The Preschool Times

Class assignments went out this week and the phone calls from parents began to trickle in. Each person had a different idea of what made a teacher a “good one.”  Some parents want their child to be with their “friends,” others felt the teacher’s personality better suited their child’s personality, and still others were curious about why I had selected a particular teacher. When it comes to deciding if a teacher is good or not, there are many criteria. As an administrator my criteria may be different from a parent’s and still different from a child’s.

First I divide good teacher into two basic categories: good employee and good teacher. In this business you can have a good employee but only a moderately good teacher, a good employee who is a great teacher, or a great teacher who is a moderately good employee. (There is no reason to keep a moderate teacher who is a moderate employee, is there?) However, most people are not really involved in the business end of running a school.  Instead, their interest focuses on an important question: “How does this affect me (my child)?” And that’s okay.  After all, you select the school because of the administration, right? It is the administration’s job to manage their employees and set the tone for the entire school.

Let’s assume that the teachers at the school are good (if not great).  What is it that distinguishes a good teacher from a great teacher?  A good teacher plans effective, appropriate lessons and implements them.  They arrive on time and have the materials readily available for the children when they arrive.  Each child is greeted warmly and assisted with organizational clues.

A great teacher has all of these characteristics and qualities, plus something more. The component that elevates a teacher from good to great is their ability to:  observe a child at work and play, question the learning taking place, observe patterns in the child’s thinking and adapt the lesson to the child (as an individual). On occasion, great teachers change the lesson to hone in and develop the children’s interests. A great teacher is interested in the process of learning as well as the outcome. They are interested in the dynamics of how a child learns, as well as their own learning.

You see, great teachers love to learn. They are interested in everything.  Most of all they are interested in learning to be a better teacher every day.  Periodically great teachers come across a child who does not respond to all the usual curriculum delivery techniques. This pushes the teacher to dig a little deeper to understand how that child is processing and learning. Understanding this progression a good teacher will hone her/his skills and move closer to becoming a great teacher.  Learning to become a great teacher is a process that is influenced by the diverse make up of their class.  Diversity allows each child to learn and appreciate differences and similarities.  The most interesting lessons become even more so based on the characteristics children bring to the classroom.  Classes that are too homogeneous tend not to propel them forward.

Sometimes we must be forced to think, for it is in the knowledge of what we do not know that we can achieve greatness.

Peace & Light,

Grace