisions about trying new things in the classroom...

7 - Great teachers are extremely reflective and take their job personally. When something doesn't go as planned or go as well as originally intended, great teachers take time to reflect and consider alternative ways of doing it better next time...

6 - Great teachers are excellent conversationalists. Great teachers can get a room full of students talking and discussing relatively easily. Great teachers are masters of leading discussions and asking questions that take students to a higher level of thinking and reflection...

5 - Great teachers can always justify and explain a decision they made or something they did that affects their students. Great teachers will never do something just because that's the way it has always been done...

4 - Great teachers don't care about how well they did or how hard they worked. Great teachers care about how much their students learn and how much their students grow. Great teachers are able to shift the focus off of them and keep the focus on their students...

3 - Great teachers expect and demand a lot from their colleagues. Great teachers want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and they believe that through collaboration and teamwork we can all achieve more...

2 - Great teachers are always looking for ways to improve their craft and hone their skills. Great teachers are not interested in finding the next new shiny tool, they are interested in finding the next new shiny tool that will improve student learning and success...

1 - Great teachers will always value the relationships with their students over everything else. Great teachers know that when the students know you care and know you are there to help, there is nothing that can't be done or accomplished...


What else makes someone a great teacher...?