I’ve been thinking lately about what makes a “good” teacher. I’ve met and worked with a wide range of “good” teachers during my eight years in education. Some are amazingly organized and maintain impeccable records on their interactions with students and parents; some have trouble finding their desk. Some are excited about the possibilities technology affords students; some are just learning the difference between “logoff” and “shutdown.” What the really good teachers seem to have in common, though, is that they genuinely care about the success of their students.

I was reading the classroom forums today and one of our students started a thread called “Teachers Today” in which she notes two general teacher “types”:

A- I have some teachers I love because they don’t treat me like a child but don’t expect me to be on their level which is nice. They may expect a lot from me or nothing at all… BUT at least they prepare me. They understand how much work we have to do and help us prepare to do it.

B- Then I have teachers who give me something to do without explaining it and without telling us when it is due and then get mad when we don’t turn it in next class. Or say they will ‘help’ you or they will listen to you and then blow you off when they come to you.

WSHSBeyond – Teachers Today – WSHSBeyond Forum

The deciding factor, for this student at least, is whether or not the teacher seems to actually care about the students and takes into account what it’s like to be a student today (i.e., empathy and compassion).

The best compliment I’ve ever received on RateMyTeachers.com also depressed me. The student said: “He’s the most helpful and talks to us like humans.” I thought, since when does treating someone like a human constitute a compliment? That’s when I got depressed.

I read Vicki Davis’s blog today in which she discusses the importance of saying “no” to some things in order to allow more time for others … both in her teaching and in her personal life. In her words:

I want to do the strangest math I’ve ever heard of and subtract the unimportant so that my life will have more.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Sometimes you add to your life by subtraction

Yesterday, I read Jeff Wasserman’s post about “getting electric.” In that post, you can almost see him pushing against the sides of the box, fighting to bust free of convention and find new ways to learn … and to take his students with him. He says:

I want to get electric. I want to plug in, stretch ideas, bend them around and see what happens. I want to feel like teaching involves learning for me, too, and that it’s more than just giving out a book, discussing it chapter by chapter, and winding up at the same end point each time.

When the hurly-burly’s done

Then I think about how busy I’ve been lately, between teaching courses at my school (English 10, AP English 12, Scriptwriting, Short Story), grading papers and writing recommendations, giving technology presentations to teachers, planning for the spring grad course on technology and writing, and trying to find time in there to read for pleasure, stay healthy, and work on my own writing. With all of this juggling, sometimes balls drop … and then I feel like I must not be a very good juggler.

But walking down the hall today after a staff meeting, these ideas all came together to remind me: it’s not about how many things we do, and it’s not really about the specific work and activities we assign. Sure, we must do something, and it’s better to do something helpful and interesting, but it’s really about being a human being, being empathetic and compassionate, being a learner with the students, and genuinely caring about their success. The rest is just juggling.