When the school year closes in May 2023, what will your students say about you? Will you be the best or worst teacher they have ever had? I’m confident you would like to be remembered as the “Best teacher they have ever had!”
It doesn’t take very long for students to get a picture of the type of teacher you are. In fact, by the end of the first couple of weeks, their opinions of you as a teacher will have already been formed.
If you want to be known as the “Best teacher ever,” it is not that difficult. All you have to do is consider the following actions. If you consistently take these actions, I can guarantee that you will be the “Best Teacher Ever.”
Being the Best Teacher Ever will happen if your students can answer YES to the following teacher attributes. These next few weeks will be highly critical in accomplishing this distinction.
1. I know what the objectives are for each class period.
2. My teacher appears to be informed in the subject area.
3. My teacher is prepared in his(her) presentation of material for this class.
4. The class material is developed in an orderly, comprehensive manner.
5. Examples are used for things that are difficult to understand.
6. Material is presented at a pace that students have a good understanding of what is being said.
7. Students are encouraged to take notes.
8. The teacher speaks so that they can be heard and understood.
9. The teacher emphasizes the main points of the lesson.
10. The teacher responds to the student’s inability to understand.
11. Communication in this class is on the level of the student.
12. Opportunities are provided for questioning in class.
13. The teacher instills enthusiasm for the subject.
14. Students are encouraged to participate in class discussions and activities.
15. The teacher maintains the direction of the class without stifling discussion.
16. The teacher of this class is available for help outside the class.
17. The number of exams, quizzes, reports, and papers provides a fair grading basis.
18. In this class, the students are informed about their grades on exams, quizzes, reports, and papers.
19. The class is informed in advance of the dates of important exams and papers.
20. The exam questions in the class measure the student’s knowledge of the material covered.
21. The teacher explains the grading system in this class.
22. The teacher lets students know how they are doing in the class.
23. There is a good balance of humor in this class.
24. The teacher is fair in their grading of students.
25. The teacher makes the students think.
26. We use the textbook assigned for this class.
27. The teacher is on time for class.
28. The teacher displays confidence in teaching.
29. The teacher greets me when I enter the classroom.
30. My teacher holds students accountable for completing assignments.
After the second week of school, you might ask your students to provide feedback on each item. How many YES responses will they provide?
In our next few posts, we will continue to provide key ingredients to the Best Teacher Ever and the Best Classroom Ever.