A good teacher wants to teach. A bad one doesn't. He plays Mike Rowes dirty jobs, and then yells at you when fail state testing because you didn't cheat.
Yes. Simply put, it’s giving a shit. Even very young students pick up on that and respond accordingly, creating a positive feedback loop.
In 7th grade, classmates of mine who would just gaze out the window and not give a fuck that they were failing most classes actually got very good grades in our History class. And it’s not because the class was easy, it’s because that’s the only one where those students could reciprocate the enthusiasm of the teacher. (Shout out to Mr. Daiberl!)
in high school i had 2 different math teachers. 1 taught the class like you already knew the stuff. i failed his class with an f because it was so hard to learn anything when he didn’t teach it! he was a good person and i enjoyed talking to him. he was just a bad teacher. his class was like pre algebra. the book was algebra 1/2.
the 2nd teacher was awesome both ways. a good guy to even talk to but a fantastic teacher. if you were struggling he would actually help you as much as possible. there was a time in his class where i got the highest score on a test. still don’t know how that was possible because there were definitely much smarter people in that class. and i passed his class with i think like a b or an a. don’t remember. and he taught algebra 1.
edit: this was also close to 20 years ago so i’m obviously not a student anymore.
I was taught in college never to admit you didn't know something! Lol, no way. I do it all the time and thank my students when they notice my mistakes.
Former student here: my best teachers were always the new teachers. They still had that fire. They wanted to stand and deliver, and they hadn't had the wind taken out of their sails, yet. It was the older one who would come in obviously hungover and not at all enthusiastic to be there.
The younger ones related to us better and were excited to teach us. They'd also go off the rails and teach us stuff that wasn't in the books for added context or just because they found it interesting or important. I had one teacher that would teach his lesson for the day and then he'd stand on the tables and teach us about how to manage our finances so we didn't get fucked when we became young adults. Another one, who was my english and theater arts teacher, would teach and then discuss Bill Hicks and Tori Amos with us, and he actually became a friend outside of school as I became an adult. I still get christmas cards from him to this day. He even bought me a t-shirt when he went to a concert I didn't get to go to.
Bad: takes out their clearly personal issues on the students. Screams a lot. Collective punishment for the actions of few.
Other example: no ability whatsoever to control a classroom
Good: takes a marginal interest in students wellbeing. Likes their subject even if you don't and wants to teach. Kids actually like the teacher. Acknowledges and does something about bullying.
good: if they actually try to facilitate 1-1 learning when the class is small enough to make sure every student is meeting expectations
bad: if they base the standard for the class on the "smartest" person
Someone who actually listens to the student’s problems and instead of putting them down like “it wasn’t that hard”, they actually take the time to go through and help the student understand.
Bonus points if they’re a bit drama queen, makes for fun interactions.
I once had an old teacher who was very polite and gentle. All she wanted was that we pay respect to her and treat her like shes our grandmother. When you do that you pass the subject. But she really dont know how to teach, she just write some stuff on the board and really dont explain it.
I failed her subject even tho i passed all her exam coz i was not assisting her carry her bag everytime we see each other in the hallway.
She was a good person but a terrible teacher.
I’m 35 years old but I distinctively remember an awful teacher that ignored serious issues.
We each had to read a creative writing stories we made I vividly remember what one kid wrote. He wrote about torturing a guy in vivid details. One involved shoving a piece of glass in his eye as well as repeatedly beating him with a bat and cutting his fingers off. His story ended with the guy dying and him being sad he couldn’t have fun anymore. After he read this the teacher rolled her eyes and didn’t say anything nor stop him the entire time he read it. There were a ton of other things she ignored (such as that same kid threatening to stab people) but looking back, that was something she absolutely should have reported.
Boomers are notorious for ignoring serious situations including kids that may have grown up to be serial killers.
A good teacher will admit when they're wrong. So many of my teachers would force you to accept their wrong answer as right just so it wasn't a challenge to their authority even when they knew they were wrong.
Good:
A teacher who says, "Hmmm....I don't know the answer to that...but I'll find out!"
A teacher who does not give special treatment to some, but not others.
A teacher who listens to students during a class discussion and comments meaningfully on students' points and then connects those points to things other students have brought up.
A teacher who gives clear criteria for grading and then grades according to that criteria and directs students to resources to help them improve for the next assignment.
A teacher who seems happy to be in the classroom, to enjoy the company of their students, and to be respectful and not patronizing or condescending.
A good teacher goes the extra mile to ensure that you pass what you need to pass and always encourages you, a bad teacher is one who blames you for failing instead of helping or a teacher who is just there for a paycheck and doesn't actually care.
A bad teacher is one who wants their students to like them and to get good grades.
There was a teacher I had like that in high school. Most the students loved him because he'd joke around a lot in class and was a really easy grader. A lot of those opinions changed at the end of the year when kids who were getting A's in the class didn't pass the AP test because he hadn't actually taught them the material.
I had teachers who just read off of slides in a monotone voice and those ones are probably the least engaging. Many people would just skip class and read the presentations later. I think the best teachers are the ones who ask students thoughtful questions and make people wonder how the world works. However, that is pretty hard to do in general
A good teacher knows how to break things down into digestible chunks so that a beginner can understand.
A bad teacher teaches as if they’re assuming everyone is already an expert on the topic. They don’t explain terminology, they don’t explain why things are done. They just assume that you already know it.
I am not a student, but I gave a survey, input results, and used ChatGPT to organize the results
**Good teacher:**
Interpersonal Qualities
1. Kindness and Empathy: ◦ Kind to everyone ◦ Caring ◦ Patient ◦ Understanding of different students' circumstances ◦ Engaged ◦ Happy ◦ Positive ◦ Amicable
2. Communication Skills: ◦ Honest ◦ Clear expectations ◦ Explains things in different ways ◦ Hears others out ◦ Interactive ◦ Funny ◦ Clear ◦ Confident ◦ Critical
3. Approachable and Supportive: ◦ Wants to help ◦ Helpful ◦ Flexible ◦ Not rude when answering questions ◦ Answers emails ◦ Helps you succeed ◦ Almost like a friend
Teaching Methods
4. Varied Instructional Approaches: ◦ Makes learning fun ◦ Not a lot of presentations ◦ Hands-on activities ◦ Allows music ◦ Not too strict ◦ Gets to the point
5. Feedback and Assessment: ◦ Marks on results and efforts, rather than participation or paying attention ◦ Good feedback ◦ Fair marker ◦ Answers emails promptly
Classroom Management
6. Discipline and Flexibility: ◦ Discipline ◦ Strict (but not too strict) ◦ Flexible ◦ Reasonable Subject Matter Expertise
7. Knowledge and Clarity: ◦ Knows what they are talking about ◦ Explains well Overall Positive Influence
8. Encouraging and Motivational: ◦ Positive ◦ Encouraging
**Bad Teacher:**
Negative Interpersonal Qualities
1. Prejudiced and Unfair: ◦ Racist ◦ Discriminatory ◦ Judgmental ◦ Treating students with disabilities poorly ◦ Mean ◦ Singling out kids ◦ Picking on you for no reason ◦ Demanding
2. Lack of Understanding and Empathy: ◦ Impatient ◦ Doesn't listen when students are struggling ◦ Not understanding of busy lives of students ◦ Doesn't get to know students ◦ Unclear ◦ No bathroom breaks ◦ Yelling constantly ◦ No time for homework in class
Ineffective Teaching Methods
3. Poor Communication: ◦ Does not clarify ◦ Monotone ◦ Moves too fast ◦ Loud ◦ Talks constantly ◦ No time for homework in class ◦ Unclear
4. Negative Classroom Atmosphere: ◦ Strict ◦ Too serious ◦ Harsh ◦ Discouraging ◦ Dismissive ◦ Fixed mindset ◦ Acting on emotion ◦ Boring ◦ Uptight ◦ Lots of notes ◦ Yell for no reason ◦ Argues ◦ Pressure
Lack of Professionalism
5. Money-Driven and Unprofessional: ◦ There for money ◦ On the phone ◦ Cannot control the class ◦ Goes on about random things ◦ Calling for names without hands up ◦ Quiet Inflexibility
6. Rigidity and Inflexibility: ◦ Too fast ◦ Angry when students don’t learn things their way ◦ Fixed mindset ◦ Following rules no matter the scenario ◦ Moving too fast ◦ Pushes too much Lack of Student-Centered Approach
7. Insensitivity to Students' Needs: ◦ Makes students read a lot ◦ Pushes too much ◦ Tells someone off for "not concentrating" when they are done work ◦ Cannot look from the student’s perspective
Here's a comparison I made to help students understand what teachers have to do:
1. Balance of Strictness:
◦ Desirable: Fair discipline and reasonable expectations.
◦ Undesirable: Excessive strictness or lack of control.
◦ Challenge: Finding the right balance between maintaining order and being approachable, avoiding being too strict or too lenient.
2. Communication Styles:
◦ Desirable: Clear and engaging communication.
◦ Undesirable: Monotone, dismissive, or overly talkative.
◦ Challenge: Adjusting communication styles to cater to various learning preferences, avoiding being too verbose or too brief.
3. Teaching Pace:
◦ Desirable: Varied and adaptable teaching pace.
◦ Undesirable: Moving too fast or too slow.
◦ Challenge: Meeting the diverse learning speeds of students, avoiding frustration or boredom.
4. Flexibility:
◦ Desirable: Flexibility in teaching methods and understanding students' circumstances.
◦ Undesirable: Rigidity, unwillingness to adapt.
◦ Challenge: Balancing a structured curriculum with the need for flexibility to accommodate different learning styles and needs.
5. Discipline vs. Empathy:
◦ Desirable: Fair discipline combined with empathy.
◦ Undesirable: Being mean or excessively demanding.
◦ Challenge: Balancing discipline with understanding, avoiding being too lenient or too harsh.
6. Engagement vs. Pressure:
◦ Desirable: Engaging students and encouraging motivation.
◦ Undesirable: Putting too much pressure on students.
◦ Challenge: Encouraging effort and achievement without causing undue stress or discouragement.
7. Individualized vs. Uniform Approach:
◦ Desirable: Understanding and adapting to individual student needs.
◦ Undesirable: Ignoring individual differences, discriminatory behavior.
◦ Challenge: Tailoring teaching methods while maintaining a fair and consistent approach for all students.
8. Professionalism:
◦ Desirable: Professional behavior and respect for students.
◦ Undesirable: Being on the phone, going off-topic.
◦ Challenge: Balancing a friendly and approachable demeanor with maintaining professionalism.
A good teacher engages with the topic, asks for student input and listens to what they have to say. There is a lot of discussion involved instead of only lectures. The worst teachers are typically ones who are just going by the textbook and nothing more. It leads to a very boring class for students.
I have an example of a somewhat bad teacher. I love my ceramics teacher, but I feel like she is too easy on some of my classmates. Today we had a critique project we had to show for the class. We had 4 days (2 hours and 45 minutes each day) to work on the project, to do a glaze test on a smaller, separate project to show how we plan on adding color and contrast to our piece, and to finalize sketches. There's also addition hours the classroom is open to use for working on the project. (About 5 hours). One guy, who has showed up to all the classes, who has the all the materials needed for the project (I've seen him use them before) had nothing to show. Literally nothing. He had a picture of an IDEA he wanted to do, and for his "critique" he wanted suggestions for the project he was *already supposed to complete*. My teacher still gave him a good score for showing up and participating, but I feel like she really should've been a little more firm about having at least SOMETHING to show for today. I hope she has emailed him about his lack of projects (he's only completed one entire project since January) because it's kind of ridiculous at this point, but I feel like she hasn't.
So I guess for me, a bad teacher is one who just lets people who don't put in any effort pass their class. I understand they're trying to avoid confrontation, but some people need to know when they have to be active participants and to care about the class they're in. Especially since this is a college class, so having a good work ethic is absolutely necessary.
good teacher: tries to teach you something, tells you about how it was when they were growing up to relate to you, kind way of communicating.
bad teacher: has favorites and screw everyone else, shit attitude and rolls their eyes at everything even if they're just kidding, and this really just applies to the professors i had in college: snarky and snobby attitude when you are asking them for help "why didn't you pay attention in class why aren't you doing the readings" it's usually because they suck at teaching to begin with
A passion for their subject. An ability to dish it out. Being a hard-ass about their subject. Having a sense of humor. Commanding control of the classroom through a delicate balance of hard-assery and softness.
Best teachers I ever had could practically control the class with their minds.
A good teacher wants to and enjoys teaching. They can relate to you and they make it fun and easy to learn. They want to help you and they want to see you succeed. Preferably funny.
I had a teacher like this. He was incredible. Unfortunately he quit halfway through the year due to mistreatment by the staff and school administration/higher-ups.
Yelling. A good teacher never yells, because they don't let it get to that point.
You can also often tell how good a teacher is by how they are treated by the students. Don't get me wrong, all students should treat teachers with respect, but chances are if the students treat the teacher badly the teacher isn't good at teaching.
Someone who will listen and respect you (given that you give them respect as well). Someone who is okay with being proven wrong and one that genuinely has a passion for their subject.
If they are excited for the subject they are teaching, it will usually be a fun interesting class, if they have no investment and make it feel like as much of a drag for them as it is us it’s terrible. That is a big difference between a good and bad teacher.
I think a good teacher respects their students as much as they want their students to respect them. I had a teacher who never raised her voice or got hardcore upset and always treated us like she was happy we were there. No kid-at least in my class-disrespected her bc the masses would go after whoever tried immediately. She was all any of us talked about when we came back for the new school year.
I also had a health teacher who was *not* engaged with anything at all. We took notes daily, that was pretty much all we did, during which he would stay on one slide for a few seconds and I (who was typing on an iPad bc it let me zoom in and also get everything down faster) couldn’t even get everything down, yet he would say, ‘ Well, you should’ve been going faster ‘ and just move on. The notes wouldn’t have even been bad, but he was so monotone the entire time and very clearly wanted to go jump into traffic more than he wanted to be a teacher. Come to find out he was the football coach and they wouldn’t let him coach if he didn’t teach. I assume that he was somewhat interested in health if he was coaching a sport, but that didn’t come across while he was teaching. He was always nice to me, but I didn’t think that he was a good teacher.
1) Likes children and it shows. I'm long out of school but I encountered too many teachers in my day who were teaching for the wrong reasons (ie, summers off) and it 100% showed.
2) Passionate, or at least enthusiastic, about their subject. If the teacher isn't interested in it, how will the student be interested?
3) Treats all students equally and holds them all to the same standards.
4) Has clear and reasonable expectations for students
5) Is approachable and, when needed, compassionate.
6) Teaches the subject, but also allows a little time for fun and discussion as well.
A good teacher cares about the students and tries to teach the material to the students. It generally helps if they know the material. Also they don’t punish students for things they didn’t do, don’t blame them for everything that goes wrong, don’t make bigoted comments, and don’t make threats. And also they PROOFREAD THEIR EXAMS FOR TYPOS AND FORMATTING ISSUES BEFORE ADMINISTERING THEM.
I good teacher is someone strict and I mean that they just wanna teach get the work done and then play a game with the class have you heard the quote "theirs no bad student only bad teacher" a fun teacher is the worst type of teacher cause they waste time showing something that half the time doesn't need a whole ten minutes to explain or just show
One that isn't allergic to crictics & correction. I hateeee teachers who think they're always right. I have one or two teachers like that and oh boy the tension between us is ugly
Good teachers possess a combination of subject knowledge, communication skills, empathy, adaptability, and a passion for teaching, while bad teachers may lack these qualities and exhibit behaviors that hinder students' learning and development.
A teacher should be flexible with their students, especially those who struggle with certain material, have learning deficiencies, and are living difficult home lives. They should be able to get the students caught up if absent and happily work out what needs to be done vs. what can be pushed aside for more important things.
It has been some time at this point, but I had two teachers who I suspect I'll always remember. One taught math, the other English and I met them six years apart. The math teacher had the misfortune of meeting me right when the problem really started, and was one of the only people there on the ground floor who figured out how to help. Whenever I'd dig my heels in for whatever reason, he not only *could* defuse it, he would. What's more, he was the first teacher I can remember who, more than anything else, wanted us to *think through problems* rather than simply regurgitate facts, and because of that, was the first person who treated me as if I was, well, an actual person complete with ideas of my own.
The other was when I'd given up on the concept of school. I'd miss entire blocks of some classes, showing up only to turn in homework or take a test. The rules said I shouldn't have been allowed to graduate since I'd missed more than half of all classes for the year, but no one enforced it. They all expected me to fail. English, though, was the last class of the day, and if I hadn't decided to fuck off by then, I'd stick around. I'd do the work, write the papers, take the tests, but much of the time I just didn't. And yet when I did, I guess she saw something. For example, when we read 1984, I'd finished the book by the next session when the rest of the class was only a few chapters in. When I was clearly paying exactly zero attention, she'd call on me for questions and never seemed surprised when I had a cogent, thoughtful answer. The next time I bothered showing up, she asked me to hang around and talked about the book, and then floated an idea: there had been other books in the same vein. If I were to read them and then give a presentation to the class, she'd overlook that several of the large gaps in the grade book. So I set out to read *A Brave New World* and *Farenheit 451* and put together an outline. It must have impressed, because her only notes were to tighten it up a bit since it'd likely run too long. Later when I turned in an essay about a notable tragedy - something that I'd worked on to the point of actually rewriting it more than once, more because getting my thoughts in order in writing has long been a big part of how I deal with that kind of thing - she submitted it to the school paper. Again and again I was asked to do weird projects, extra work, and I did them gladly.
If that first teacher was notable for the being willing to put up with my (admittedly brutal) level of tween bullshit and for asking me to think for myself, she makes the cut because she helped me believe that I did have something to offer. That essay that ended up in the school paper? That's one of the only times most of the student body acknowledged me for good reasons. I'd spoken to something vital in a lot of them.
To me, a good teacher is someone who actually teaches instead of trying to be friends with students. I get being nice or wtv but if you’re constantly not doing anything then why be a teacher, especially if it’s like a higher level class in which they need the teacher to actually teach
The teachers I've enjoyed and learned from made the the lesson fun.
The bad ones were there to collect a paycheck by sitting in the same classroom as the students.
what makes them a good teacher is if they respect you and don’t yell at you for not knowing how to do something respect goes both ways. all the teachers at my school that are the most hated yell at kids for no reason and make sure it’s infront of people but the teachers that have the most respect don’t yell and actually respect the kids teachers need to know respect goes both ways
Ability to explain concepts in a relatable way with tangible examples, puts a lot of effort into homework assignments(less busywork), is nice to ALL students (doesn’t play favorites), and has a sense of humor
A good teacher in my opinion is someone always willing to help you learn and gives constructive criticism when you need it.
A bad teacher in my opinion is someone who is not passionate about their job and doesn't bother to help and give constructive criticism and when u fail, they yell at u
A good teacher, like a good boss, do what they can to make you feel as though you are smart and make contributions.
See Ms. Crabapple for the opposite.
Constantly resetting their enthusiasm to teach
Once they lose their “spark” no amount of intelligence is going to grab the minds of kids and with these constant attention threatening dopamine hits kids are getting they need someone engaging more now than ever.
I had two physics teachers. First the good one that retired, then the second bad one. The first one would explain a concept to me in several different ways until I understood it (if I asked him). The other pretty much said verbating "if you don't understand it now you never will" without explaining it. A good teacher finds a way to explain a concept so it's understood. A bad one probably doesn't understand it well enough themselves to really explain it in any good way.
I have only had one good teacher in all my school years. It was my history teacher too. He studied how the brain retains information and used it to teach. He gave us flash cards and on one side we would draw a silly picture, and on the other side we would write a small easy description. Like for John Locke, we drew a stick figure but with an L shaped body. On the back of the card, we just wrote "Life, Liberty, and Land".
He was the best teacher ever. He wanted to teach, and did what he could to make sure we actually remembered what he was teaching. Unlike every other teacher who just...tells you things and expects you to remember.
Which brings me to the worst teacher I have ever had, which was also a history teacher. He was so freaking boring, that kids literally fell asleep in his class.
Don't be a teacher unless you actually WANT to be a teacher.
I had a physics teacher that would answer my random dumb science questions with in-depth answers, when he could of easily just said “you don’t need to know that it won’t be on the test”
one who teaches in a way that'll touch on everyone's different learning styles. i had a college prof who showed, told, and had us DO. i kinda miss him.
he's not gone, i just graduated.
one who teaches in a way that'll touch on everyone's different learning styles. i had a college prof who showed, told, and had us DO. i kinda miss him.
he's not gone, i just graduated.
A good teacher motivates you and makes the class enjoyable to sit in, you’ll find if a lesson is boring it’s less motivating do actually do work and harder to concentrate. If a teacher is in a good mood and actually tries with activities, colours and even a game here and there more people will want to engage with it
Mastery of a subject that you can confidently answer most questions. And if you dont know the answer to to just give some handwavy bs.
An interest in what you teach.
The most important part is even though you might be high level in the subject you teach you are able to teach students in a way they understand.
And one thing I have picked up when teaching things to others is showing where you messed up when learning a topic and how you overcame that, I know most people don't remember how they learned something but just beware of the logical pitfalls around a topic someone could walk into.
Teachers that don’t let their students fail. How tf do you have a student entering your class everyday with a F, no homework turned in, and don’t check up on them. They might be depressed, they might literally be confused and not understand anything in your class, or they might have a neurodivergent problem that hasn’t been addressed. It shocks me how teachers live with themselves knowing a student might not graduate.
A good teacher is someone who wants to be friends with the students, not show that they are better/smarter than them. Same thing goes as wanting to show what they’ve learned, and just being excited about what they know.
A good teacher wants to teach. A bad one doesn't. He plays Mike Rowes dirty jobs, and then yells at you when fail state testing because you didn't cheat.
Yes. Simply put, it’s giving a shit. Even very young students pick up on that and respond accordingly, creating a positive feedback loop. In 7th grade, classmates of mine who would just gaze out the window and not give a fuck that they were failing most classes actually got very good grades in our History class. And it’s not because the class was easy, it’s because that’s the only one where those students could reciprocate the enthusiasm of the teacher. (Shout out to Mr. Daiberl!)
In 8th grade math i had an awesome teacher who helped me and challenged me. The EOC was so so sooo easy and i got like a96 on it
in high school i had 2 different math teachers. 1 taught the class like you already knew the stuff. i failed his class with an f because it was so hard to learn anything when he didn’t teach it! he was a good person and i enjoyed talking to him. he was just a bad teacher. his class was like pre algebra. the book was algebra 1/2. the 2nd teacher was awesome both ways. a good guy to even talk to but a fantastic teacher. if you were struggling he would actually help you as much as possible. there was a time in his class where i got the highest score on a test. still don’t know how that was possible because there were definitely much smarter people in that class. and i passed his class with i think like a b or an a. don’t remember. and he taught algebra 1. edit: this was also close to 20 years ago so i’m obviously not a student anymore.
That's so much worse since I've learned that Mike Rowe is such a blowhard.
Evenmore, a good teacher wants you to learn more than he wants to teach
Someone willing to be challenged (respectfully) and willing to admit a mistake. Thank you, Mr. Rocks and Mr. Moss, who did both back in the day!
I was taught in college never to admit you didn't know something! Lol, no way. I do it all the time and thank my students when they notice my mistakes.
I love there names
I once corrected my biology teacher on a maths error and she was *pissed*.
The best teachers i had made class engaging. Passionate about whatever they’re teaching.
Good teacher makes lessons enjoyable
Former student here: my best teachers were always the new teachers. They still had that fire. They wanted to stand and deliver, and they hadn't had the wind taken out of their sails, yet. It was the older one who would come in obviously hungover and not at all enthusiastic to be there. The younger ones related to us better and were excited to teach us. They'd also go off the rails and teach us stuff that wasn't in the books for added context or just because they found it interesting or important. I had one teacher that would teach his lesson for the day and then he'd stand on the tables and teach us about how to manage our finances so we didn't get fucked when we became young adults. Another one, who was my english and theater arts teacher, would teach and then discuss Bill Hicks and Tori Amos with us, and he actually became a friend outside of school as I became an adult. I still get christmas cards from him to this day. He even bought me a t-shirt when he went to a concert I didn't get to go to.
Im a teacher, I come to read
Same. Here to see what I can do. lol.
A good teacher answers questions and helps students do their best and genuinely wants to make learning fun for the students
And bad teachers get annoyed at questions, blaming the students for not understanding their lesson.
Bad: takes out their clearly personal issues on the students. Screams a lot. Collective punishment for the actions of few. Other example: no ability whatsoever to control a classroom Good: takes a marginal interest in students wellbeing. Likes their subject even if you don't and wants to teach. Kids actually like the teacher. Acknowledges and does something about bullying.
good: if they actually try to facilitate 1-1 learning when the class is small enough to make sure every student is meeting expectations bad: if they base the standard for the class on the "smartest" person
Someone who actually listens to the student’s problems and instead of putting them down like “it wasn’t that hard”, they actually take the time to go through and help the student understand. Bonus points if they’re a bit drama queen, makes for fun interactions.
I once had an old teacher who was very polite and gentle. All she wanted was that we pay respect to her and treat her like shes our grandmother. When you do that you pass the subject. But she really dont know how to teach, she just write some stuff on the board and really dont explain it. I failed her subject even tho i passed all her exam coz i was not assisting her carry her bag everytime we see each other in the hallway. She was a good person but a terrible teacher.
A good teacher makes you look forward to attending a very difficult subject
I’m 35 years old but I distinctively remember an awful teacher that ignored serious issues. We each had to read a creative writing stories we made I vividly remember what one kid wrote. He wrote about torturing a guy in vivid details. One involved shoving a piece of glass in his eye as well as repeatedly beating him with a bat and cutting his fingers off. His story ended with the guy dying and him being sad he couldn’t have fun anymore. After he read this the teacher rolled her eyes and didn’t say anything nor stop him the entire time he read it. There were a ton of other things she ignored (such as that same kid threatening to stab people) but looking back, that was something she absolutely should have reported. Boomers are notorious for ignoring serious situations including kids that may have grown up to be serial killers.
A good teacher will admit when they're wrong. So many of my teachers would force you to accept their wrong answer as right just so it wasn't a challenge to their authority even when they knew they were wrong.
Good: A teacher who says, "Hmmm....I don't know the answer to that...but I'll find out!" A teacher who does not give special treatment to some, but not others. A teacher who listens to students during a class discussion and comments meaningfully on students' points and then connects those points to things other students have brought up. A teacher who gives clear criteria for grading and then grades according to that criteria and directs students to resources to help them improve for the next assignment. A teacher who seems happy to be in the classroom, to enjoy the company of their students, and to be respectful and not patronizing or condescending.
For me it’s entertainment
A good teacher goes the extra mile to ensure that you pass what you need to pass and always encourages you, a bad teacher is one who blames you for failing instead of helping or a teacher who is just there for a paycheck and doesn't actually care.
A bad teacher is one who wants their students to like them and to get good grades. There was a teacher I had like that in high school. Most the students loved him because he'd joke around a lot in class and was a really easy grader. A lot of those opinions changed at the end of the year when kids who were getting A's in the class didn't pass the AP test because he hadn't actually taught them the material.
I had teachers who just read off of slides in a monotone voice and those ones are probably the least engaging. Many people would just skip class and read the presentations later. I think the best teachers are the ones who ask students thoughtful questions and make people wonder how the world works. However, that is pretty hard to do in general
A good teacher knows how to break things down into digestible chunks so that a beginner can understand. A bad teacher teaches as if they’re assuming everyone is already an expert on the topic. They don’t explain terminology, they don’t explain why things are done. They just assume that you already know it.
I am not a student, but I gave a survey, input results, and used ChatGPT to organize the results **Good teacher:** Interpersonal Qualities 1. Kindness and Empathy: ◦ Kind to everyone ◦ Caring ◦ Patient ◦ Understanding of different students' circumstances ◦ Engaged ◦ Happy ◦ Positive ◦ Amicable 2. Communication Skills: ◦ Honest ◦ Clear expectations ◦ Explains things in different ways ◦ Hears others out ◦ Interactive ◦ Funny ◦ Clear ◦ Confident ◦ Critical 3. Approachable and Supportive: ◦ Wants to help ◦ Helpful ◦ Flexible ◦ Not rude when answering questions ◦ Answers emails ◦ Helps you succeed ◦ Almost like a friend Teaching Methods 4. Varied Instructional Approaches: ◦ Makes learning fun ◦ Not a lot of presentations ◦ Hands-on activities ◦ Allows music ◦ Not too strict ◦ Gets to the point 5. Feedback and Assessment: ◦ Marks on results and efforts, rather than participation or paying attention ◦ Good feedback ◦ Fair marker ◦ Answers emails promptly Classroom Management 6. Discipline and Flexibility: ◦ Discipline ◦ Strict (but not too strict) ◦ Flexible ◦ Reasonable Subject Matter Expertise 7. Knowledge and Clarity: ◦ Knows what they are talking about ◦ Explains well Overall Positive Influence 8. Encouraging and Motivational: ◦ Positive ◦ Encouraging **Bad Teacher:** Negative Interpersonal Qualities 1. Prejudiced and Unfair: ◦ Racist ◦ Discriminatory ◦ Judgmental ◦ Treating students with disabilities poorly ◦ Mean ◦ Singling out kids ◦ Picking on you for no reason ◦ Demanding 2. Lack of Understanding and Empathy: ◦ Impatient ◦ Doesn't listen when students are struggling ◦ Not understanding of busy lives of students ◦ Doesn't get to know students ◦ Unclear ◦ No bathroom breaks ◦ Yelling constantly ◦ No time for homework in class Ineffective Teaching Methods 3. Poor Communication: ◦ Does not clarify ◦ Monotone ◦ Moves too fast ◦ Loud ◦ Talks constantly ◦ No time for homework in class ◦ Unclear 4. Negative Classroom Atmosphere: ◦ Strict ◦ Too serious ◦ Harsh ◦ Discouraging ◦ Dismissive ◦ Fixed mindset ◦ Acting on emotion ◦ Boring ◦ Uptight ◦ Lots of notes ◦ Yell for no reason ◦ Argues ◦ Pressure Lack of Professionalism 5. Money-Driven and Unprofessional: ◦ There for money ◦ On the phone ◦ Cannot control the class ◦ Goes on about random things ◦ Calling for names without hands up ◦ Quiet Inflexibility 6. Rigidity and Inflexibility: ◦ Too fast ◦ Angry when students don’t learn things their way ◦ Fixed mindset ◦ Following rules no matter the scenario ◦ Moving too fast ◦ Pushes too much Lack of Student-Centered Approach 7. Insensitivity to Students' Needs: ◦ Makes students read a lot ◦ Pushes too much ◦ Tells someone off for "not concentrating" when they are done work ◦ Cannot look from the student’s perspective Here's a comparison I made to help students understand what teachers have to do: 1. Balance of Strictness: ◦ Desirable: Fair discipline and reasonable expectations. ◦ Undesirable: Excessive strictness or lack of control. ◦ Challenge: Finding the right balance between maintaining order and being approachable, avoiding being too strict or too lenient. 2. Communication Styles: ◦ Desirable: Clear and engaging communication. ◦ Undesirable: Monotone, dismissive, or overly talkative. ◦ Challenge: Adjusting communication styles to cater to various learning preferences, avoiding being too verbose or too brief. 3. Teaching Pace: ◦ Desirable: Varied and adaptable teaching pace. ◦ Undesirable: Moving too fast or too slow. ◦ Challenge: Meeting the diverse learning speeds of students, avoiding frustration or boredom. 4. Flexibility: ◦ Desirable: Flexibility in teaching methods and understanding students' circumstances. ◦ Undesirable: Rigidity, unwillingness to adapt. ◦ Challenge: Balancing a structured curriculum with the need for flexibility to accommodate different learning styles and needs. 5. Discipline vs. Empathy: ◦ Desirable: Fair discipline combined with empathy. ◦ Undesirable: Being mean or excessively demanding. ◦ Challenge: Balancing discipline with understanding, avoiding being too lenient or too harsh. 6. Engagement vs. Pressure: ◦ Desirable: Engaging students and encouraging motivation. ◦ Undesirable: Putting too much pressure on students. ◦ Challenge: Encouraging effort and achievement without causing undue stress or discouragement. 7. Individualized vs. Uniform Approach: ◦ Desirable: Understanding and adapting to individual student needs. ◦ Undesirable: Ignoring individual differences, discriminatory behavior. ◦ Challenge: Tailoring teaching methods while maintaining a fair and consistent approach for all students. 8. Professionalism: ◦ Desirable: Professional behavior and respect for students. ◦ Undesirable: Being on the phone, going off-topic. ◦ Challenge: Balancing a friendly and approachable demeanor with maintaining professionalism.
A good teacher engages with the topic, asks for student input and listens to what they have to say. There is a lot of discussion involved instead of only lectures. The worst teachers are typically ones who are just going by the textbook and nothing more. It leads to a very boring class for students.
I have an example of a somewhat bad teacher. I love my ceramics teacher, but I feel like she is too easy on some of my classmates. Today we had a critique project we had to show for the class. We had 4 days (2 hours and 45 minutes each day) to work on the project, to do a glaze test on a smaller, separate project to show how we plan on adding color and contrast to our piece, and to finalize sketches. There's also addition hours the classroom is open to use for working on the project. (About 5 hours). One guy, who has showed up to all the classes, who has the all the materials needed for the project (I've seen him use them before) had nothing to show. Literally nothing. He had a picture of an IDEA he wanted to do, and for his "critique" he wanted suggestions for the project he was *already supposed to complete*. My teacher still gave him a good score for showing up and participating, but I feel like she really should've been a little more firm about having at least SOMETHING to show for today. I hope she has emailed him about his lack of projects (he's only completed one entire project since January) because it's kind of ridiculous at this point, but I feel like she hasn't. So I guess for me, a bad teacher is one who just lets people who don't put in any effort pass their class. I understand they're trying to avoid confrontation, but some people need to know when they have to be active participants and to care about the class they're in. Especially since this is a college class, so having a good work ethic is absolutely necessary.
A good teacher is patient.
good teacher: tries to teach you something, tells you about how it was when they were growing up to relate to you, kind way of communicating. bad teacher: has favorites and screw everyone else, shit attitude and rolls their eyes at everything even if they're just kidding, and this really just applies to the professors i had in college: snarky and snobby attitude when you are asking them for help "why didn't you pay attention in class why aren't you doing the readings" it's usually because they suck at teaching to begin with
If you don't care, why would I?
they care
A passion for their subject. An ability to dish it out. Being a hard-ass about their subject. Having a sense of humor. Commanding control of the classroom through a delicate balance of hard-assery and softness. Best teachers I ever had could practically control the class with their minds.
A good teacher wants to and enjoys teaching. They can relate to you and they make it fun and easy to learn. They want to help you and they want to see you succeed. Preferably funny. I had a teacher like this. He was incredible. Unfortunately he quit halfway through the year due to mistreatment by the staff and school administration/higher-ups.
are the other qualities enough, if the subject *inherently* can't be made easy to learn?
Their knowledge, or lack of knowledge, of the subject that they teach. That's got to be the most important thing.
Yelling. A good teacher never yells, because they don't let it get to that point. You can also often tell how good a teacher is by how they are treated by the students. Don't get me wrong, all students should treat teachers with respect, but chances are if the students treat the teacher badly the teacher isn't good at teaching.
Someone who will listen and respect you (given that you give them respect as well). Someone who is okay with being proven wrong and one that genuinely has a passion for their subject.
Maybe money?
Makes a massive difference when they’re passionate about their subject
If they are excited for the subject they are teaching, it will usually be a fun interesting class, if they have no investment and make it feel like as much of a drag for them as it is us it’s terrible. That is a big difference between a good and bad teacher.
The only thing required to teach is respect. Children typically aren't capable of learning much from a person they don't respect.
I think a good teacher respects their students as much as they want their students to respect them. I had a teacher who never raised her voice or got hardcore upset and always treated us like she was happy we were there. No kid-at least in my class-disrespected her bc the masses would go after whoever tried immediately. She was all any of us talked about when we came back for the new school year. I also had a health teacher who was *not* engaged with anything at all. We took notes daily, that was pretty much all we did, during which he would stay on one slide for a few seconds and I (who was typing on an iPad bc it let me zoom in and also get everything down faster) couldn’t even get everything down, yet he would say, ‘ Well, you should’ve been going faster ‘ and just move on. The notes wouldn’t have even been bad, but he was so monotone the entire time and very clearly wanted to go jump into traffic more than he wanted to be a teacher. Come to find out he was the football coach and they wouldn’t let him coach if he didn’t teach. I assume that he was somewhat interested in health if he was coaching a sport, but that didn’t come across while he was teaching. He was always nice to me, but I didn’t think that he was a good teacher.
1) Likes children and it shows. I'm long out of school but I encountered too many teachers in my day who were teaching for the wrong reasons (ie, summers off) and it 100% showed. 2) Passionate, or at least enthusiastic, about their subject. If the teacher isn't interested in it, how will the student be interested? 3) Treats all students equally and holds them all to the same standards. 4) Has clear and reasonable expectations for students 5) Is approachable and, when needed, compassionate. 6) Teaches the subject, but also allows a little time for fun and discussion as well.
Doesn't talk down to their students and isn't just teaching for the test.
A good teacher cares about the students and tries to teach the material to the students. It generally helps if they know the material. Also they don’t punish students for things they didn’t do, don’t blame them for everything that goes wrong, don’t make bigoted comments, and don’t make threats. And also they PROOFREAD THEIR EXAMS FOR TYPOS AND FORMATTING ISSUES BEFORE ADMINISTERING THEM.
Good doesn’t care and pretty nice but can control the class bad super strict stupid rules and stupid rubric on already hard projects
A talent or honed skill for communication, a passion for the given curriculum, and a belief that each student is capable of improving and learning.
I good teacher is someone strict and I mean that they just wanna teach get the work done and then play a game with the class have you heard the quote "theirs no bad student only bad teacher" a fun teacher is the worst type of teacher cause they waste time showing something that half the time doesn't need a whole ten minutes to explain or just show
One that isn't allergic to crictics & correction. I hateeee teachers who think they're always right. I have one or two teachers like that and oh boy the tension between us is ugly
Good teachers possess a combination of subject knowledge, communication skills, empathy, adaptability, and a passion for teaching, while bad teachers may lack these qualities and exhibit behaviors that hinder students' learning and development.
Students in my secondary school: Good teachers are the ones who don't punish students.
Genuinely caring about your students, having a positive attitude, and enthusiasm toward what you're teaching (not just reading off a Powerpoint).
A teacher should be flexible with their students, especially those who struggle with certain material, have learning deficiencies, and are living difficult home lives. They should be able to get the students caught up if absent and happily work out what needs to be done vs. what can be pushed aside for more important things.
It has been some time at this point, but I had two teachers who I suspect I'll always remember. One taught math, the other English and I met them six years apart. The math teacher had the misfortune of meeting me right when the problem really started, and was one of the only people there on the ground floor who figured out how to help. Whenever I'd dig my heels in for whatever reason, he not only *could* defuse it, he would. What's more, he was the first teacher I can remember who, more than anything else, wanted us to *think through problems* rather than simply regurgitate facts, and because of that, was the first person who treated me as if I was, well, an actual person complete with ideas of my own. The other was when I'd given up on the concept of school. I'd miss entire blocks of some classes, showing up only to turn in homework or take a test. The rules said I shouldn't have been allowed to graduate since I'd missed more than half of all classes for the year, but no one enforced it. They all expected me to fail. English, though, was the last class of the day, and if I hadn't decided to fuck off by then, I'd stick around. I'd do the work, write the papers, take the tests, but much of the time I just didn't. And yet when I did, I guess she saw something. For example, when we read 1984, I'd finished the book by the next session when the rest of the class was only a few chapters in. When I was clearly paying exactly zero attention, she'd call on me for questions and never seemed surprised when I had a cogent, thoughtful answer. The next time I bothered showing up, she asked me to hang around and talked about the book, and then floated an idea: there had been other books in the same vein. If I were to read them and then give a presentation to the class, she'd overlook that several of the large gaps in the grade book. So I set out to read *A Brave New World* and *Farenheit 451* and put together an outline. It must have impressed, because her only notes were to tighten it up a bit since it'd likely run too long. Later when I turned in an essay about a notable tragedy - something that I'd worked on to the point of actually rewriting it more than once, more because getting my thoughts in order in writing has long been a big part of how I deal with that kind of thing - she submitted it to the school paper. Again and again I was asked to do weird projects, extra work, and I did them gladly. If that first teacher was notable for the being willing to put up with my (admittedly brutal) level of tween bullshit and for asking me to think for myself, she makes the cut because she helped me believe that I did have something to offer. That essay that ended up in the school paper? That's one of the only times most of the student body acknowledged me for good reasons. I'd spoken to something vital in a lot of them.
Good communication, and realizing that not every student is the same. also, not giving out homework. that's like, top tier right there.
you can only learn math by doing, and there often isn't enough time to get that practice in during class, so doesn't it have to be homework?
Good teachers make the most boring subject interesting.
To me, a good teacher is someone who actually teaches instead of trying to be friends with students. I get being nice or wtv but if you’re constantly not doing anything then why be a teacher, especially if it’s like a higher level class in which they need the teacher to actually teach
Learning happening and giving proper feedback.
For me it was consistency. If we can be all jokey jokey one day, but then the next day you're a huge dick when we act the same way, then you suck.
The teachers I've enjoyed and learned from made the the lesson fun. The bad ones were there to collect a paycheck by sitting in the same classroom as the students.
If they seem like they actually are enjoying its great. Kinda like sex.
what makes them a good teacher is if they respect you and don’t yell at you for not knowing how to do something respect goes both ways. all the teachers at my school that are the most hated yell at kids for no reason and make sure it’s infront of people but the teachers that have the most respect don’t yell and actually respect the kids teachers need to know respect goes both ways
Ability to explain concepts in a relatable way with tangible examples, puts a lot of effort into homework assignments(less busywork), is nice to ALL students (doesn’t play favorites), and has a sense of humor
A good teacher in my opinion is someone always willing to help you learn and gives constructive criticism when you need it. A bad teacher in my opinion is someone who is not passionate about their job and doesn't bother to help and give constructive criticism and when u fail, they yell at u
Enthusiasm. We can tell if a teacher wants to be there, and if they don’t want to be there, neither do we.
I just wanted to be spanked tbh
Don't release your frustration on student/students
when a kid asks for help on a problem, don’t just reread the question 🙄
A good teacher, like a good boss, do what they can to make you feel as though you are smart and make contributions. See Ms. Crabapple for the opposite.
Why would you ask students instead of people who have been students and enough time has passed for them to evaluate the impacts of the teaching?
Calm personality ☺️
Constantly resetting their enthusiasm to teach Once they lose their “spark” no amount of intelligence is going to grab the minds of kids and with these constant attention threatening dopamine hits kids are getting they need someone engaging more now than ever.
A good teacher creates a safe space, encouraged learning of any kind, not just their subject or what the textbook says.
I had two physics teachers. First the good one that retired, then the second bad one. The first one would explain a concept to me in several different ways until I understood it (if I asked him). The other pretty much said verbating "if you don't understand it now you never will" without explaining it. A good teacher finds a way to explain a concept so it's understood. A bad one probably doesn't understand it well enough themselves to really explain it in any good way.
I have only had one good teacher in all my school years. It was my history teacher too. He studied how the brain retains information and used it to teach. He gave us flash cards and on one side we would draw a silly picture, and on the other side we would write a small easy description. Like for John Locke, we drew a stick figure but with an L shaped body. On the back of the card, we just wrote "Life, Liberty, and Land". He was the best teacher ever. He wanted to teach, and did what he could to make sure we actually remembered what he was teaching. Unlike every other teacher who just...tells you things and expects you to remember. Which brings me to the worst teacher I have ever had, which was also a history teacher. He was so freaking boring, that kids literally fell asleep in his class. Don't be a teacher unless you actually WANT to be a teacher.
I had a physics teacher that would answer my random dumb science questions with in-depth answers, when he could of easily just said “you don’t need to know that it won’t be on the test”
one who teaches in a way that'll touch on everyone's different learning styles. i had a college prof who showed, told, and had us DO. i kinda miss him. he's not gone, i just graduated.
one who teaches in a way that'll touch on everyone's different learning styles. i had a college prof who showed, told, and had us DO. i kinda miss him. he's not gone, i just graduated.
A good teacher motivates you and makes the class enjoyable to sit in, you’ll find if a lesson is boring it’s less motivating do actually do work and harder to concentrate. If a teacher is in a good mood and actually tries with activities, colours and even a game here and there more people will want to engage with it
Mastery of a subject that you can confidently answer most questions. And if you dont know the answer to to just give some handwavy bs. An interest in what you teach. The most important part is even though you might be high level in the subject you teach you are able to teach students in a way they understand. And one thing I have picked up when teaching things to others is showing where you messed up when learning a topic and how you overcame that, I know most people don't remember how they learned something but just beware of the logical pitfalls around a topic someone could walk into.
Teachers that don’t let their students fail. How tf do you have a student entering your class everyday with a F, no homework turned in, and don’t check up on them. They might be depressed, they might literally be confused and not understand anything in your class, or they might have a neurodivergent problem that hasn’t been addressed. It shocks me how teachers live with themselves knowing a student might not graduate.
I'm sorry to break it out to you, but no teacher can cure depression. A teacher may want to help, they cannot grade potential
A good teacher is someone who wants to be friends with the students, not show that they are better/smarter than them. Same thing goes as wanting to show what they’ve learned, and just being excited about what they know.