An outstanding teacher is motivated and dedicated to the profession of educating America's youth. It is crucial that teachers have a proper disposition on a daily basis not only in the classroom but also with other staff members, administrators, community members and most importantly with families. An outstanding teacher is part of a team and is a leader and role model for the students. He or she is responsible for facilitating a learning environment, utilizing effective classroom management skills that is supportive to a variety of learning abilities, that is fun, that is trusting, that is comfortable and that encourages risk taking based on respect for one's self and of others. An outstanding teacher demonstrates these skills and insists that all students conduct themselves as if they are part of a community that supports one another's learning. This sense of community begins in the classroom and extends outside the classroom to the families and to the surrounding community.
A teacher who is open-minded, patient, accommodating and flexible will be more successful with the daily regimens that are required as an educator. He or she must show compassion when it is appropriate. When a teacher is an effective communicator not only with the students but with the team members at the school, the families, and the community, he or she will possess the abilities to appropriately articulate thoughts and will possess quality listening skills. It is as important to listen as it is to speak.
An outstanding teacher must be systematically organized. He or she must keep precise and articulate records of students, progress and behavior. He or she must be observant, self-reflective and willing to analyze one's performance and to learn from it to better future instruction. This teacher must continually seek out new knowledge and skills that will broaden and deepen his or her art of teaching.
It is a teacher's duty to have a competent understanding of the subject matter that he or she is teaching and an overall wealth of knowledge to provide in the classroom setting. An outstanding teacher will be flexible enough to implement a scripted curriculum and flexible enough to create developmentally appropriate lessons and units using district, state, and national standards and benchmarks. It is also very important that when a teachers is using a scripted program that he or she is effective at deciding whether the materials will assist the students in their learning or may be a source of confusion. This is when an outstanding teacher would implement self-created materials to support and supplement the scripted materials provided by the school district.
It is crucial that differentiated instruction be a regular and daily function provided by the teacher. In today's schools, there is such a diverse range in student ability that it requires flexibility in teaching styles and skills. If one instructional method does not work for every student, an outstanding teacher will have more tools in his or her toolbox; he or she will have alternative instructional tools to assist every student in his or her class. When a teacher integrates all subject matter in his or her teaching, it provides a foundation for deep understanding and knowledge. Deep understanding and knowledge can most effectively be achieved by making connections using the students' experiences in and out of school. An outstanding teacher will have a library of culturally diverse literature for his or her students to exploit and profit from. By embracing the cultural diversities that are brought to the learning environment, we can learn more, go farther, and achieve a higher quality education for all. Every child deserves a fair chance at an exceptional education.
To summarize, outstanding
teachers:
are caring, compassionate, empathetic, patient, ambitious, reflective, life-long learners who continually research and implement best practices.
show their soft-side and humanize themselves to their students and colleagues.
persevere when challenged and also teach the skill of perseverance.
identify and solve problems.
are strong communicators and collaborators.
use a variety of teaching strategies, including formative as well as summative assessments, to guide their teaching to reach ALL types of learners.
know that creating positive relationships with their students is foundational to student growth. Good learning does not happen in isolation nor without trust, respect, and an open and growth mindset.
help their students develop a passion for learning.
are experts in their content area and are willing to learn themselves.
model and teach about the importance of responsibility to self and community.
are innovative, flexible, organized, and committed to providing a student-centered, safe, engaging, and innovative learning environment where students are open to taking risks, failing, and reiterating with the goal of developing their own understanding of concepts and the world around them through structure, routine, and guidance.
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