What made an outstanding professional teacher?

1. Describe the skills or attributes you believe are necessary to be an outstanding teacher.
Being an outstanding teacher goes beyond acquiring the competence and knowledge to deliver rigorous academic instruction to a diverse group of students. Outstanding teachers possess a multitude of qualities making them unique and unforgettable to the children they serve. I believe that outstanding teachers are passionate, inspired, creative, compassionate, patient and understanding. They take the time to know their students and know them well. They appreciate what attributes to each child’s story and take ownership of their role in the child’s life for that school year. I feel that I have the skills and attributes of an outstanding teacher because of the pride I take in the love and support I show my students and families. I know teachers have the power to make a lasting difference and I start every year with that mindset. I aspire to make a big difference in the lives of little people.

2. How would you address a wide range of skills and abilities in your classroom?

I incorporate this learned experience daily and learn through each success and discovered area of improvement. Addressing my students needs using a variety of assessment tools has been a beneficial practice to help guide instruction. Students have different learning styles and their strengths and weaknesses are not always apparent using the same methods of assessment. Utilizing formative, standards(goal)-based, anecdotal, observational and benchmarks has driven my instructional programs. The combination of different assessments provides me with a multi-dynamic perspective of my students allowing me to better understand their strengths, weakness and academic needs.

1. Please explain how your past personal and professional experience make you a quality candidate for the position for which you are

Donna has been a teacher, math instructional coach, interventionist, and curriculum coordinator. A frequent speaker at state and national conferences, she shares her love for math with a worldwide audience through her website, Math Coach’s Corner. Donna is also the co-author of Guided Math Workshop.

Tonight I’m asking you to help me write a blog post.  We have all read or heard the research that states that teacher quality is the single most important factor in student success.  Not class size, not resources, not even socioeconomic factors.  Teacher quality. That has me wondering, how do we define what makes a teacher outstanding?  What are the characteristics that an outstanding teacher possesses?

Here’s where your part comes in.  Please think of a teacher you have worked with who you would consider to be truly outstanding and leave a brief comment describing one or two important characteristics that teacher possessed.  You might also think about a teacher that was not outstanding and comment on what they lacked.  I will compile all of your wonderful comments into a future blog post, so PLEASE sound off!!

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When you think back to your first year of teaching, what is the one word you would use to describe that first year? Some of the words that teachers have shared with me include: confusing, overwhelming, and intense.

It’s not nice having that overwhelmed feeling and it can not only be stressful, but it can also lead to burnout.

I’m a believer that proactive teachers implement many preventative techniques and strategies to help cope with the different aspects of the classroom. This definitely helps with that overwhelmed feeling, and what I think is the difference between an outstanding teacher and one that is struggling.

Here are some of the qualities of what I think makes an outstanding teacher.

Outstanding teachers are clear and organized

Outstanding teachers have fully prepared lessons, with clear objectives that are also obvious to students. They are in the classroom early and ready to go with teaching by the time students arrive. They have thought about and considered all parts of the lesson; they are structured and cater for the different learning needs of their students.

Outstanding teachers use a repertoire of teaching strategies to engage students

The first 5 minutes of a lesson really counts and it usually sets the tone for how the rest of the lesson will go. Outstanding teachers use a variety of teaching strategies to entice their students in the first few minutes of the lesson. They change this up and consider the best strategy to match the content of the lesson. They are confident and enthusiastic and use their voice clearly to explain concepts and keep students on track during a lesson.

Outstanding teachers develop positive relationships with their students

Seeking mutual respect and trust is a goal of an outstanding teacher. They are warm, pleasant, approachable and tolerant of student differences. They are consistent and fair. They learn their student’s names quickly and get to know each of them. They help their students to feel good about themselves and continually work at developing a positive relationship with individuals and the class as a whole.

Outstanding teachers adapt their lessons for individual differences

Not all kids are the same or learn in the same way or in the same time, each and every one of them is unique. Outstanding teachers acknowledge this, have a clear picture of where each of their students is at and cater for this when planning lessons.

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Outstanding teachers assess and evaluate student learning to identify what they learned and what they have not yet learned

Outstanding teachers ask themselves: what knowledge, skills, and values did my students learn? What am I going to do to help my students learn concepts if they didn’t, or extend those students that need it? Outstanding teachers constantly evaluate how their students are progressing and use this information to direct future learning experiences. They are also very clear why they assess and know the type of information they want to collect. They choose the best assessment techniques to match the intended outcome.

Outstanding teachers constantly develop their management skills

Preventing student management problems from occurring in the first place is the goal of an outstanding teacher. Outstanding teachers make their expectations very clear to students and can anticipate problems and if they do arise react accordingly to prevent further disruption. Outstanding teachers have many low-key techniques for responding to inappropriate behavior and will always try to use these as a first option. Outstanding teachers do not need to yell at their students!

Outstanding teachers are reflective teachers

Outstanding teachers want to improve to become a more effective teacher. They participate in professional development, they connect with other outstanding teachers, they seek feedback and advice and they self-evaluate for self-improvement.

“Remember, the perfect teacher does not exist, but we all can become better teachers. Continual improvement of our teaching skills is the essence of professionalism in our field” (Good & Brophy, 1991).

Summing up

What would you add to the list? What do you think makes an outstanding teacher?

If you’re a new teacher and you’ve also been feeling overwhelmed and stressed, then I’m here to help and support you.

I know what it’s like being a new teacher…..the excitement…..the trepidation…..the nerves…..and I also know the lack of support provided to new teachers.

Many new teachers are told to either sink or swim…..that was certainly the case for me!

But I don’t believe new teachers should be treated like this. New teachers should be nurtured and supported and provided with all of the opportunities to not only succeed but to THRIVE.

And to support you on your teaching journey I’ve put together a pack of my top behavior management strategies. Use the form below to grab it now!