Teachers are great because…
1) They give love, attention, and acceptance to all kids.
2) They help their students succeed academically, even when that takes extra time to alter a lesson, one-on-one time teaching the student, or staying after hours to make sure they understand a math concept.
3) They make students feel special. They talk with them in the hall and say, “Hi,” even when that student is no longer in their class.
4) They see the potential in every kid and do everything within their power to bring out their best.
5) They try to understand the students’ perspectives and embrace their realities.
6) They sacrifice their needs for the needs of students. A great teacher is one of the biggest blessings in a child’s life.
7) They partner with parents to bring out the best in their children.
8) They understand a parent’s struggle and provide ideas to work on at home.
9) They act as heralds of wisdom and inspire lifelong learning. “It is the teacher’s mission to stand at the spiritual gateways of his pupil’s mind, serving as a herald of science, a guide through nature, to summon the minds to their work, to place before them the facts to be observed and studied, and to guide them into the right paths to be followed.” – John Milton Gregory
10) They’re creative. Even if they’ve taught the same lesson for 10 years, teachers constantly improve themselves and come up with new and creative ways to approach the same topic.
11) They’re adaptable. Teachers constantly change lessons, sometimes on an individual student basis, to better help students learn.
12) They are selfless. The entirety of their work revolves around building leaders for tomorrow.
13) They have an exceptional tolerance of noisy chatter. Teachers allow kids to be kids, while instilling a love of learning in their hearts.
14) They have hearts big enough to love all kids. Even the ones who make a teacher’s day less than pleasant.
15) They can honestly answer 50 questions in one minute. “Yes, no, please don’t do that, I need your homework, that’s really awesome, did your mom like it, move that over there please, computer time is only 10 minutes;” you get the idea.
16) They create safe environments for children to have unique experiences: Learning about apples? Let’s make applesauce in class.
17) They comfort those in deepest need. The little girl who just bumped her head and tripped and fell on her way to the teacher for a hug or the pre-teen who just needed to talk through what was going on at home.
18) They teach character traits like kindness, patience, honesty, integrity, and the value of hand washing.
19) They believe in their students and show them each day by simply being there and helping kids use their passions and their strengths make the world better.
20) They meet children where they are at and help them to become more than anyone thought they could be.