Attributes of Highly Effective Teachers

There is so much more to being an effective teacher than simply content knowledge. We've all had those teachers who are really smart, and could tell you anything you would want to know about their subject, but when it came to teaching that material to students they fell short. In order to be effective in the classroom, teachers need to be confident and have a strong work ethic. They need to know their own abilities and be able to recognize areas where improvement can be made as well. Students can read a lack of confidence in a teacher, and often they take advantage of it. Confidence is also important because students won't learn the material as well if it is presented to them with a lack of confidence. The one teaching the material must know it through and through in order to teach it to others. Confidence in student, parent and administration interactions is also a necessary part of teaching. Teachers don't just stay in their classroom, they are constantly in interaction with many others. Parents want to know that their children are learning from confident people. A teacher's work ethic must be strong. Teachers cannot be lazy people. There is way too much work to be done for teachers to relax and procrastinate. It is also important for teachers to demonstrate in themselves what they expect of their students. It just isn't realistic for a teacher to demand students to have a strong work ethic and keep up with the class material if they are unwilling to do that themselves. Finally, it is important for teachers to be aware of their own abilities. It is only through a realization of strengths and weaknesses can a teacher improve their teaching. Everyone has areas for improvement and everyone has limitations. Teachers are no exception. The only way to get better is to know what to practice. A knowledge of content material is not enough to be a teacher. If it were, we would have a lot more teachers in this country. Teaching is about confidence, work ethic and the ability to accurately assess one's own strengths and weaknesses.