A good education is the greatest gift you can give a child, it can be a golden ticket to the future of everyone in a society; a chance to better oneself, to learn and grow. Good teachers do that; great teachers go beyond. What Makes a Teacher Great?

 Proficient communication skills. If a teacher’s communication skills (verbal, nonverbal, and visual, which involve speaking, writing, imagery, body language, and the organization of ideas into understandable structures) are good, they can convey knowledge with better skill and results.

Superior listening skills. Good teachers also happen to be excellent listeners. “If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.”

Knowledge and passion for teaching.  A teacher is only as good as what they know. Passion is infectious. The love of education inspires students to learn. The best teachers are those that clearly shows the love and importance of education and pass that passion and desire to learn on to their students.

Ability to build caring relationships with students. A good teacher notices when even one student among many does not understand and makes an effort to communicate individually when necessary. A great teacher doesn’t only teach from the head. In the best classrooms, hearts are involved, as well. Great teachers need to be able to build caring relationships with their students. It is the caring student-teacher relationship that facilitates the exchange of information.

Friendliness and approachability. Because it’s the teacher’s job to help students learn, they must be easy to approach. Students will have questions that can’t be answered if the teacher isn’t friendly and easy to talk to. The crabby, unapproachable, terse, mean, arrogant, rude, all-business teacher don’t make good impressions that last long a lifetime. If the students think of their teacher as their enemy, they certainly won’t learn. The best teachers are the most open, welcoming, and easy to approach.

Outstanding preparation and organization skills. Great teachers spend endless hours outside of the classroom preparing, designing lessons, learning more (both about their subject matter specifically and how to teach, in general), participating in professional development, and thinking of fresh and interesting ways to teach the students. Have excellent lesson plans, lectures, and assignments that they continually improve.

Good work ethic. A great teacher will do almost anything to help their students. They always make time and are always willing to help. If something doesn’t work, they’ll work tirelessly until they find a solution. A teacher’s work is never done, but the best ones never stop trying; they never quit.

Community-building skills. The best teachers understand the importance of building supportive and collaborative environments. Great teachers foster healthy and mutually respectful relationships between the students. They know how to establish guidelines and assign roles to enlist every student’s help and participation. Every student feels like they are not only accepted by the larger group but that their presence is a necessary ingredient in the classroom’s magic. Their classrooms are like little communities where each individual plays a part and feels at home.

High expectations for everyone. A teacher’s expectations have a huge impact on student achievement. The best teachers have high expectations for all of their students. They expect a lot from each student, but those expectations are both challenging and realistic. Great teachers strive to help each student attain their personal best.