Characteristics of a Good Teacher

Characteristics of a good teacher from a student's point of view.

If you ask children, "What makes a good teacher?" you might be surprised at what they say! Their view is quite different than an adults.

The traits of a good teacher, according to students, are not those that adults often think of.

Children respond emotionally rather than intellectually to teachers.

Positive feelings in a classroom lay the foundations for learning.


Students do know how teachers feel about them.

I had a conversation a while ago with one of my children. We were discussing school (well, I was and he was sort of half-listening but he became very animated when I asked him about his science class).

The enthusiasm he showed when telling me about his class prompted me to ask him, "What makes this class so great? Is it what you are learning or is it the teacher?" The conversation went like this:

"Mom, I love science - you know I do. But Mr. Hunt just makes it so fun!" "Why?" I asked. "Well, he always seems happy to see us, and the stuff we do makes everything easy to remember." "What kind of stuff do you mean?" "I don't know...stuff like experiments, activities...sometimes he shows a funny video to help us learn about something. He also doesn't assign a lot of work," he replied. "Ah," I said, "you like not having much work, right?" "Well, he does assign work, but not until we know how to do it." I had to ask, "What happens if you don't do your work?" "Mom, I always do my work for science class. I don't want Mr. Hunt to be mad at me." "Does he get mad?" I asked. "What happens if you don't do your work?" "No mom, he doesn't yell and get mad," he said (a bit sarcastically, like I should have known better!). "He just talks to us and is really disappointed. He will call parents if he has to, and I know because he has called some kids parents, but I just don't want him to ever be sad about me." When I asked him why, he stated, "I just like him so much and I know he likes teaching us. That's why."

Not once did my son say that he loves this teacher because he is helping him meet AYP, DIBELS benchmark scores, or anything else adults get too caught up in. My son loves Mr. Hunt because it is obvious to him that his teacher enjoys teaching - he has the characteristics of a good teacher.

5 Characteristics of a Good Teacher
According to Kids

1. Approachable

One of the most essential characteristics of a good teacher is that we must be approachable. Students and parents want to know they can talk to us and that we will listen.

Whatever may have happened before you get to school, leave it at the door (same thing when you go home!). You have 20+ children coming in with their own issues, parents who need your help, and 5 emails to answer before 8:30, it can seem overwhelming. But part of a good teacher's job is to make them feel like they can come to you.

Create a non-threatening, welcoming environment and you will reap the benefits from both students and their families.

2. Enthusiasm

Children respond to the mood a teacher creates within the classroom. The human brain is wired to be more receptive to learning when the element of pleasure is involved.

One of the characteristics of a good teacher (make that a highly effective teacher!) is that he or she brings the element of fun into lessons.

We have to remember that we are, in a sense, competing for our students attention every day. Are we really more interesting than their computers, cell phones and televisions? We have to be.

Part of our job is to impart a love of learning, so yes, it is professionally justifiable and an obligation to design lessons and the classroom environment in such a way that grabs their attention and increases the desire to learn.

3. Compassionate

Be compassionate and show empathy to your students. This is one of the interpersonal characteristics of a good teacher. You may be the only one who shows any interest in them that day. You don't know what they might have experienced that morning before coming to school.

Perhaps the child could not complete the homework because it was dad's day to have him and mom wouldn't drive him back over there to get his books that he left. Even if it is something minor to you, like a goldfish dying, to that child it is of the utmost importance. Believe me, that child will remember more about how you made him or her feel than any lesson you ever teach.

4. Dedicated

A good teacher is dedicated to the profession. That does not mean it is your life, and it doesn't mean, to me, sacrificing yourself and your family for the students. Teaching is not my life. It is a part of it, but I have many other interests, I have my family and sometimes I just don't want to think about teaching. And that's okay.

However, I am very dedicated to what I do. One of the characteristics of a good teacher is having the willingness to strive to improve himself and his skills, then bring that back to the classroom. Go to professional conferences, learn on your own time, try novel approaches...your students do notice the enthusiasm you bring to your craft, and they appreciate trying new ways of learning too.

5. Be Happy About What You Do

Teaching is, to me, the best job in the world. Where else can you have something new and unexpected happen every day? What other job allows you to watch children grow and flourish every day? Where else are you tested, tried and put to the fire every day because you love it? But if you are not happy about what you do, it will show.

Above all, I want my children to be with a teacher who is happy to be there and be with them. I want them to feel that they are wanted, valuable, and an important part of the classroom. It is a tragedy for a child to spend an entire year with an adult who really doesn't want to be with them.


Characteristics of a good teacher can really be summed up in one phrase:

Every student in your classroom is somebody's child, and those children are loved very much. Treat them like you would want your own children treated, and be the teacher for them that you want for your kids.

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